Premiere Classe Rouen Sud - Oissel Rond Point Aux Vaches St-Etienne-du-Rouvray

... around enjoying the fresh air and the city until we got hungry and needed to stop for a snack. We got some pastries and sat by the River enjoying our meal. We noticed a pretty little peninsula under the bridge and decided to check it out where we took a bunch of pictures.

We spent most of the evening looking for campsites and failing. We ended up finding a Formula 1 hotel which is cheap and efficient. The best ...

... a lovely (and cheap) bottle of the local cider.

We didn't venture out into Rouen deciding to leave it for the morning.

When we did we saw where Joan of arc was burnt at the stake, and the tower where she was locked pending her trial.

The old town was full of tudor style buildings, but the highlight was the ancient one handed town clock.

... is not a traditional church because it is built in a way that is supposed to remind you of how she died, it looks very modern.
I also booked my train ticket for the next trip which was interesting because she couldn't speak english, however I had written down what I wanted and it was sipmple enough although I had to catch a train later than I wanted for my eurrail pass to be valid. It is more difficult to travel in France; firstly because you MUST ...

We flew into Paris Beauvis Airport and took a shuttle bus the rest of the way into the city. Onto the metro to connect with the main line trains. The metro is awesome and very easy to use. It would be totally idiot proof if I spoke a bit more French and had a better idea as to how the city is layed out, but we will save that for a later post.

I will not be using any contactions in this post because I am typing on a French keyboard and can not seem to find ...

... of Giverny only has around 200 permanent inhabitants, its very very small. At the same time its one of the most visited sites outside of the city, therefore about 1/3 of the city is accommodations for those tourist and by accommodations I mean parking lots and tourist attractions. The designer who was hired to provide (and also conceal) these accommodations did an incredible job. The parking lot is planted with wild grasses that seem to flow right into the nearby natural fields ...

... Van Goghs old apartment. Not a very spectacular looking place but pretty cool none the less! We walked to the Moulin Rouge and got lunch. The Moulin rouge is in the red light district so there were many many many sex shops and strip clubs! It felt like home on St Cath!! Haha! After all that walking it was time to catch a metro and go home for what else...a nap! What a great way to end the day!

Today Chris got his manual driving skills on ...

... as other towns along the Seine but did have some nice features. Tonight is the gala farewell party ... the food has been unbelievable and can not image what they have planned tonight! The German crew are nice enough but not really the passengers!

Love the city of Rouen which has such a medieval feel to it but has an university with 25,000 students so quite the bustling town. The Notre Dame cathedral located in the center of town was beyond massive . We saw the most unbelievable night light show that was projected against the cathedral .... I cannot not even explain it .. simply an overwhelming show. Rouen also the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Plenty of shopping and pastry shops!

... so many people, so it was hot and crowded. Still it was well worth while. Afterwards we were free to walk around the gardens, Peter and I had been in the gardens before but really didn't see much then, having just got off a plane that time. The gardens like the inside of the palace were 'over the top' beautifully ...

... had days in which to build something that theoretically would take years (the harbour at Dover took 7 years). So in the summer of 1942 in different location all across the UK men were working to build all different parts of bridges, platforms and docks, without knowing just what they were building. On D+1 (1 day after D-Day) the pieces were put together to form a huge floating bridge complete with unloading platforms. Then on D+2, 15 old ships that weren´t good for much else ...