Falling under the charm of NORMANDIE

A quick trip to Normandy and totally spellbound by  this beautiful region of France 

Etretat by MONET

Étretat, with its picturesque cliffs, is a seaside resort located 200 km from Paris.
Romantic theater open on the Channel ... Étretat attracted and inspired many painters (Monet, Corot, Boudin ...), filmmakers and writers (Maupassant, ...).

Trouville by BOUDIN

Honfleur invites you to discover its picturesque streets and its narrow, slate-covered houses and half-timbered façades. On the estuary of the Seine, city of painters and Impressionism, "Honfleur has this extra soul that makes it irresistible". The changing lights of the sky inspired the painters (Courbet, Monet, Boudin ..). Even today, there are many galleries and artists' studios.

A step away from its famous neighbor, Deauville, Trouville-sur-mer is a seaside resort full of charm … its villas belle-epoque, its beautiful beach.

« la route des chaumières » …Charming route of about fifty kilometers along the  SEINE river. For a long time, the Norman cottage were "shelters of misery"… they became gradually rural habitat, made of clay, stone and wood,…they reflect a secular Norman tradition .. . and to-day, they delight you with their beauty

Let Normandy surprise you .. go and see the photo albums

Etretat - Honfleur - Trouville - La route des chaumières

To locate the region

Other islands of the Venice lagoon

GIUDECCA
The island of Giudecca is one of the islands of the lagoon of Venice, separated only by the Canal de la Giudecca, with an incredible  view  on Venice
--> Let's discover Giudecca

SAN ERASMO 
Located in the north of Venice, and possessing fertile lands, the island of San Erasmo is considered as the Gardens of Venice thanks to their plantations of fruits and vegetables.
--> a country walk in San Erasmo

BURANO
This  island, is known for its lace, but what we love above all in Burano are its  colorful little houses.

-->  More Pic from Burano

MURANO
Murano is known for its glassblowers. You can buy a little souvenir but also a piece of art !

--> Go into a glassblower shop

VENICE, a great "SOUVENIR"

« Le voyage est une espèce de porte par où l’on sort de la réalité comme pour pénétrer dans une réalité inexplorée qui semble un rêve » Guy de Maupassant

“The journey is a kind of door through which one comes out of reality in order to penetrate into an unexplored reality that seems like a dream”

Let’s open the door of the dream : Venice and its lagoon …after a stay in Colmar called “ the little Venice “(an amazing coincidence in the choice of the destinations)


Our flat in Venice 

We enjoyed a magnificent apartment in Venice, in Canaggerio district , close the railway station, with amazing views from the rooftop..
What a pleasure at night to take our home-made meal together ! Have a look



Venice…The "City of Bridges”, an island city which is located on 118 small islands...

Someone told about this city “To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius.” Alexander Herzen

To discover Venice, you can use a gondola (for the fun) but The main mean of transportation in Venice is by boat(the vaporetto) , as the city is surrounded by canals … you can visit it by foot too (my favorite way)

Of course, there are the places that you must see : St. Mark’s Basilica, St. Mark’s Square,Canale Grande, Rialto bridge, Doges Palace, Bridge of Sighs, San Marco Campanile.

You discover them among the continuous flow of tourist of the whole world, taking the vaporetto ( it has a taste of the metro at rush hours in Paris)

But the best, finally is to leave the tourist routes and to lose yourself in the narrow streets on foot ( venice has the luxury of not having cars ) … the best way to escape the crowds and make the most of this over-visited city …and for me the best thing to do in Venice …
We liked the Cannaregio , Dorsoduro and Castello districts

All the pictures in this album

Bye-bye Alsace

the Alsatian Wine Route passes through a string of picturesque villages  and vineyards
pictures -->   Alsatian countryside 

The plain of Alsace is the name given to a vast plain covering a large part of Alsace. This plain is between the Vosges mountains to the west and the Rhine to the east.

The Hohneck   (1366 m) it is the second Vosges summit.
At its summit we  found a  Brasserie Hotel Restaurant with a unique panoramic view in the Vosges on the Vosges and Alsatian valleys… happy  to  warm up  and have some food
 pictures -->  The Hohneck 

we discovered  too a reindeer farm  in the Vosges (the favorite animal of Santa Claus has nearly no secret for us … a peaceful life … it was  before  Christmas rush)
pictures --> the reindeer farm

it would have  be a shame to be so close to the German border and not to see what is on the other side. So let’s go to Fribourg and the black forest (very disappointing for me ….the black forest was a magical word  before …may be because the black forest cake is one of my favourite cake)
pictures --> Fribourg and black forest 

I will finish my report about  our Alsatian  trip by a high point : a local wine tasting
Jean-Paul  Mauler, a passionate wine grower   opened  his  cellar for tastings of wines with various flavors, always pleasant and surprising!
“our vineyards are worked by us in a traditional way in respect of the vineyard and its environment, without giving up the use of modern techniques.” dixit  JP Mauler
We experiment a wide range of  Alsatian wines  : Sylvaner, Riesling, Muscat d'Alsace, Pinots ,and after each tasting, the atmosphere was more and more warm and cheerful

pictures --> A winegrower JPMauler