Paris!

We finally arrived in Paris after taking the bullet train from the south of France and got into the same cozy little apartment that we had rented when we first arrived. Two burner stove, half size fridge and pint size dishwasher, but it all works and we are used to managing with smaller appliances by now.
We took a Seine river cruise on the next day. We had pretty much seen everything that was highlighted in the tour but it was nice to see it from another perspective.

This bridge is called Pont Neuf which was the first stone bridge that spanned the river.

Corsica

Spending the last few nights in Corsica in the tiny hamlet of Feliceto where had a 3 star hotel with a swimming pool for the kids and even internet access for me. An old hotel that had once been the manor of a family who had moved to South America and came back wealthy. It was nice to be forced to relax by the pool for 2 days as there was nothing to do in the town itself. Even the grocery store only had about 40 items and was only open in the morning.
We went for a small hike out of town and I made the mistake of mentioning that there would be nothing to see. We passed by a waterfall and then ventured into a place that had an old sign saying Auberge something. It turned out to be an old olive pressing mill. The owner was more than happy to show us how it worked and startled Guy when he flipped a switch and the huge old wooden cogs and stone grinding wheel came to life. Of course, thinking we wouldn't see anything interesting I had left the camera behind at the hotel.

Ile Rousse
Again we took some very curvy roads roads to get to Ile Rousse on the isle of Corsica. A very busy little port town where I stayed with the kids while Kathy returned our rental car at the airport that was about a half hour away. Claude-Marie had also brought her car so she was able to drive Kathy back. I would have liked to spend more time at this port town even though it was quite touristy.

Again a very large ferry will take us back to the French mainland. Even though we are getting homesick, as we have been away for 9 months now, Claude-Marie has made our trip to Corsica an incredible adventure.

Nonza, Corsica

Nonza, another little hilltop village along the coast, that was crowned with a small Genoese tower. The towers were at one time built on the coast within sight of each other to warn of pirates. The delightful Claude-Marie is posing with our children.

Sebastiani House in La Porta, Corsica

We asked around to find the old Sebastiani de Porta house from my mothers side of the family and we weere directed to this house.

Going a bit further down the road we came to the old gate that had been used for the horse drawn carriages.

La Porta, Corsica

La Porta is a town where my mothers ancestors came from. They had donated the bell and helped with the cost of the tower in the year 1720

This is a view of the main street.

Posers in front of the typical slate roofs.

Corsica

This is what most of the roads in Corsica are like. Add to that some cows, goats and wild boars that wander on the roads along with buses that are somehow able to navigate these corners and you get some idea. The beauty is well worth it though.

A view of the coast, a tower and the wonderful sandy beaches.

The French Isle of Corsica

Our first hotel was on the beach up the west coast from the main port of Ajaccio in Sagone. The kids were impressed by the size of the waves in this part of the Mediterranean.

We took the "kids" to a goat farm where they had just called in all the goats from the field. After they get their treat they will be milked.

We had a tour of how they make goat cheese. The owner who told us that she was a hippie in the seventies had started with just 5 goats and now had over 200 and is well known for her cheese.

The "kids".

Toulon in the South of France

We caught the bullet train for the port of Toulon which is in the south of France. We spent the night there and were able to sample some of the excellent cuisine.

At the ferry terminal we met up with a relation of mine, Dr. Claude-Marie Paoli, who has just retired, and graciously wanted to tour the Isle of Corsica with us. The ferry was much larger than we thought it would be and offered all the conveniences of a cruise.

Napoleon

Place d'Invalides in Paris, where Napoleon is buried

The Tomb of Napoleon. I had heard that the stone used for his grave was a rare type that had been reserved for emperors and was only quarried in Egypt. They ran out and found another source in Russia.

This is the church that is on the other side of Napoleons tomb. It is only open a few times a year and we were lucky. I had been here last year and had written for permission to see the tombs under the alter where General Sebastiani who served under Napoleon is buried. He eventually became the leading General in France which is called the rank of Marechal. He is related to my mothers side of the family. Kinda cool that the kids were able to see this.

Napoleons stuffed Arabian horse “Vizir”. Didn't "Trigger" from the Lone Ranger get stuffed also?

Emperor Napoleon at the height of his career.

Emperor Napoleon later in life. I found out he died at my age, 52.

Armour that was used in the age of Napoleon. The description did not give much information but the days of armor were obviously at an end. 

