Although some confusion remains about which of the two worn cliffs jutting into the ocean most resembles an elephant, we agreed that they are equally stunning as we stood on the rocky beach in Etretat, a village on the Normandy coast. Monet thought so too and duly painted them, as have others.
The light was particularly dramatic over the yellower cliff, as the sun attempted to break through the clouds, creating streaks of blue, gray and white in the sky and turning the water a pale blue. Just down the beach at the other cliff, the color of the sky and water was darker and more moody but a swath of velvety green grass blanketed the cliff top.
Mussels
We took a short steep hike up the less grassy one for more spectacular views from on high.
Although the beachfront town has a ticky tacky feel with a faded casino, we found a quaint sophisticated restaurant for mussels and frites further from the shore – Le bel Ami – and some cool old half timber and brick buildings
What a charming French city Rouen is and a perfect gateway to Normandy with its narrow cobbled lanes lined with half-timbered buildings in its old town. We are staying in one of those buildings, in the Hotel le vieux carre which is a bit ramshackle right now because it is being renovated (which we were not told was happening, which is not good.) Scaffolding covers the timbered courtyard and drop cloths line the steps up to our little room. But the place is still charming in a bohemian way, with a ground floor low-ceilinged tea parlor and sitting area with lots of cozy chairs and knickknacks. Delicious breakfast: a basket of croissants and baguettes, 2 jams, and Normandy butter, yoghurt and cheeses.
Rouen half-timbers, cathedral
For dinner we went to the wine bar of my dreams, Au p’it Verdot, another small atmospheric place in the old city that serves charcuterie, local cheeses and cider, beer and wine and delicious desserts.
Cheese, glorious cheese
We tried the famous local soft creamy cheeses, most recognizably the Camembert but my favorite was Neufchâtel.
Our hotelYes, a chocolate bialette (Italian coffee pot) and more
In the morning we did Rick Steve’s short walk tour around old town which was perfect, strolling to the semi-covered market, a cool modern church shaped like a fish, down narrow lanes lined with half-timbered buildings painted in many colors, the “flamboyantly gothic” cathedral (famously painted by Monet, with an intricately decorative facade), stopping at the famous Auzou chocolate shop to buy chocolate covered and dusted almonds known as as Joan of Arc’s tears. (This is where Joan became a martyr.)
Old town
To get here, we took an uneventful trip on the Eurostar, only 2.5 hours to Paris and then another 1.5 hour train from another station here. Trying to block out news of the horrible Trump cabinet picks but not succeeding.
We had a lovely day with Evan, an Iowa friend who now works here as a landscape architect. We met him and his huge sweet dog Freddy in Blackheath (at yet another Gail’s bakery) on a crisp sunny morning. More blue sky!
Blackheath
We walked around the pretty lanes, past charming homes and shops in the little village, then across the green into Greenwich, which I haven’t visited in decades and always seems so different than elsewhere in London.
Trafalgar Tavern
We enjoyed the astonishing view from near the Greenwich observatory (home of Greenwich mean time), with the nearest cluster of skyscrapers being docklands, and the city of London and central London in the distance, in another bend in the Thames. We ate at a pho restaurant in Greenwich and walked around the elegant massive buildings that make up the university in the former Royal naval college. Final stop the elegant Trafalgar Tavern, with a fire roaring in the fireplace, elegant maps on the wall, spectacular views of the Thames, with the Uber taxi and the old school cutty sark.
Trafalgar tavernCutty sark
To get from southwest to southeast London was an adventure, requiring 3 connections each way on a variety of British rail trains, undergrounds lines, the overground and light rail, passing through stop I’d never heard of (nunhead!) and the amazingly built up Canary Wharf at Docklands.
oh happy day, the sun finally came out on this, our fifth day in London. And it does make a difference, especially after so many gloomy overcast days. We took full advantage of the moment by walking to nearby Kew Gardens, which was full of sweeping green lawns, ancient trees with yellow and red and orange leaves, the occasional sculpture, pagoda with ornamental animals, squirrel, Egyptian geese, and whatnot.
We walked through Temperance House, a glass building that resembles the Palm House, with big leafed palm trees inside, the Japanese garden, the Chinese gardens.No visit is complete without a stop at the giftshop, especially when your friend can share her 20 percent discount! We also picked up sandwiches at the Kew greenhouse cafe and ate them on park benches in the gardens.
I’ve always gladly accepted Francine’s invitations in London because I inevitably see something most visitors don’t. True to form we went to the lovely Garden Museum in an old decommissioned church next to Lambeth Palace.
Mortlake Tapestry
The museum just purchased a Mortlake Tapestry from the 1630s, believed to be the earliest depiction of a female gardener. Mortlake, where we are staying with our friends, was home to a famous tapestry works. Very cool to see the tapestry, which Francine helped raise money for to pay for conservation of the tapestry.
We walked along the south bank along with a mass of texting, photo- taking international tourists, past my former office (the House of Commons) all the way to the Tate Modern, with a quick look at a cool ghostly installation in the turbine hall and a gift shop visit.
