Paris to Normandy

A week ago I returned from another wonderful trip with Grand Circle Travel. This was a riverboat trip from Paris to Normandy. That is the way to travel! We were taken from the plane to the boat and stayed on the boat until the last night we spent in a hotel by the airport. Of course, cruises are all they are cracked up to be! River boats have the added advantage of beautiful scenery. These pictures are only a fraction of what we saw. Above is the Arc de Triumphe from Champs Elysees.

One evening we had dinner cruising through Paris so were able to see the Eiffel Tower light up. What a spectacular sight! I travel with my college friend, Maureen so here we are at the Eiffel Tower.

Notre Dame. (One view of 5 I took.)

The Mona Lisa at the Louvre. That is as close as I wanted to get with all the people. Flowers and trees were in bloom everywhere we went.

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

The Gardens at Versailles

Above is a picture of a Van Gogh painting and below is the church he painted. We had a tour of the town of Auvers-sur-Oise learning about Van Gogh, his life and paintings as he lived there the last months of his life.

These are a few pictures of Giverny, Monet's home and gardens.

Our boat, the Bizet, docked at Les Andelys.

Vernon

Les Andelys

"Monet's" Cathedral in Rouen

Honflour

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.This was a very moving place. When we arrived, we had a program-facing the statue,"The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves", the Star Spangled Banner was played. We then turned toward the cemetery and they played "Taps" followed by a minute of silence. Lots of tears and sniffles could be heard. Each of us was then given a rose to place on a grave. This was very meaningful as it is a part of history I can vaguely remember.