Well, I’m back from our sightseeing in France, and we had a magnificent time. The plane ride back was a bit tricky because I came down with the flu while on the 11-hour flight. Not the best way to end a fabulous trip but mother nature had other plans. With the help of the flight crew and an onboard doctor I made it home and went straight to bed. After recovering from the flu, I started to go through the million pictures I had taken. It occurred to me, to truly share the whole experience I would not be able to do that in just one post. So here is my plan. I’m going to break it down into 5 subjects with 6 separate posts. This is the list:
- Sightseeing In France – Week 1.
- Sightseeing In France – Week 2.
- A French Wedding.
- Food.
- Wine.
- Flowers.
Before I start my story, let me introduce you to the cast of characters
So now let’s begin.
Sightseeing In France: Week 1
Unfortunately, my husband was unable to go, so my friend Elsie came in his stead. We were both very excited about the trip. We arrived in Paris on Saturday morning. Charlotte, my former exchange student, was there to meet us, and we headed off for Amiens, 1/1/2 hours northeast of Paris. We arrived at her mother’s home and unloaded our bags.
We were whisked off to her father’s flat (her parents are divorced) for a welcome back lunch and to catch up on all the goings on for Charlotte & Guillaume’s pending Wedding.
We spent the time eating a very relaxed and leisurely lunch, sharing stories and catching up with Charlotte’s family and some of her father’s friends. It was great fun.
After lunch, we headed back to Charlotte’s mom’s house where we would be staying through the next week. Our adventure had begun.
The next morning we were off to visit the church that Charlotte was to marry Guillaume and then to a historic French village just outside of Amiens. The church is very, very old but not as old as the Amiens Cathedral that was built in the 1500s.
The village was charming and is still a place where people live and work. Below are just a few pictures of our visit.
What a great looking group, don’t you think?
Now that is really pretty!
The next day we were off to the city of Lille to see the sites.
We just loved the side streets with the shops and galleries. We bought a couple of pieces of artwork to take home.
Now, where to next. Cafe’ anyone?
Hum… What to have for lunch and boy was it good.
It was a fun day. By now you have probably noticed that I am not in any of the pictures. That’s because I am the photographer. 🙂
The next day Guillaume was able to join us on our adventure to a place called City of Pans where they make beautiful copper cookware and other sundry items for the kitchen. Can you guess why we might be going there?
The side streets were charming and led us to many kitchen stores. My husband would have been in heaven here.
See what I mean?
After that, we went to the Normandy War Museum. It was very impressive and very moving.
The next day we were off to Charlotte’s father’s for lunch. As it turned out, it was a July 4th celebration luncheon, just for us. What a thoughtful thing to do.
Afterward, we toured the many Amiens shops and the Amiens Cathedral. Later that night we would be treated to a laser show off how the Cathedral looked in the 1500s.
Amiens Cathedral of Notre Dame is amazing and well worth seeing.
The Amiens Cathedral is not as well known as Notre Dame in Paris, but it is the largest Cathedral in France.
In the 1500’s, the Amiens Cathedral of Notre Dame was painted inside and out with vibrant colors embellished with gold leaf. The laser show gives us a peek at what it must have looked like when it was in its full glory. It was nothing short of spectacular and a wonderful way to end our day.
Words cannot express how beautiful this was.
The next day we were off to visit the Hortillonages (Floating Gardens) with Pascal, Charlotte’s Aunt. I had been there before, but I wanted Elsie, my friend, to see it. It is a very special place.
The gardens are vast and webbed with canals. The only way to get to your garden, if you are lucky enough to have one there, is by boat.
Many of the gardens are a mix of vegetables and flowers.
We walked into the gardens by crossing the various private bridges to get to the garden of one of Charlottes Aunt’s who is lucky enough have one in this very special place. It was way cool.
The next day we slept in and caught up on emails and other such stuff. In my case, I was on FaceTime with my husband to bring him up to the latest about Charlotte’s wedding, responding to comments and making comments on other blogs. It was fun watching the response on my guest posts.
Elsie and I decided to take a walk around Hebecourt, the village where Charlotte’s mom lives. We were to have dinner with Charlottes grandparents that evening, so we wanted to stay close to home. Here, are just a few pictures of her village.
Many homes are right up against the road. Their gardens are just behind the wall. It is so interesting to see.
We had a fun time at Charlotte’s grandparents and a fabulous meal. One thing is so sure we were fed very well.
The next day, we went with the family and all of their many friends to prepare for the wedding. I’m just posting a few pictures to mark the days. (I will be posting about the wedding shortly. It is a post you will not want to miss.)
The previous day was crazy and hectic. The wedding day had arrived. We were all a bustle and excited for the fast approaching wedding events. I will post just one picture as a teaser.
To be continued…
Life journey continues…
If you enjoyed this article, check out the other “Sightseeing In France – Week 1” articles: Week 2, A French Wedding, Flowers in France, and Pineau des Charentes 2010. They are full of pictures from the many places we visited. It will truly give you a feel of France and all that we experienced.