New friends from Sri Lanka and Canada
Then we walked across the wobbly bridge to St. Paul’s where we learned that the #11 bus and any other vehicles were not running due to the Lord Mayors parade. We skipped the parade and walked down Fleet Street past my second former London office (the nytimes London bureau’s former shoe lane office.) Tired and hungry, we stumbled into an ancient Dickensian pub, Ye olde Cheshire Cheese (rebuilt 1667, similar era as the mortlake tapestry), where we found a table way at the bottom of the rabbit warren of a pub, in a cellar-like room with a low barreled ceiling. We shared a table with a couple from Sri Lanka and a couple from Halifax, formerly from Toronto. We ended up chatting and sharing food (a ploughmans at last!) for over an hour. So interesting, fun and unexpected! Also near Samuel Johnson’s house.
Inside ye olde
Next stop Richmond where we walked across the green in the late afternoon to another cool old pub called the White Swan, a perfect place to catch up with my old friend/colleague (from a Connecticut paper during the mid-1980s) Bennett and his wife Kim. Then the four of us met Francine and Russ for excellent “new wave” Indian food at Cinnamon Bazaar, near Richmond Station, specializing in inventive Indian railway food (chaats) prepared and served quickly, plus fusion dishes like Rogan josh shepherds pie. Great day!
On Sunday, we got a little slice of America in general and Iowa in particular with our friend Una at Pickle & Rye, a cafe specializing In breakfast and burgers in Mortlake. We were lucky to catch the co-owner Val there, who is an Iowan. This new location doesn’t have as many Iowa nicknacks as the previous one but there is a photo of the Louis Sullivan “jewel box” bank in Grinnell where Val grew up and a Taylor’s Maid-rite mug from Marshalltown Iowa. The entire cafe went silent for two minutes at 11:11 to mark remembrance sunDay, silently watching the wreath laying ceremony in central London at the cenotaph.
With Val at Pickle & RyeWith Mima and Harriet, Clapham Junction
The family sitting at the table with the mug seemed intrigued that I was taking a photo of it so I explained that this was a famous Iowa delicacy, not one I’m particularly fond of but still…a loose meat sandwich. Dinner tonight was at my friend Jemima’s daughter and son-in-law’s flat in claphamjunction, a 10 minute train ride from Mortlake. Lovely to see Jemima’s kids, now in their 30s.
Last seen when they were maybe 4 and 5. They were keen to discuss the election results and of course dismayed by the result…and surprisingly well-versed on US politics.
On Telly: Remembrance Sunday day ceremony with Princess Kate
This trip is really about visiting people, not places as much so a better headline would be Marion at Stratton’ Tower in Potter’s bar and MB in a Mortlake. But along the way we visited a few places new and old, starting with Marion’s amazing home in a 18th century brick tower (built 1789) we once called “the folly.” It’s in the rolling green Hertfordshire countryside a short train ride from Kings cross to Potter’s Bar. Marion zipped us around in her little car expertly navigating a winding assortment of very narrow lanes lined with hedges, first to a restaurant in the local garden center, which was very busy, with nary a free table in sight (and the credit card machine was down. who has cash these days.?) So we ended up at a pub-looking restaurant the cock o’ the north, where we lingered for hours talking.
In kings cross, we returned to the “Coal Drop” area, stopping for coffee and hot chocolate at Gail’s Bakery (which we discovered has an outpost close,to us in Mortlake) and visiting the artisans at the Canopy Market. This area continues to grow and is full of life.
Dinner was with MB, my sister’s sister-in-law,who happens to live in the same neighborhood as our friends we are staying with. We met at hare and Hounds pub, which we have been to before. It has a long menu. Ingot bangers (sausages) and mash, an upscale version, which was the closest I could find to traditional pub grub. I am forever searching for a ploughman’s. Which is so 1980’s. Lovely to be here and away from the political drama and fear in the states, although the British are also very upset and worried by the election results.
Pro-tip for anyone traveling via the Reno-Tahoe Airport: there’s a great used clothing store called Junkee Clothing Exchange, as well as a food court (Reno public market) with interesting ethnic fast food (Peruvian, Greek, Salvadoran…) and a terrific bakery, Beloved’s, all in a strip mall eight minutes from the airport.
Word has it Junkee Clothing Exchange is a popular stop for the counter culture crew (“burners”) who go to the Burning Man festival, also in Nevada. It’s a huge space, colorfully decorated with lots of fun used clothes and an impressive Halloween section. Apparently it moved recently to this unlikely location shared with big box chain stores like Sprouts and Staples. We found Beloved’s next door and got delicious baguettes with Gruyère and prosciutto for $8. Felt like something we’d get in France. The other breads and pastries looked good too.
Reno “space whale” on the riverwalk
Beyond that, downtown Reno looked pretty worn out, with some low wattage casinos and faded buildings but the riverwalk was pretty, with a small sculpture garden west of downtown and a few murals. (We expected more.) The Truckee river looked lovely, with autumn leaves and mountains in the distance. The drive from Tahoe was an easy 40 minutes through dramatic mountains. I was glad the “wintery mix” forecast didn’t pan out. The driveway of our chalet was icy but the roads were fine. Now if we could just get home. Our connecting flight is delayed but the Salt Lake City airport is pleasant, with high ceilings and lots of light unlike the low ceilings and drabness of Reno’s airport. PS we finally arrived at O’Hare at 11:30.
