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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | SEPTEMBER 2022 17 By Theresa Berg, Resident Our May trip to France began with a great flight on Air France to Paris. Picking up our rental car, we drove an hour and a half to the Monet Gardens in Giverny. More than just gardens, it is a small village with Monet's home/studio and the gardens where he painted the water lilies and Japanese bridge. The next day, we drove to Normandy. In Rouen, we visited the Joan of Arc Church, site of her execution in 1431. Next was Caen Memorial Museum, the most comprehensive WWII museum in France. We stayed in the quaint town of Bayeux, home to the 80-yard historic tapestry depicting the 1066 Battle of Hastings. From there we took a guided tour of the Normandy Beaches area: Pointe Du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery. On our own, we toured Utah Beach, Overlord Museum (with a Sherman tank out front), and Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mere-Eglise (dedicated to the US Army paratroopers that parachuted into Normandy at night). We enjoyed Camembert cheese, a soft creamy cow's milk cheese, and drinking Calvados, a French apple brandy. Driving south we took a guided tour of impressive Mont St.-Michel Abbey, a Christian pilgrimage site since 708 AD. Our next destination was Loire Valley (home to over 300 chateaus). From Amboise, we toured a few chateaus, Clos Du Luce (home of Leonardo Di Vinci who died there in 1519), Chateau De Chambord (surrounded by Europe's largest enclosed forest park), and Chateau de Chenonceau (a 16th century Renaissance palace on the Cher River). We enjoyed drinking the local Sancerre wine, a crisp white made from sauvignon blanc grapes. On to Paris for five nights. We returned our car (only a crazy person would drive in Paris!) and stayed in a small lovely hotel near the Eiffel Tower. Paris can be overwhelming as a large city, but once we figured out the subway system, we could go anywhere! We had one attraction planned for each day and then could spend the rest of the day where our feet (some days over 7 miles) and the subway took us. We purchased tickets in advance for the 986-foot Eiffel Tower and a bus tour to Palace of Versailles. Versailles was the residence of French kings and the cultural center of Europe for 100 years with 2300 rooms and almost 2000 acres of impressive gardens. Other highlights included the Arc Du Triomphe (commissioned by Napoleon), Champ-Elysees (most beautiful avenue in the world), Montemartre (highest natural point and the pristine white Sacre Coeur Basilica), Latin Quarter (oldest area), d'Orsay Museum (Impressionism), Napoleon's Tomb, Pere Lachaise Cemetery (largest cemetery in Paris with elaborately decorated tombs including Jim Morrison's). We loved outdoor cafes in Paris. Every evening after a long day of walking, we stopped and enjoyed a glass of wine or spritz. The food was delicious in Paris…croissants, crepes, French onion soup, escargot, and croque-monsieur grilled cheese sandwiches. We found the people to be friendly (contrary to reputation) especially if you tried to say a few French words. Au revoir… until next time! Parlez-vous Francais?

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