Rouen

Saturday, June 23rd

We docked in Rouen for 2 days. Gail, Ilyse and  Diane decide to have a later breakfast, then set out to explore this capital of Upper Normandy.

Our theme for the day is the passage of time and Aging Creatively.  We decided to forego the ship tour of the city and do it ourselves.  By the third shop, I inform my sisters that we either have to turn back immediately so as not to miss our afternoon excursion to Honfleur, or stay in Rouen for the day.  It took about 30 seconds to decide in favor of "retail therapy" in Rouen.  Guess we'll just have to come back to Normandy to see Honfleur!

We wandered the cobblestone streets and found a shop called Chez Elise where we stopped for a photo op, admired the sites and shopped for souvenirs.

At an open air market we marveled at the perfection of the fruits and vegetables.  So perfect were the colors and shapes that they looked to be designed by an artist (I guess they were in fact designed by the "ultimate artist").

We observed the juxtaposition of old and new- the majesty of Rouen Cathedral and the modern geometric shape of the church of Joan of Arc, patron saint of France.  Another famous site is the Gros Horloge- a large clock that ran continuously from the mid 15th century until 1926 without stopping ( 5 million hours).

For lunch we stopped at a cafe for galettes (savory crepes made with buckwheat flour) and of course dessert.  Since the name of the cafe was Tarte Tatin, we ordered the apple tart of the same name- with ice cream on the side.  Ilyse and I took the opportunity to give Gail her accessory of the day- a watch.

When we returned to the ship, we shared our day and purchases with Mom.  We gifted her with a watch to match our theme along with some beautiful chocolates purchased in Rouen.

Ilyse treated us to one of her clever poems- sung to the tune of As Time Goes By, which was about the trials, tribulations and joys of growing older.

Mom attended a lecture about World War II before dinner, as we rested.

We had another delicious 5 course meal and to bed early to prepare for a long day on Sunday.

Sunday, June 24th

Today we journeyed into Lower Normandy.  The weather gods are not kind and it is gray and rainy all day.  The region is known for the 3 C's- Cheese (Camembert and others), Cider and Calvados- the latter two because of the apples that are so abundant in this region.  The 4th unofficial "c", and Ilyse's favorite, is caramel.  Ilyse is almost as diligent in her pursuit of the perfect caramel, as she is for the perfect macaron.  The rainy weather is typical here and responsible for the lush greenery. 

Our first stop is the lovely town of Bayeux.   As one of the few towns not damaged during the war, everything here is original from medieval times and it was the first town in France to be liberated.  DeGaulle gave his first important speech here afterthe liberation in 1944.

The beautiful cathedral is both Romanesque and Gothic.

The town is most famous for the Bayeux tapestry.  Though I remember studying it in college I was not prepared for the wonder of this piece that is almost a thousand years old.  We knew before entering that it was 70 meters long (about 230 feet) but you don't realize how long it is and what an enormous accomplishment is was until you are face to face with it.  There are about 50 scenes embroidered on linen depicting the Norman version of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when the Duke of Normandy, henceforth known as William the Conquerer, claimed the throne of England.  It shows how the people dressed and ate.  The battle took 6 months to prepare for and lasted only 14 hours.  It was commissioned to hang in the church and tell the story to the countrymen, most of whom were illiterate and couldn't read.

Our next stop was Beuvron where we had a Normand lunch of rillette (like a duck pate), sausage, vegetable pie and salad, cheeses of the region that are forbidden in the US because they are not pasteurized, and a special dessert of the area similar to rice pudding.  Of course it was served with the cider of Normandy.  Sounds like a large lunch; it was to us, but considered light to the locals.  After lunch we opened a door to the main square and felt like we stepped on to a movie set- so picturesque even in the rain.

In Lisieux we visited the church of St Therese, austere on the outside but decorated with beautiful and elaborate mosaics on the inside.

Our last stop took us to chateau de Breuil to tour the Calvados Distillery.  We tasted 17% alcohol Calvados and those of us who were brave (Ilyse) tasted the 41%.  There is another that is 72%, which Ilyse persuaded a shop owner to let her taste; she said it tasted like cleaning fluid!  Then we all had apple tart with cream and more cider.

