DINARD, BRITTANY FRANCE

DINARD

The fashionable summer resort of Dinard is our final stop.  After two months on the road, I think we are ready to head back to Minnesota.  My shoes are squeaking from all the rain and my "aching" legs are begging for a normal life.  I am also sick of sharing the public bathrooms with men. 
  
We stayed four nights at the Comfort Hotel Dinard Balmoral which was a problem because the internet was limited and frustrating for Ron.  Our experience with internet is that connections at apartments and B&B's are better then hotels. 

Dinard is an old city on the English Channel with magnificent views of the water, islands, lighthouses, beaches and interesting four story homes on cliffs.   The best part was the old brick wall along the ocean that you walk on for many miles.  There were not many visitors around in mid June, I think they were waiting for a good weather report.

We found Dinard to be a great base for sidetrips to Dinan and St Malo.  They were both a 30 minute bus ride. Dinan is considered one of the prettiest cities in Brittany. The buildings are on stilts and it is on a river.  You can also take a river boat ride from Dinard to Dinan.   St. Malo is a walled city on the water which can be seen from Dinard.   We also road the bus further up the coast from Dinard to a town called Saint- Briac which was lovely.   Four days in Brittany is not long enough - we hope to return someday. 


DINARD
WALK ALONG THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

SAINT MALO

SAINT MALO



DINAN

DINAN



DINAN

DINAN

  

BAYEUX, NORMANDY FRANCE

BAYEUX TAPESTRY
NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND 1066

After leaving Honfleur, we traveled by train and bus to the town of Bayeux which is famous for the Bayeux Tapestry and the most popular base (and a good one) for touring the famous D-Day Beaches.  The town itself is lovely with a Cathedral, River Aure and tenth century buildings which were not destroyed during the wars. 
We decided on a full day tour of the beaches and museums from Overlord Tours.  Aside from the weather, it was an excellent tour and we covered a lot of territory.  I did not expect the beaches to be as beautiful as they are and I understand they are covered with beach lovers on sunny days.  I enjoyed the personal stories told by the guide which included a visit to an old church in Angoville-au-Plain that was used as a hospital during the war - it still has blood stains on the benches.   


We stayed at the highly recommended Le Relais De La Tour Louise B&B in Bayeux.  It was clean, nicely furnished, good breakfast and very convenient.  (We also had a view of the Cathedral from our bathroom window.)

OMAHA BEACH

AMERICAN CEMETARY
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER

CHURCH IN ANGOVILLE-AU-PLAIN

RIVER AURE IN BAYEUX



UTAH BEACH

POINTE DU HOC

HONFLEUR BY THE SEA

VIEUX BASSIN (OLD HARBOR)

After one month in Paris, we decided to spend our last two weeks in Normandy and Brittany, France.  Our first stop was the picturesque port of Honfleur which is about two hours northeast of Paris on the English Channel.  It is centered around an old harbor called "Vieux Bassin" which was built in 1668 by Louis XIV.  The town itself dates back to the 13th century and  is one of the few left untouched by the bombing in 1944.  Walking around here is a step back in time. 


TYPICAL HONFLEUR HOME

We stayed at the Clos Vorin apartment located at 122 Rue Heute.  It is spacious and quiet with views toward the park and rooftops of the old town. It is a short walk to the water and the town center.  I would definitely recommend the top floor but not so sure about the first floor. 

CLOS VORIN APARTMENT
WE STAYED ON THE TOP FLOOR

The best walk was the mile up to Notre-Dame de Grace chapel which provided a beautiful view of the city.  (The young man at the tourist office recommended this to Ron without taking into account his age and the steep climb but it was worth it.)   Another interesting thing about this area are the tides that go our for a long distances even leaving some boats out of water.    It makes for interesting beach walks. Fortunately, during this time of the year the days are long (the sun rises about 5:30am and sets at 10:30pm) which somewhat compensates the rainy weather that seems to be inevitable in this area.


NOTRE-DAME DE GRACE CHURCH

HONFLEUR STREET

The town is known for giving inspiration to many artists, writers and musicians through the years.  It is still a popular place for artists and art galleries. We also made bus excursions to Deauville, Le Havre and Cabourg.    


PARK OF PERSONALITIES

VINTAGE SCENES FROM THE FRENCH OPEN

From the moment we entered the Roland Garros grounds and were greeted by these friendly young people I knew this was a good place for the Vintage traveler. 

GREETER WITH PANAMA HAT
(AND HIGH HEELS)

By Mid afternoon we decided to take a break from the tennis to visit the Tennis Museum which was free to all attendees. 
Here are some of the vintage scenes from this great museum:   

MENS' LAWN TENNIS BOOTS 1908

VINTAGE POSTER

VINTAGE POSTER

VINTAGE POSTER

VINTAGE POSTER

Oh yes, there was some tennis - we arrived at 10:30 am and headed home about 9:30pm and could have watched some more.  We had ground passes for day two of the 2012  tournament.  The passes allowed entry to all but three of the 16 courts at Roland Garros.   I purchased the tickets online the first day they were available to the general public which was in February (24 euros).   

JOHN ISNER FROM USA

DOORS & ARCHES OF THE PLACE DES VOSAGES PARIS

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PLACE DES VOSAGES


My very favorite Paris book is  Paris: the Collected Traveler by Barrie Kerper.  It is a collection of  stories by various people who have spent time in Paris. One of the writers is Andre Aciman who always recommends the Place Des Vosages to first-time visitors on their first day in Paris, combined with a visit to the nearby Musee Carnavalet, the official museum of the history of Paris (free).  I decided to give it a try and started with a walk under all of the arches as he recommended.   It was a real pleasure including a short rest on a bench in the center park  -  totally surrounded by the Vosages buildings and arches.  This is an area I plan to return to very soon and I'm sure is will be more fun the second time around partly because I will know my way around better (to say I get lost a lot is an understatement). 

Doors and Arches at the Place Des Vosages: