Tag Archives: deauville

Bloggings, Reviews - Travel, Travel

France day 10: Monet’s house

Leave a comment

We had to wake up pretty early today because the bus was picking us up at 9. We went to the town of Giverny where the famous artist Claude Monet lived out his last years. Greg had gotten us tickets earlier to see his house and gardens. Everything was very beautiful and it was a nice day.  

When we got to the line somehow Don and I became separated from the rest of the group. We also had group tickets which allowed us to go to a shorter line. We only had a little under 2 hours so we decided to look around a bit then leave to get food. The gardens in front of his house were very beautiful.

We stopped at a cafeteria style restaurant. Don had roasted veal and ratatouille. I had a sausage and fries. It was pretty good! We sat outside and some chickens came over to us. They almost got into a fight under my feet, but they were so cute!!

We decided to go back in and try to go through Monet’s house. We had time to spare and last time we were in there the lines were just so long. We also found where the pond was and everything was very beautiful. The house was cool too. It was crowded though.

We stopped for an ice cream cone on our way out. There were a lot of Porshes in the parking lot because they were all heading to Deauville for the convention.

Next we stopped in the town of Rouen. There was a very beautiful church and many markets.

We mailed our postcards from this town, which was kind of an ordeal but the postal worker was very nice and helpful. We saw where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. There was a church there for her and that was very pretty, with beautiful stained glass.

We made our way back to the hotel where we were supposed to meet up and had a croissant. When we got back to the house we relaxed and took a walk to the beach. It would have been cool to swim but it was too cold. It was warm in the sun though. There were Porsches everywhere because they were having a Porsche convention thing in Deauville. This made Jim very happy because he loves the car. We walked around and looked at the cars a bit, very cool.

We came back and had some sandwiches and salads. Then Don and I went out again to eat at the pizza place we went to a few nights ago. I really was craving pizza.

Bloggings, Reviews - Travel, Travel

France Day 5: Exploring Deauville & Trouville

Leave a comment

Today we slept in until about 9:30 and that was nice. We had some toast and eggs and decided to go out on our own to look around the town around 11. We walked around Deauville. I got a giant pack of travel tissues at a pharmacy because I think I have picked up a cold. The weather does not help because it’s pretty chilly and dreary!

We found a farmer’s market and got some mushrooms and tiramsi. We also saw Greg and Julie here.

For lunch we stopped at a place called La Morny-pizzeria and creperie. I had a pizza with ham and Don had a galette. A galette is a type of pastry made from buckwheat flour. Think of it like a savory crepe I think. It was a pretty good lunch.

After lunch we did some more walking towards the river/canal. On the other side we could see more buildings and a ferris wheel. It was getting colder and raining more so we were thinking of going back, but then we saw a water taxi that would take us across so we thought we might as well check it out!

The water taxi was only a couple euros. On the other side was the town of Trouville. There was a pretty cool fish market right when we got off the taxi. Trouville was really cute. We stopped at a place called Les Artistes for a cappuccino. It was like a French hipster bar.

After hanging out out here for awhile we walked back to the house, it was around 4 pm. Don decided to take a nap while I socialized a bit in the kitchen. Kevin was making white trash punches for Greg and it was pretty funny.

We had to leave for dinner around 6:30 pm. We were planning to take the water taxi over to Trouville, how weird! When we got to the river though the tide had went out and the water was so low! You could see the bottom! So crazy considering a few hours earlier the water was super high. There was a temporary bridge we could use to walk across to the other side.

We had some time before dinner so we walked around with Greg and Patty. We saw our first cats of France here!

We ate at a creperie called Le Vieux Normand. Here we had fondue and crepes, both things I haven’t really had before. This place was also known to have many local ciders. The fondue was interesting and unique. There were savory crepes and sweet crepes. I was really craving a sweet one so that’s what I got. Don had a savory one with salmon. It was a nice dinner, so far French food though has not been my favorite. It is kind of a bummer that I can’t partake in the wine, some cheeses, and some meats. Oh well! Hope baby is enjoying his time in France!

We walked back to the house after dinner. It’s so crazy because it stays light out here right now until around 9:45 pm. We hung out for a bit then went to bed around 11.

Bloggings, Reviews - Travel, Travel

France Day 4: Traveling to Deauville

Leave a comment

Today we woke up around 7:30 and got out of the room by 8:45. We wanted to eat at the hotel but it was crowded! There was a wait for breakfast! So we decided to go down the street and try a breakfast place since we were a little short on time. The restaurant was called Le Pre aux Clercs. It was ok, just an average omelet breakfast. If you’re in a hurry though going to any cafe in France is not the place to be.

Once we were done with breakfast we took an uber to the train station to meet Greg. We all took the train to the airport to pick up a rental car to drive to the house in Deauville. We got a manual van haha—so thankfully Greg had driven a manual in college. The drive to the house was about 2 hours. We really enjoyed the signs on the side of the roads for the towns. It seemed they depicted things the towns were known for. I wish I had gotten a picture of the town with all the science stuff like beakers. Here’s one though:

When we arrived at the house we could not get ahold of the owner to check in early, so we loaded back in the van to meet everyone else at the train station. We put everyone’s luggage into the van and we all went to look for some food, except Greg, he went to get groceries.

We walked around town for a bit and I was getting pretty hangry. Finally we decided on a bar called Le Morny’s Cafe. Everyone started ordering drinks, which was a bit depressing because I could have used one. I had a croque madame which was recommended by Julie. A croque madame is like a grilled ham and cheese with a white sauce and a fried egg on top. It was delicious. Don had a cheeseburger.

After lunch we walked back to the house with Julie. Everyone else stayed behind to look around the town. Greg was at the house sitting outside and he had picked up a few snacks. He still was unable to get ahold of the owner even though it was 4 pm. Julie and I walked to the beach to check it out. It was very pretty, but with the weather only being in the 50s and 60s I don’t see it getting much use! When we got back to the house Greg said someone was coming to let us in.

The house is pretty cool. We drew names for the 3 bedrooms the couples would be sleeping in. We got a pretty sweet room. It has a giant bathroom.

For dinner we walked about 20-30 minutes to a restaurant on a boat called La Peniche. It was nice because the menu was set. We could choose from a few appetizers, main dishes, and then desserts. I had a mozzarella tart for an appetizer while Don had Foie Gras. For main courses I had the steak fillet and fries and Don had chicken with mashed potatoes. The steak was done perfectly. Dinner was very good. Don had creme brulee for dessert and I had something that reminded me of chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream.

The walk home was rainy and cold. I went to bed when we got back because my nose was very stuffy and I had a headache.