Back to Paris

Back to Paris
We tried to arrange to go to see Mont St. Michel but because the volcano in Iceland blew again, we were unable to arrange seats on the trains. Maybe we will try again after our trip to Corsica on May 14th.

Paris Catacombs (warning for young eyes– Pictures of skulls and bones below)
I was surprised to see such a long line for the Catacombs in the middle of the week, this early in the tourist season. We have been very fortunate to see so much throughout Europe without having to deal with the tourist hordes. After waiting in line, in the rain, for a half an hour, we finally descended the long spiral staircase and walked what seemed like a half a mile underground to get into the ossuary. The picture above shows nearby representations of Ports and was carved by a miner who was killed in a cave-in.

The graves in Paris were filling up with people from the many wars and pestilences, so it was decided to move many of the bones to catacombs underground. They were moved in carts down the streets of Paris in the middle of the night and placed with reverence deep underground.

An amazing sight to see thousands of bodies piled on each side for several blocks.

It is said that even the bones of the King and Queen Marie Antoinette of France are down here although during the July Monarchy, after about a decade, the king sent down some men to look for these bones. They were able to find some that still had some very expensive stockings that supposedly belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette.

A very cool lion in the square outside the catacombs. He is said to be facing away from the then powerful Prussians.

Omaha Beach Cemetery

Omaha Beach Cemetery
We arrived late in the day, just in time to catch the lowering of the flag with taps which brought a tear to everyone's eyes. To see so many crosses.....like soldiers still marching....perfectly aligned.

I don't know if you can read this cross, but I was struck that he was a General. This picture shows only part of the cemetery and these were only the men whose families chose to have their bodies remain in Normandy.

The D-Day Beaches

The D-Day Beaches
We were very fortunate to have a guided tour of the D-Day beaches with Carl and Laure. I did not know about the huge docks that had been built in England and brought over to the Normandy beaches for the final assault against the Germans at the end of WWII. These were used to dock the hundreds of ships carrying men and supplies to the D-Day beaches. You can see a line of them in the distant background. Seeing this brought some perspective to the huge Allied effort.

Nazi Bunker
One of the many Nazi gun installations that the Allies had to deal with. Note how thick the bunker is and how they stepped the angles so that incoming bullets would be deflected outward.

This shows the number of ships involved in the D-Day assault.

Finally! My Own Village!

Beaudouin Village
Carl took us to see a village with our name on it. We have no idea of the history of how it got it's name, although I am hopeful that Carl or myself may find the time to do some research.

More Rouen

This is the cathedral where Joan d'Arc was burned at the stake. It is also where Claude Monet painted a series of paintings of the doors.

This shot taken in Rouen, shows some of the typical architecture in Normandy. Tudor in style with many buildings being half wood framed. Many odd angles and several looked like they would fall down easily, but have obviously stood the test of time.

Rouen, France and Saint Joan d'Arc

Rouen, France
We went to see the town of Rouen where Joan d'Arc was tortured and burned at the stake. This is the tower where she was held til her death.

Joan d'Arc dressed as a knight.

We learned that in this tower she was told that if she promised not to wear mens clothes that she would be set free but three days later she dressed up again and was then burned at the stake.

Panilleuse, Giverny and Claude Monet

We took the train to Vernon and a long lost cousin of mine, Carl Beaudoin, picked us up to take us to a small village called Panilleuse, France, where he lives with his wife, Laure and children. Their family graciously hosted us for three days and even took us on a tour of the D-Day beaches.

Giverny
Carl and Laure took us on a tour of the nearby village of Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and where he painted his famous garden. It was late in the day and we were not able to go in to see his  garden, but it was nice to stroll the very picturesque village.

Giverny has many art works on display including this sand sculpture of the last supper.


Living the dream, two Rolls and a tractor.

Rosslare, Ireland to Cherbourg, France

Cherbourg, France
We took the overnight ferry from Rosslare, Ireland to Cherbourg, France. We splurged and got a porthole for an extra 30 euro. This was like a small cruise ship. It even had two theaters, which we let the kids go to see the movie, “Up”. Having already done the Chunnel, this was a nice way to return to France.
Arriving in Cherbourg, the next evening, we were greeted with this statue of Napoleon. I wish we could have spent a little more time in this charming little port town but we had to head off to meet up with a cousin of mine.

BLARNEY CASTLE

The castle itself

As you can see, to kiss the blarney Stone, you have to lay on your back and bend over backwards.

My brave wife and yes, that would be about 5 stories straight down.


Even Guy got up the courage.