That Was A Nice Museum - Caen, France

Stats:

Destination:  Caen, France

Number of Days Spent:  1 day

Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas

Best restaurant:   No time to eat in Caen...

Best of:  Caen has a terrific Peace Memorial, probably the best one in Europe. 

Worst of:    Read below for one of our biggest mistakes of the trip

Most Memorable:   While a crappy situation, we will never forget the lessons learned below. 

Useful Tip:   Always, always get the train schedule in advance from the train station (not online or from the tourist information bureau).  This could save you big $$$.

"Hurry up!  We are going to miss the train!" I yelled over my shoulder as Tracy said, "are you sure you don't want to just stay here for the day in Cherbourg?"  "There's nothing here." I sternly replied, "and we already decided to go to the War and Peace museum in Caen, now come on, we have 10 minutes to get there, buy our tickets, and get on the train.  Move, move, move."

Mistake #1 of the Day (or really most days in my case):  Listen to your rational and sane wife, she just might be right.  99.9% of the time she is.

Thus begins our day.  We consider ourselves fairly well seasoned travelers.  We never take the ship tours as they are always overpriced and rarely, if ever, better than anything you can organize on your own.  In fact, the more we travel, the more we enjoy having the freedom to change our minds and to avoid the tour bus mentality.  Most of the time it works out for the best, but there are a few occasions, such as this day, where we make a costly error.

Call it a case of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.  I have in my head the moment we are able to get off the boat.."Train leaves at 7:50...it's 7:20...how do we get that train.  We must catch that train.  Train. Can't miss the train."  Tracy's thoughts are something more like this:  "Is it really so bad staying here for the day, we save time and money, it is after all just a museum.  A war museum on top of that.  Travel 3+ hours to see a museum when we could take it easy and check out what is right in front of us?"

After asking at the information desk at the dock they showed us a train schedule - train leaves at 7:50 and there is one coming back at 1:05 that will give us plenty of time to get back to the ship by 3pm.  "Would you like to take a taxi to the train station?", the lady behind the counter asks.  "No, that's ok, we can walk.  25 minutes you say?  We can make it."

Mistake #2 of the Day:  Sometimes, when timing is tight, it's better to just fork out the extra couple of $$'s to get there in time to confirm the schedule with the actual train station.

After marching at a steady pace we arrive huffing and puffing with about 2 minutes to go and still having to purchase the tickets. 

Mistake #3:  Confirm the train schedule with the actual train station.  This could often pass for common sense but with my one track mind, a minor detail such as this was lightly brushed over in the heat of the moment.

Mistake #4:  Never underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere that involves multiple transportation changes.

After catching the train, hopping on Caen's excellent tram system, to the bus station we finally arrived at the museum around 10am...2 1/2 hours to check out the museum that is recommended to spend at least 4 exploring.  Of course this involves passing up on the other sights that Caen has to offer like its castle, Calvados liquor, etc.

The Peace Memorial is considered by many to be THE best museum on World War II.  The museum starts at the end of WWI with Europe in turmoil, Germany in rebuild mode with a hopeless situation of reparations and runs all the way up to the events of 911.  Evocative, well designed and engaging; the museum is well worth the price of admission if you have the time to fully dedicate to it.  The two movies are both excellent. The first one shows rare footage of the D-day invasion from both sides of the battle in split screen format.  It ends a little hokey, however, as the actual footage gives way to a computer animated battle map showing allied troop advances against ever receding German lines.  The second video encapsulates every major event that happened from the end of WWII up to 9-11.  It is beautifully done mixing military conflicts with moments of peaceful triumph.

Knowing that we had to make it back to the train station by 1pm, we cut our visit short and started to head back.  While standing in line to purchase the return ticket, I notice that the 1pm train is not listed on the big board and start to worry a bit.  Must be some sort of mistake...or not.  Apparently the 1pm train was a seasonal train that had been removed from the schedule the week prior.

Ok, so the next train is a little after 2pm which gets in after 3pm, the time the boat is leaving.  Major oops.  In an efficient French public transportation system, provided you actually follow it, trains, buses and trams run seamlessly but do not overlap.  With no other option left and time running out we were forced to hire a taxi to drive us back to the port...some 110 (about 65 miles) kilometers away.  The most painful part was watching the meter tick away as we zoomed down the highway. 

200 Euros ($350 US; after tip) later:  Lesson learned.

Sick to our stomach, we crawl back on the ship a lot lighter in the wallet than expected and prepare for our next day, and hopefully much cheaper, in Cork, Ireland.

I wish we had more time and more photos to share from Caen but that's it :-(

Camembert Cheese & Concrete Cities - Rouen and Le Havre, France

Stats:
Destination: Rouen & Le Havre, France
Number of Days Spent:  1 day
Where we stayed:  RCI's Jewel of the Seas
Best restaurant:   Gooey French chocolate croissants rounded out our picnic in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. 
Best of:  Camembert cheese, Joan of Arc, Monet watercolors
Worst of:    The walking tour of Le Havre outlined in Lonely Planet was a major disappointment.  Could be that the UNESCO listed town itself has little to be desired, at least in our opinion.
Most Memorable:  We brought back some Normandy's stinky cheese onto the cruise ship.  Even double bagged it made our stateroom stink.  But oh it was tasty with bread and a glass of red wine! 

