We visited Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny.
Bonjour France! After a bout of serious procrastination, the lucky victor of our annual "where should we go for holidays?" lottery turned out to be the promised land of stinky cheese. We thought we were clever by dodging the peak European holiday season, but alas, no one had told us about the Rugby World Cup. It turns out we weren't the only visitors to this fine country after all. Tant pis. I guess you can't stroll into France and expect to have it all to yourself. Anyway, go Brave Blossoms (they’re the national rugby team of Japan)!
Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t overly thrilled before the trip: I don't speak a word of French and I hadn’t driven in France much, so my primary concern was just how we'd manage. Turns out that we managed pretty well: I was even able to buy pain au chocolat in French when things got really desperate! The plan was to embark on a road trip in Normandy and, after that, rendezvous with friends from my wife's Zürich days in Paris. Especially Paris, the City of Light, strikes me as dirty and chaotic. They say it's the world's most romantic city, but to my nose, it's more eau de pee and cigarettes, and there are too many rats and humans living on the streets.
Paris may not be a well-oiled machine, but it is unquestionably a work of art — a colossal gallery of life and culture! The art museums, especially the Louvre, are nothing short of extraordinary. I'd never experienced such a highbrow art overdose (and very, very sore feet) as during our extended weekend in Paris. Enjoying the company of our old friends was the highlight of the trip.
I might not be Paris's biggest fan, but Normandy, with its postcard-worthy landscapes, is a whole different story. I was excited about visiting the World War II battlegrounds, and the trip to the monastery island of Mont Saint-Michel turned out to be even more breathtaking than I had imagined. Honfleur, a quaint fishing village along the English Channel, felt like something straight out of a movie. The road trip was a relaxing breeze. French roads are in good condition, and people drive with a sense of civility (except in Paris, which is a hell hole). We managed to avoid major traffic snarls and simply relished the drive, the views, and our quirky weird little rental car. Nope, we didn’t get a French car, we got something better: a Chinese Volvo knock-off SUV called “Lynk & Co”. The name alone is a mystery. Who is this Lynk character, and who are the company they're keeping? I’ve never driven such an oddball before. The car has technically all the latest features, yet everything feels so haphazardly designed. Lynk and their company didn’t try to actively murder us (although their parent company does sponsor murder), thanks for that, but they did try to drive me nuts and get me ticketed in the process. No cigar, Lynk, I’m not your Co.
Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet.
Service in Normandy was top-notch everywhere we stayed. People are friendly, helpful and things just worked. After Paris, it felt like visiting a foreign country. If the worst thing about France is the coffee, then the best thing is undoubtedly the food. For instance, we dined in a pescatarian restaurant called L'Hippocampe, and I absolutely adored it. That's saying something, considering what an unapologetic carnivore I am. I’d also like to give a shout-out to the Vietnamese restaurants we frequented: thanks to their French connection, the Vietnamese places seemed to be particularly good.
French pastries deserve a honorary award. We grabbed our breakfasts from bakeries like the locals, and that seemed like an efficient and mouthwatering albeit unhealthy way to kick-start the day. It was also rather fascinating to observe the French love affair with baguettes. I now have a whole sub-category of travel photos labeled “French people casually carrying baguettes in every day life situations”. I might need to consider adopting this French best practice.
All in all, the trip was a triumph. The pinnacle was spending a couple of days with friends and immersing ourselves in high culture. The low point was the COVID we both got upon returning home. It was our first rodeo, and an experience I don’t wish to repeat anytime soon.
Hope you enjoy the photos. I tweaked the order a little bit so that I could end with my favourite picture.
Seine river. We booked and paid a river cruise online, only to be told upon arrival that the cruise was cancelled. An apology would’ve apparently cost extra.
Hôtel des Invalides houses the tomb of Napoleon.
Bastille.
We spent a full day in Louvre and managed to cover, well, parts of it.
Parisian pigeons exude elegant savoir-faire that stands in contrast to the rural countryside peckers of Finland.
Louvre’s collection is absolutely mind blowing.
We were particularly impressed by the collection of Egyptian art.
Trrou Körrou, the “Blue Man”, is a wooden statue from island of Malo, Vanuatu. The statue looks like a sad Putin. Perhaps there aren’t enough nazis in Louvre to keep him entertained.
Angle is an important part of art. I worked hard on it but the statue just doesn’t seem happy to see me.
Liberty Leading the People.
There was also some Italian art on display.
Really surprising to see a Finnish movie being advertised in Paris. According to the reviews, Fallen Leaves is apparently even a good one.
It’s difficult to get a pretty photo of Notre-Dame de Paris, since it’s covered in holy scaffolding and surrounded by holy cranes.
The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre.
I also have a tendency of burning food even when I’m just trying to heat it up.
Seine at night. I didn’t bother with Eiffel Tower photos, since photons emitted by it at night are copyright protected. Nuts.
Another view along the Seine river. I think that none of these photons carried copyright limitations.
Starry Night Over the Rhône by Vincent van Gogh.
We ate at a local ramenya. The food was Japanese, but the service was French. Mon Dieu 😳
Yours truly and a crotch shot of some Parisian pussy.
Bonjour Mademoiselle ❤️
Bye bye Paris. Jumping to the coast: Honfleur.
We really liked Honfleur, it’s a really pretty little seaside town.
Honfleur panorama.
Moving on: Caen Memorial Museum.
Omaha Beach.
Les Braves sculpture on Omaha Beach.
Thousands of young men half my age lost their lives storming this beach in order to free Europe. It’s heartbreaking to think that on the other side of the continent, young people are dying again fighting against fascism.
Finnish flags flying on Omaha Beach? Pourquoi que?
Lokin päällä lokki. War is over but the fight continues.
View from Pointe du Hoc. US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs on D-Day in an incredibly daring assault.
“Easy Eight” - a M4A1 (76)W Sherman tank on the Utah Beach. This is historically inaccurate, because these upped-gunned variants weren’t available until late 1944. Being a nerd totally pays off, my head is full of useful information.
Path down to the Utah Beach.
Sainte-Mère-Église was one of the first towns liberated. That’s private John Steele stuck on the church tower.
I insisted on visiting the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église.
Then I made my wife watch Band of Brothers with me. 😁
Jumping to Mont-Saint-Michel, the highlight of our trip.
There were many tourists, and one of them was a top Youtuber in Japan. Can you spot Hikakin?
Low tide around the Mont.
Some unknown artist’s work was hacked by a certain unknown artist and this is the result.
Mont-Saint-Michel after dark. The atmosphere on the empty streets is just eerie. I absolutely loved it!
There was some kind of a practice for a light show the next weekend. It’s a shame, because I couldn’t get a decent photo of the island in natural evening lights.
Sunrise at Mont Saint-Michel.