We packed a lot into our last two days here, dividing our time between the California and Nevada sides of the Tahoe Region. Up the road from our Alpine Meadows abode, we spent several hours on the spectacular Five Lakes Trail, a five mile trek that is almost all uphill (or up mountain) outbound, zigging and zagging up a mountain dotted with tall pines below a ski lift at 8,673 feet altitude. I was very happy to finally reach the small clear lakes where we turned around and went downward. I later read the trailwas “strenuous” which was more offputting than the original “moderate” difficulty description.
Five lakes trail (my shirt from the democratic national convention was a hit with women hikers)
Feeling virtuous and achy, we took a drive north along the bay to the Nevada side of the lake on the east. In Incline Village, we drove along Lakeshore Boulevard, aka Billionaires Row, a heavily shaded road with large gated drives on the lake side with mansions, presumably, below. Twenty years ago, I had a chance to stay at one (long story) but balked at the coast of last minute plane tickets from Des Moines.
I’ve wanted to go to Lake Tahoe ever since. Just past Incline Village on highway 28, we found a wonderful trail for biking and walking that hugs the lake. I’ve heard it referred to as the legacy trail, the east shore trail. Whatever the name it was stunning. We parked along the highway (in one of the few spots permitted) rather than paying for lots further way and walked down along the water past Hidden Beach, toward a small visitors stop where you can park for 20 minutes and explore.
The trail continues a short distance to Sand Harbor State Park which looked like it has a great swimming beach. We also drove a little further to Thunderbird Lodge, a historic sight that was closed but looked interesting. Next trip.
The lakes many moods along the east shore trail, near Hidden beach
At Gar Woods, a restaurant and pier overlooking the lake in Carnelian Bay we had drinks (I had the speciality rum slushy, a “wet woody” (a somewhat rude sounding name) made with prickly pair syrup. We shared some steam clams and enjoyed the view from the deck.
Gar woods
In Kings Beach, we stopped at two of the shops lining the highway to get gifts, including the North Shore Art Center.
Gar woods view and pierEast shore trail
Near Tahoe City, we had an excellent Sunday brunch at the Firesign Cafe, another popular spot with locals, for good reason. We sat at the bar because the place was packed. Woodsy rustic decor. Warm and welcoming. We also picked up some goodies nearby at the Tahoe House Bakery, which also has some gourmet cheeses and charcuterie. We bought a huge ginger snap cookie and a slice of carrot cake – that’s dinner! Why not? We’re on vacation (for at least a half day more).
Scenic overlook on east side of lake south of incline village
We had gorgeous weather again, although chilly temps in the morning (30s, 40s) so we took a short steep hike (as advertised) up eagle rock for a spectacular panoramic view of Lake Tahoe. I think the anxiety of the hike, especially the short last part where the trail disappeared and we had to figure out how to get up the last rocky incline, was worth the view. I’ve never quite recovered psychologically from my fall at the end of a hike in Norway in 2018, when I tripped on a tree route and broke my arm (the second break for that arm.)
We tried to find a few other nearby hikes but couldn’t find the trailheads so we kept driving past emerald bay along a steep road carved into the mountain with hairpin curses and some but not all sections with guard rails. Again, the views at Inspiration Point of the emerald-colored bay and the navy water beyond were worth the anxiety of contemplating driving off the cliff.
Inspiration point
Taylor creek visitor center was closed for the season but we walked on the interpretative nature trail (the rainbow trail) to a clear broom and stream where salmon were spawning. Apparently this happened sometime between October and February for about a month so lots of people, some with huge cameras and tripods were on hand. In the clear water we could see red salmon darting around and several dead silver salmon.
Spawning salmon info
We learned that when Pacific salmon are ready to spawn (have offspring via eggs) they turn red to attract a mate. But after they lay eggs they turn back to silver and die because the whole process is so exhausting. (Atlantic salmon don’t die after spawning.)
Picnic on the deck
For sandwich fixings, we stopped at Tahoma country Market and then returned to our chalet in alpine meadows for a lovely lunch outside on the deck with a pine tree covered mountain in the distance.
Tonight we went to the charming town of Truckee where the annual Halloween parade was on tap. Dozens of children and their parents dressed in very creative costumes and walked behind a fire down Donner Pass road, the main drag lined with old Victorian buildings with shops for well-to-do visitors. Before the parade, the kids trooped through various boutiques, outdoor stores, art galleries and bars lining the street to collect candy from shopkeepers.
Truckee Halloween parade
Dinner was at the cottonwood restaurant, which has a great view from on high of downtown Truckee, a fun, lively bar and so-so food and service. We dropped into Moodys bistro in the old fashioned Truckee hotel, which has live music and a busy bar. It looked like fun but was packed.
TakeBetsywithyou 