Normandy Day 3: Rouen and Giverny

Our last day in Normandy was bitter sweet. We were exhausted from the traveling, but Normandy! Oh Normandy, the trip was not long enough.

We stayed in La Havre, which you might know from a board game. I have never heard of it, but Lyndon has and that is why we stayed there. The city was not your picturesque French city, but that is because it was basically destroyed during WWII bombings. The cathedral survived, and is the only "original" among the modern architecture used to rebuild the city. We drove along the city's coast and can imagine that it is quite the hot spot during the summer. That is only an assumption. I have no idea if Le Havre is hopping during the summer months. If we were in France I would go there for a party beach vacation.

Our first stop of the day was the city of Rouen. It is famous for it's beautiful Cathedral and as the city where Joan of Arc was martyred. We spent most of our time enjoying the beautiful Cathedral. 

We caught the tail end of the Sunday morning mass. We waited until the Cathedral was mostly empty before getting up and checking out the nave.

The architecture in this city was out of this world charming and gorgeous! I am in love. 

We came on the right weekend to see the cherry trees in bloom. Lyndon had me take a "glamour" shot among the blossoms. 

The Rouen Cathedral. Man, I love gothic architecture.

There was construction going on the front of the Cathedral, but if you are a hard core Monet fan you might be able to recognize this Cathedral from his painting. He painted this part of the Cathedral a lot. 

We walked down this charming street to see some more of the city before we left. We were searching for a boulangerie to get some bread and pastries for lunch. We are really going to miss the French bread. This clock caught my eye. It was so beautiful and ornate. How lucky this town is to have something so beautiful as this. 

The next couple of photos are of a few of the architectural details around the clock. It is pretty spectacular. 

I really love this town!

On the other side of the clock we found this! Only in France.

These two have the best time together. She is so lucky to have a daddy that throws her up in the air like this.

Carousel ride in Rouen. There was a Sunday market right next to the carousel. There was a cheese seller we bought some Camembert cheese from. The lady we bought it from examined each wheel of Camembert and gave us the one that was most suitable to eat that day. How awesome is that? The cheese was fantastic by the way.

Our next stop and last stop of the trip was Giverny to visit Monet's house and gardens that inspired his beautiful works of art. As we drove through the French country side we saw these fields of yellow flowers going on and on for miles.

Talk about picturesque and enchanting. We had to stop and take a picture to document this beautiful sight. 

These flowers were along the path leading to Monet's house. This was just a preview of we were about to see.

Flower explosion! We made it into the gardens faster than we thought. If you have a baby you can skip to the front of the line. Another thins to love about France. 

These tulips are making me miss the Netherlands like crazy. 

Of course Cosette found a stick. It was her trusty walking stick through out the garden.

I think we came at just the right time because the flowers were all in bloom. Spring is becoming my favorite season. After winters harsh or mild it is so nice to see the Earth coming back to life. 

Me and my babes. I love being their momma. My love for them has grown so much during our travels. They are the best travel companions I could ask for.  

Bamboo trees. 

Discovering flowers. 

We are here! This picture has to ring oa bell of one of Monet's works. It is no wonder he painted such beautiful works. He had such a beautiful place to draw inspiration from. 

Henry in Monet's Garden!

A nice belly shot. Thanks Cosette!

Here they are melting my heart again!

Indulging the husband with a photo. 

Family photo in Monet's Garden! I can hardly believe it. Going here was a big bucket list thing for me. I am so glad we got to go. 

She took the tiny pebbles in the garden and placed them on the leaves of this flower. 

We were not able to take photos inside his house, so this view of the garden from the house is as good as it is going to get. I loved his kitchen. The colors were a vibrant yellow and mint blue. Lets paint our kitchen like that Lyndon!

Husband's glamour shot among the blossoms. He looks extra beautiful with his flowing locks.

And off we went back to Paris. Giverny is only an hour outside Paris, and you can get there by train, but it is rather pricey. It is probably cheaper to rent a car and drive there and why not? Getting to see the French country side is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. This is the last biggish trip we took in France. I am going to miss this country fiercely when we have to leave.