August 2017
North France, France
THE ROAD TRIP
This august I decided to go on a road trip from Florence to North France. We made 8 region in total, in 8 days. Every day we decided to a place and city stay and booked with Airbnb. The main region that we wanted to see were Normandy and Bretagne, but in the end we saw a lot of cities.
31/07/17: We left Florence and arrived in Annecy (it's about 8 hours of car), this city is in the Haute-Savoie. It's been called "La Venise des Alpes" because there are lots of canal like Venice. The city is really beautiful, small with a big lake and the Alpes in the background.
1/08/17: We left Annecy and gone to a new region which is Champagne-Ardenne and booked a house in Reims. Reims is been known for have one of the most important gothic cathedral in France. It's from the period called "flamboiante" with lots of windows inside all decorated. In Reims we saw even the Forum, the roman arch, an other cathedral and the maison of Veuve-Cliquot, the house who made one of the most expensive Champagne.
2/08/17: From Reims in the morning we arrived in the region of Picardie, and went to visit Amiens, which has an important gothic cathedral (the famous are Reims, Amiens, Rouen and Chartres). The city is very cute and characteristic, with lots of small houses and colored. In the afternoon we finally arrived in Normandy. We went first to Giverny, it's a little city that is known to have the Museum and the House of Claude Monet, the artist and painter. The house and the Japanese garden with "nimpheas" were painted a lot by Monet. Besideds the crowd it's wonderful. Then we went to another small normanne city, Les Andelys, which has an old medieval center, and a castle on the hill, probably from the age of Richard Heart of Lion. The view is amazing from there because you can see the old city which has been formed along the river of Seine. In the end we reached Rouen, and slept there. Rouen is an amazing city, with houses very characteristic, much taller but made in trellis. We saw the cathedral of course, who was painted a lot by Monet himself, then there is the "Gros Horloge" in the center. The most amazing thing was the night because (in every city with an important cathedral) they screened a video on the cathedral (about half an hour) with a story.
3/07/17: From Rouen we reached the amazing and beautiful Abbaye de Jumièges, it's a norman church (XI c.), the light of the morning was perfect. It's so wonderful, without the roof it's very fascinating. Then we started to go on the norman coast, and reached Etretat. Etretat it's a city on the ocean coast, the weather i guess was perfect, for the clouds and the wind (very normanne). It's known for her chalk cliffs which forms even a normal arch. After Etretat we went at Cabourg, it's a small citadel with a big hotel, which was known because hosted Marcel Proust and been mentioned in his chefs-d'oeuvre "Le memoires du temps perdu". At Cabourg we saw the normanne beach. At the end we went to sleep in Caen, it's an university city, with a castle.
4/07/17: In the morning we went to visit an archeological site: Vieux-La-Romaine, as the name said it was a roman city, there is an ancient villa, a museum, and a forum. Then we went to see the most known and amazing thing in Normandie, which is Le Mont Saint Michel. Even here the weather was perfect, with fog and cloud and a little bit of rain. This monastery was made by the benedectine monch who digged the big reef. It's so beautiful because near this there is nothing at all, only sand and ocean. You even need to be careful because in the evening the tide arrives. The only "awful" thing is that the perception of a holy place has been gone, because of the tourists and the markets. At the end of the journey we left Normandie and arrived in Bretagne, were we slept in Saint-Malo. It's such a cute city formed inside the big walls and on the ocean, with an harbour. There is a reef with the tomb of Chateaubriand, which was a famous french literate, that you can reach only if the tide is down.
5/07/17: We left Saint-Malo and visited the region of Bretagne. The most amazing thing is that they have signs written in french and in "breton", which is sort of gaelic, celtic language. I guess I liked this region more than Normandie, it's more wild. We saw Cap Frehel, whick is a reef on the ocean with an old and new lighthouse. After Cap Frehel we reached La Cote de Granis Rose, like the name said it's a beach on the ocean with a lots of big granite rocks. And then we went to taste the famous breton cake named "Kouign-Amann" which is made only with butter, in the city which is known for make it best. This city is Douarnenez. At the end of the journey we went to sleep in Quimper, a very lovely and small city.
6/07/17: We left Quimper and went on the west coast of Bretagne, we first visited the neolithic/paleolithic archeological site of Carnac, which is a sort of Stonehage, there are hundreds and hundreds of dolmen. Probably they think they were related to a religious cult. After Carnac, we went to the peninsula of Quiberon, which has some of the most beautiful beaches on the ocean. The most wonderful one is the Cote Sauvage, were people can have surf. At the end we went to Rennes, the city is very beautiful, much bigger than the others, probably minus breton and more similar to Paris.
7/07/17: We said goodbye to Bretagne, and went back on the roard to Florence. The first stop on the road was Chartres, which has one of the most beautiful gothic cathedral, than we arrived and staied in Dijon in Burgundy. Burgundy is very famous for the wine, the city is very beautiful, houses has the roof decorated and colored. The square is amazing, like the cathedral and the royal palace.
