Normandie, Part Un

I'm currently sitting in my hotel room in Bayeux waiting to meet up with the rest of the group for dinner.  Our trip through Normandy is seven days, so I decided I couldn't do without my computer for that long.  I also thought I'd spare myself and everyone who reads this blog the misery of writing and reading seven days' worth of activities in one post.  I added ten pounds to my luggage all for you :)

We left Dijon yesterday morning at 7:00 a.m., and my host mom was nice enough to give me a ride to the bus.  I live in the suburbs, so I've had to rely on them a little more, but they've been great about taking me to school or into Centre Ville for dinner.  Our first stop was Épernay, the capital of Champagne (the region), for a tour of the Mercier caves.  Mercier is a champagne company (what else), so we got to see thousands of bottles of champagne in various stages of production down in the caves.  Afterwards, we got to taste a glass of champagne (don’t worry, it was noon by then).

Cathedral in Reims

From there, we went to Reims for a guided tour of its famous cathedral.  All of the French kings were sacré or coronated there (except Henri IV who was Protestant), so it’s a pretty important site in French history.  The fact that the kings were thought to have divine right or be chosen by God would prove to be very influential in the direction of France.  Unfortunately, it was raining in Reims, so the rest of our tour of the city was done on the bus.

We then left Reims for Rouen, where we would have dinner and stay the night.  Dinner last night was maybe one of the best meals we’ve had so far.  I started with mussels cooked in saffron and probably butter, then had a piece of beef covered in melted camembert, plain green salad, and chocolate ice cream.  The restaurant was so cute and French and delicious, and I felt like I was going to explode afterward, but it was so worth it.

Cathedral in Rouen

Rouen

Today we had a guided tour of the cathedral in Rouen, and then walked around the city.  I was totally unimpressed by the city, judging by where our hotel was, but once we got into the Centre Ville, it was so pretty.  It’s a lot bigger than Dijon, so there was some great shopping (although we didn’t have time to partake) and cool architecture.  Rouen is famous because Joan of Arc was burned at the stake there, and it suffered a lot of damage during World War II, but it’s (obviously) all been reconstructed.  We also went to the Musee de Beaux-Arts to see an exhibit full of impressionist work, including stuff by Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Gauguin.  I really like impressionist art, but I feel so ignorant when I go to art museums, so I'm excited for my art history class that starts in October.

Stephanie and me in Honfleur

Honfleur

From Rouen, we drove to Honfleur, and we got off the bus to walk around for about an hour.  Honfleur was a beautiful port city, and I would looovvve to go back.  There are tons of cool looking restaurants next to the water, and I wish we could’ve stayed there for a little longer.

Now we’re in Bayeux for a couple of nights, and I’ll update you soon on what we do!

Bisous