June -- France. First stop: Monet's Gardens

Some 39 years ago, Dan was a poor college student, studying French at the Sorbonne in Paris,  Ever since, he has been itching to go back with money in his pocket (and a credit card!).  June turned out to be the perfect month to visit France because it included 5 days in Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, two weeks in Paris, including one week when our son, James, arrives in Paris as part of his 8-week trip to Europe this summer. Ohhlaaalaaaa... are we having fun yet? :)

June 4.

Off to Paris with Michelle and Craig. Craig was the real reason we decided to add Normandy to our trip to France. We always thought that Normandy would be a great history spot to visit but could never quite work it into our travel itinerary until learning that Craig would be parachuting with the Liberty Jump Team on June 5th.  His drop zone will be over the same terrain as the allied soldiers 70 years ago, in a Whiskey 7, a C47 airplane that actually flew during WWII. Yes, awesome, indeed.

But first, a quick stop at Monet's Gardens in Giverny on our drive from Paris to Normandy. Monet lived here for the last 40 years of his life; combining a love of painting with a passion for botany.

Sure, it was raining, but it was also like walking through an art history book.

Monet's Lily Pad Gardens.

Monet's home.

 

Bamboo gardens line the stream through the property.

 

 

 

Irises. Peonies. Poppies. Roses. Oh my ...

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle never fails to pack the most into every travel adventure.
Thank you for adding this stop in our drive from Paris to Normandy.
 

We also learned that the Normandy area is well known for it's hard cider, something that all 4 of us liked. So with a case of cider in the car, we were ready to continue the drive to Normandy.