The birds were still chirping, but the sun was in hiding when we woke this morning. We enjoyed another breakfast thanks to Mylene, and then plotted the activities for the day. After bidding au Revoir to Mylene, Christian and Grenade, we pointed the car in the direction of Pont du Hoc, the battlefield where the US Rangers fought one of the fiercest battles that first day of the landing.   

While I sorted out the GPS and transportation options, Ken, Kim and Aimee went out to the fields of Pont du Hoc, where there are still bunkers, bullet holes and remnants from the battle. It really does bring the entire scenario full circle…the cemetery, the bunkers, the ocean, the cement structures still lining the beach and the visitors to this part of the world still trying to grasp the enormity of that time period. What if Eisenhower, Roosevelt, Churchill and DeGaulle had decided that June 6, 1944 was a "no-go"?    What would our world today be like?   Luckily, we will never know as the world came together, for once, to fight evil and won.   I wonder what would happen if that occurred today?

After a somber morning, we left the farmlands and headed back towards Paris.   In a total contrast, our next stop was Monet's Home and Garden, where many of his famous paintings were created.   The cloudy day had turned into a sunny Sunday afternoon, so Giverny, the town where Monet lived were swarming with tourists. We joined them, and soon entered the beautiful estate with flowers of every color in full bloom.    The workroom where Money painted was a favorite, as it had samples of his work lining the walls, in addition to the windows looking out on the gardens.

We then wandered around the paths that eventually took us to the ponds, water lilies and small green bridges that are very familiar to anyone who has seen Monet’s work.   Lots of pictures were taken, including the ever-present selfies, but my guess is that they will never capture the true beauty of the area.   The exit is through the gift shop, where we ended up finding a great painting that would fit perfectly in the hallway.   Not a Monet, but definitely is close!

Now for the fun part of the day. And I say that with true sarcasm. Our GPS had done quite well, until the end of the trip and then it was the GSP from hell. As we left Giverny for the 1.5 hour drive back to Paris, where we were going to drop Kim/Aimee off (Ken and I were heading to the airport for our early flight Monday morning), the directions began to go “wonky” (technical term).   I am comfortable to driving in France, but do like having clear navigation, especially in the towns and in Paris.

After many u-turns, reverses, wrong turns and several swear words, we stopped and asked a guy how to get to the freeway to Paris. He got us on the right path, and after almost a 45 minute delay, we were back on the road. Then, traffic. And, it made Houston traffic look tame. The 1.5 hour drive, was now taking 2.5 hours (including our GPS diversions).   We finally arrived in Paris at 730, dropped Kim/Aimee off at the flat, and set the GPS for the CDG airport Sheraton, where Ken and I were staying for the night.

I have done the circle around the Arc de Triomphe many times, and only once have I had an issue getting off (and that time I went around several times before finally getting the right exit!).   But, this time, GPS was trying to tell me to go down a 1 way street…which just didn’t seem right. So, I took the street next to it…which made the GPS go off-line. So, for the next 45 minutes, along with many swear words, a stop at the Hyatt Regency for directions, we drove around not having a clue as to where we were supposed to go.   Finally, we got on the right road, the erstwhile titled, friggen Peripherique (the ring road that circles Paris), the GPS re-aligned, and we were on the way…only to have the same thing happen when we needed gas.   We were on little streets, with no GPS, trying to figure out how to get back to the airport.

We arrived at the car rental return at 930p, a full 4.5 hours after we had left Monet’s garden, tired, cranky, stressed and hungry.   Not a great way to end our portion of the trip! Luckily, the Sheraton came through. We had access to the Club Lounge, where Jay provided us wonderful French wine, great snacks and prime view of the soccer game on the TV.   He was a bright spot, in an otherwise terrible evening, and for that we were thankful.

I am leaving this blog at this point, although Kim and Aimee are still in Paris. I know they will enjoy their last day, hopefully seeing Jim Morrison’s grave, taking a cruise down the Siene River and enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris.   Ken and I enjoyed showing them our favorite Parisian and Normandy places, and hopefully they can return and do the same for their friends and family.

Au Revoir!