This august I decided to go on a road trip from Florence to North France. We made 8 region in total, in 8 days. Every day we decided to a place and city stay and booked with Airbnb. The main region that we wanted to see were Normandy and Bretagne, but in the end we saw a lot of cities.
31/07/17: We left Florence and arrived in Annecy (it's about 8 hours of car), this city is in the Haute-Savoie. It's been called "La Venise des Alpes" because there are lots of canal like Venice. The city is really beautiful, small with a big lake and the Alpes in the background.
1/08/17: We left Annecy and gone to a new region which is Champagne-Ardenne and booked a house in Reims. Reims is been known for have one of the most important gothic cathedral in France. It's from the period called "flamboiante" with lots of windows inside all decorated. In Reims we saw even the Forum, the roman arch, an other cathedral and the maison of Veuve-Cliquot, the house who made one of the most expensive Champagne.
2/08/17: From Reims in the morning we arrived in the region of Picardie, and went to visit Amiens, which has an important gothic cathedral (the famous are Reims, Amiens, Rouen and Chartres). The city is very cute and characteristic, with lots of small houses and colored. In the afternoon we finally arrived in Normandy. We went first to Giverny, it's a little city that is known to have the Museum and the House of Claude Monet, the artist and painter. The house and the Japanese garden with "nimpheas" were painted a lot by Monet. Besideds the crowd it's wonderful. Then we went to another small normanne city, Les Andelys, which has an old medieval center, and a castle on the hill, probably from the age of Richard Heart of Lion. The view is amazing from there because you can see the old city which has been formed along the river of Seine. In the end we reached Rouen, and slept there. Rouen is an amazing city, with houses very characteristic, much taller but made in trellis. We saw the cathedral of course, who was painted a lot by Monet himself, then there is the "Gros Horloge" in the center. The most amazing thing was the night because (in every city with an important cathedral) they screened a video on the cathedral (about half an hour) with a story.
3/07/17: From Rouen we reached the amazing and beautiful Abbaye de Jumièges, it's a norman church (XI c.), the light of the morning was perfect. It's so wonderful, without the roof it's very fascinating. Then we started to go on the norman coast, and reached Etretat. Etretat it's a city on the ocean coast, the weather i guess was perfect, for the clouds and the wind (very normanne). It's known for her chalk cliffs which forms even a normal arch. After Etretat we went at Cabourg, it's a small citadel with a big hotel, which was known because hosted Marcel Proust and been mentioned in his chefs-d'oeuvre "Le memoires du temps perdu". At Cabourg we saw the normanne beach. At the end we went to sleep in Caen, it's an university city, with a castle.
4/07/17: In the morning we went to visit an archeological site: Vieux-La-Romaine, as the name said it was a roman city, there is an ancient villa, a museum, and a forum. Then we went to see the most known and amazing thing in Normandie, which is Le Mont Saint Michel. Even here the weather was perfect, with fog and cloud and a little bit of rain. This monastery was made by the benedectine monch who digged the big reef. It's so beautiful because near this there is nothing at all, only sand and ocean. You even need to be careful because in the evening the tide arrives. The only "awful" thing is that the perception of a holy place has been gone, because of the tourists and the markets. At the end of the journey we left Normandie and arrived in Bretagne, were we slept in Saint-Malo. It's such a cute city formed inside the big walls and on the ocean, with an harbour. There is a reef with the tomb of Chateaubriand, which was a famous french literate, that you can reach only if the tide is down.
5/07/17: We left Saint-Malo and visited the region of Bretagne. The most amazing thing is that they have signs written in french and in "breton", which is sort of gaelic, celtic language. I guess I liked this region more than Normandie, it's more wild. We saw Cap Frehel, whick is a reef on the ocean with an old and new lighthouse. After Cap Frehel we reached La Cote de Granis Rose, like the name said it's a beach on the ocean with a lots of big granite rocks. And then we went to taste the famous breton cake named "Kouign-Amann" which is made only with butter, in the city which is known for make it best. This city is Douarnenez. At the end of the journey we went to sleep in Quimper, a very lovely and small city.
6/07/17: We left Quimper and went on the west coast of Bretagne, we first visited the neolithic/paleolithic archeological site of Carnac, which is a sort of Stonehage, there are hundreds and hundreds of dolmen. Probably they think they were related to a religious cult. After Carnac, we went to the peninsula of Quiberon, which has some of the most beautiful beaches on the ocean. The most wonderful one is the Cote Sauvage, were people can have surf. At the end we went to Rennes, the city is very beautiful, much bigger than the others, probably minus breton and more similar to Paris.
7/07/17: We said goodbye to Bretagne, and went back on the roard to Florence. The first stop on the road was Chartres, which has one of the most beautiful gothic cathedral, than we arrived and staied in Dijon in Burgundy. Burgundy is very famous for the wine, the city is very beautiful, houses has the roof decorated and colored. The square is amazing, like the cathedral and the royal palace.