Useful Tip:   Take the train from Le Havre to Rouen, it was quick, cheap & easy and allowed us to go at our own pace.  We had enough time to see the major sights of Rouen & then spend a few hours wandering around Le Havre before getting back to the ship. 
The ship landed in La Havre, the closest port to Paris, and while most passengers were off to see Paris, a three hour one-way train ride, we opted to stop halfway in between the two at Rouen.  Having been to Paris on a separate trip, we found the 6 hours of travel for 4 hours of time in the city not worth the while, but if you have never been to Paris - it's certainly worth any amount of time you can give it no matter how small.
Rouen in its own right has plenty to see and do.  As the capital of Normandy when England controlled it, the city hosted its fair share of historical events.  One such event was the trials of Joan of Arc.  The famed teenage military leader was tried for heresy, found guilty, and burned at the stake here in Place du Vieux Marché square.  Later the ruling was reversed and she was canonized as a saint and martyr.  A modern structure stands on the spot where it all went down and thousands of Catholics come to worship and praise one of the patron saints of France.  The church is designed to resemble the pyre upon which she was burned.
    
Also in the square with Joan sits a small market.  Fresh produce, cheese, meats, and hand made soaps dominate this tiny market.  Of course our day in France would not be complete without a few goodies to make a picnic. 

After picking up our ingredients for a picnic, we headed out to see a couple more sites around town.  The city is filled with several fine examples of Gothic architecture. 
 
 
The city also boasts one of the finer collections of half-timber homes still in existence in France.  These "gingerbread" style homes can be found in many parts of Europe, but the French, as always, have a style on their own.

In the heart of the old city lies the Cathedral Notre Dame of Rouen.  The church dates from as early as the 12th century, although it has been added on to over the years - most notably the addition of the metal spire to make it the tallest in the world at the time.  Also buried here is the heart of King Richard the Lionheart.  This Gothic masterpiece inspired a series of paintings by the famous impressionist painter Monet. Monet sat outside the cathedral painted virtually the same painting only at different times of the day to catch varying degrees of light. 
  
  
Feeling a bit inspired ourselves, we spread out our picnic and followed in the footsteps of Monet by admiring the beauty of the Cathedral combined with a little people watching.  Pick up some wine and cheese from the market, tacked on some bread and chocolate croissants from a nearby bakery and viola a typical French meal without spending a fortune in a restaurant!

After having a little coffee after our picnic, we strolled through an excellent art museum.  As one would imagine, Monet and Impressionist colleagues were well represented.
 
Even the train stations in France are photogenic; Tracy couldn't resist photographing the train station in Rouen.  We love the whimsical style writing on the signs.

Back in Le Havre, we decided to take the quick walking tour that is outlined in Lonely Planet.  With allied razing during WWII leaving the city virtually in rubble, the rebuilding process was handed over to an architect by the name of Perret.  What resulted is considered by many to be his masterpiece.  UNESCO recently added it to their list of World Heritage Sites for "innovative exploitation of the potential of concrete".  Hmmm...what could be more exciting than concrete!?!  Well, let's say we were less impressed than the voting committee at UNESCO.  Using mostly concrete in construction, everything was rebuilt from office buildings to concert halls to churches.  It feels more eastern block communist than free enterprise modern day Western Europe.  While it was an ok detour, I certainly would not make any extra efforts to return.
What is up with these statues? 

Perhaps the crown jewel of Perret's town is the cathedral tower that dominates the skyline.  Much in the same utilitarian fashion as the rest of town, the tower is made up of concrete and stained glass windows.

What the heck is this?  Well, it's called Vulcan, or Volcano, and they apparently have concerts inside.  Looks more like a Nuclear Power Plant tower, but to each their own.

Back safely on board the ship, we set sail for the next port of Cherborg, France!
To see more photos from Rouen click here! 
To see more photos from Le Havre click here!

Sipping wine in the south of France: Aix en Provence, France

Stats:

Destination: Marseille, France & Aix en Provence, France

Where we stayed: Crown Princess

Best of: The market in Aix had incredible cheese & meat. That along with a fresh baguette and a bottle of wine made a wonderful picnic!

Worst of: We paid 3.50 euros (almost $5!) for a cappuccino...way over priced but set in a lovely square with friends. Lesson learned, buy your drinks at the counter and pay 1/3 to 1/2 the price.

We docked in Marseille, the busiest port in the Mediterranean and second largest city in France. The city has little to offer tourists, but in its outskirts lies the Provence and Luberon regions, two of the most stunning and fertile areas in France. The region is well known for growing spices and even has it's own blend; Herbs de Provence can be found in almost any supermarket. The region is also well known for producing fine quality soaps, most notably using lavender and olive oil.

With so many places to see and experience, choosing where to go in the region for a day is difficult. We opted to spend the day with some friends we had met on the ship in the town of Aix-en-Provence, or just Aix. We spent the day casually strolling through town, checking out a church, and just simply taking in the atmosphere. Aix is the home of the elite and wealthy and it shows in the tree lined streets, trendy shops and cafes. Grabbing a cup of Joe and watching the world go by is just the thing to do in this town, albeit, you end up paying more if you sit down. France operates on a two tier system whereby takeaway is a different price than eating in. Basically, you pay for the view.

In the middle of town was the daily farmers market. Unlike other markets we have been to in developing and third world countries, the market here was about as upscale as a market can get. Here, presentation matters. The French take pride in their food and it shows. The fresh fish is well presented on the ice, the hand made meats and cheeses are delicately placed out on display, and you won't find a moldy strawberry in this bunch. Handicrafts and handmade soaps are also out for sale in the tiny market. We opted to pick up lunch here and have a picnic later. After picking up our cheese, meat, some bread and, of course, some wine we headed for the tree lined main street where we did a little people watching as we enjoyed our meal.

We finished our little picnic and met back up with our friends for the return to the ship vowing that we would have to come back to this region and experience it a little more! Next stop, our first stop in Italy; Livorno with Lucca and Pisa calling!

To see more pictures of Aix-en-Provence click here.