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Friday
This morning we picked my sister, Janet, and nephew, Andrew up from the airport at about 9.30 then continued up past the airport, heading to Normandy for the weekend. Janet had never visited Monet's garden at Giverny, so that was our first stop. We arrived a little before noon, and since Janet and Andrew had such an early start, we went first to a crêperie for some lunch. This turned out to be a good move, since the queue for Monet's house and garden, which was there when we passed on the way to the restaurant, had disappeared by the time we returned.! This was the third time I had been in the last three years, but I never tire of going, and although it was late in the season, there was still plenty of colour in the gardens, and even a few water lilies still blooming on the pond. From Giverny, we continued on to the village of Lyons-la-Foret, situated as its name suggests in a forested setting, about 30 km east of Rouen. It is notable for its many half-timbered houses, mostly dating from the 17th and 18th centuries and its magnificent market hall, also dating from the 17th century, and decorated with hanging baskets. As we were walking around, this window, which was actually one of two, caught my eye, with its costumed dolls on the window ledge. Some notable events have also happened in the village. Henry the First died in the castle in the town, and the composer Maurice Ravel wrote some of his music here, including Le tombeau de Couperin. The town has also twice been used as the setting for film versions of the novel Madame Bovary. We then continued to our accommodation for the weekend, a gite we had booked in the country a little inland from Etretat, which turned out to be very comfortable and well-equipped.

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