Day tripper yeah

Saturday I was up uncharacteristically early. 8:15 saw me clambering into Morgan's car as we (me Morgan and Suzanne) set out for a grand day out. Once more I managed to get labeled as the Navigator (as on out trip to Mount Saint Michel), though this time the maps available were... minimal. You know how on the front of maps they show "This map in context" where you have the major roads marked in the surrounding areas- well that's what we were using!!

After about an almost two hours and 4.1 euros in toll we arrived in Veules-les-roses. This is an immensely cute little village with the shortest river in France. We managed to find the river source and the 'Cresson' that was in it.

The Cresson where they farm some kind of water plant for eating. We weren't entirely sure what it was but the name suggests that it might have been water cress.

We then went walking through the village- soooo pretty. We saw loads of water wheels (Suzanne and I weren't sure if that was what they were really called in English- I think we have been away for too long!)

We met a local guy who was there with his horses who were having a bit of a paddle

This guy also pointed out the trout in the water. We had seen a sign saying there were fish but hadn't spotted any. However once we knew what we were looking for we found that there were loads of them, all in perfectly straight lines swimming against the current

Halfway along the river is the cutest tea room. The front was like a fairytale with a castle kind of entrance, a large gateway with gathered curtains framing it and climbing plants covering the walls.

So we went and I had the most expensive cup of tea I have ever had (5euros!!).

But it was such a lovely experience that I really didn't mind. It was the kind of place where you could completely forgot about reality, forget about work, forget that there is anything as dirty and noisy as a city. We sat out on the terrace with the river running along just the other side of the wall, the tinkle of the courtyard fountain and the cheep of the sparrows.





After our refreshing stop we continued on next to the river until we final hit the sea. Now how many people can say that they have ever walked right from the source of a river all the way down to the sea?

After a stop at the view point we jumped back in the car and drove on to Fecamp where we had lunch. Then it was off to Etretat. Now Etretat is a tourist town through and through but unfortunately for us Saturday saw the visit of a traveling fair in the town. This meant there were fewer parking spaces and more people trying to use the few that were left! We did find a spot in the end though and headed down to the beach.
There for the first time that day we got a glorious bit of sun, so we of course plonked ourselves down to soak up some rays (with the help of the sun cream I had optimistically put in my bag). Unfortunately once the sun went behind a cloud it was a bit too cold to stay so we hiked up the cliff to a little church we had seen from the beach.

It was quite windy up there

You could see for miles from up there, the chalk cliffs around the bay and the cool arches that the sea had made in them.



We decided to go back home via the 'Pont de normandie' or the Normandyy bridge. This however meant going through Le Harve. Now the map we had for Le Harve was detailed enough to show all the roads in the town, however it wasn't detailed enough to give the street names of all these roads. So it is safe to say that very soon I had no idea which road we were on. However one of the nice things about coastal towns is that the sea provides a nice orientation point, so despite having not a clue how we did it we made it right through the entire town without incident and found some handy signs to follow to the bridge.
Once over the bridge we made our final stop of the day in Honfleur where we had dinner. We found a little restaurant next to the port and I had my first taste of mussels. Mussels and chips are a regional specialty and I really felt that I shouldn't leave France without trying some mussels. However the idea of putting one in my mouth makes my stomach turn- they look like they are going to be all slimy and... eeuugh. I don't eat mushrooms for the same reason, I have come to quite like the taste but the texture just- well not thanks. So I compromised and had mussel soup! Neither Morgan or I were that impressed by it but the rest of the meal was delicious. We also had fun confusing the waiters by switching from English to French during our conversations. hee hee.

I was glad I was driving home because I was so full from dinner and tired from the day that I was almost asleep the whole way home- in fact I possibly did fall asleep. So when we finally made it back to the Foyer and to bed I was out like a light.