Our dinner that night was another Normand meal prepared by a chef from the region brought on for the evening.  Almost every course included apples and/or cheese and ended with the obligatory Calvados.  We slept very well that night!

Our soundtrack paid a light tribute to our men who battled valiantly  on the Normandy beaches-  Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.  Gail's accessories of the day were a handbag that accomodates an iPad, and a matching change purse and notebook.

Monet's Gardens at Giverny

Yesterday we docked in the charming town of Vernon.  A short bus ride brought us to the magical Giverny where Monet lived and worked for half of his life.  Gail was excited to learn that the famous dancer Isadora Duncan had also lived here.  Unfortunately, the guide would say "that pink house we just passed was where Isadora lived".  Our guide Veronique's English was not as good as Ilyse's French.  Between the two of them we managed to understand.  Ilyse has been our savieur more than once on this trip.  Having our own personal translator has come in very handy.

The gardens are so beautiful they left of us spellbound. On one side are gardens with a huge variety of flowers and plants in all colors and sizes.  The house where his family lived along with several studios is also there.  The house is also very colorful and just delightful.  We then crossed through a tunnel that took us to the water lilies garden.  The sun was just starting to shine down (it was raining when we arrived) and the lilies were just starting to open.  The reflection upon the water was something to witness and easy to see why the impressionists liked to be near water since they were so captivated by the light and dedicated to showing how light reflection impacts they way a scene looks.  Monet did a large series of paintings of the water lilies and also of the cathedral at Rouen during different times of the day.  He would work on a number of canvases at the same time, and move from canvas to canvas as the light changed.  After a tour of the gardens and house, we meandered around the property by ourselves and listened to Debussy's Reverie.

 We had started the day with Gail's accessory of the day, which was a gossamer white scarf, which will be enjoyed on her cruise to Greece later this summer.  Back on board it was time for more activities and gifts.
For lunch we had a crepes demonstration.  Yum! And later was a pastry demonstration.  Gail received soaps shaped like pastries and an I Love Bacon book (the Abrams girls believe the only really necessary "food groups" are bread, potatoes, chocolate and bacon).  So you see, today was about Creativity with Food.

In the afternoon Mom was feeling well enough to join us for a stroll through the lovely town of Vernon.

In the footsteps of Van Gogh

On June 21st we continued our celebration of creativity through art and music.
When we awoke we were gliding along the river.  Note to friends-- if you get seasick, river cruising is the way to go.  We didn't know we were moving until we looked out our window.  I played Proud Mary (Rollin on the River) as we danced around the cabin.  Gail's accessory of the day was a necklace.

Once in Conflans, we took an excursion to Auvers-sur-Oise, the town where Van Gogh spent his last days.  Though only there for 70 days, he created about a third of the paintings he did during his lifetime including a portrait of his friend Dr. Gachet and the cathedral at Auvers.  Besides Van Gogh, artists such as Gauguin and Cezanne and Pissaro loved this area because of the light created by the reflections the water.  We visited the room where Van Gogh lived, the cathedral and other sites where he painted, and finally a visit to his grave.  His brother Theo died  months later and is buried beside him.  As we approached the grave, the sky started to darken, and the rain began to fall.  It was as if God was still mourning the loss of this tortured creative genius, as were we.  Our second song of the day was Starry, Starry Night.

Back on board we shared our day with Mom (feeling and looking better) and gave Gail a book on Morphology- famous art works that then morph into other pictures.  Mom's gift was a box of Immodium (much appreciated).

 Before dinner we were treated to a fabulous concert by a trio known as La Strada.
At dinner, the wait staff serenaded Gail with the contemporary version of Happy Birthday and presented a delicious chocolate (what else?) cake.  A waiter asked Gail "how many Springs have you had?" - much nicer than how old are you.

Leaving Paris

The Wifi on the ship has been down, so this is the first opportunity I've gotten to post since we left.  So here is a summary of our trip so far.
Mom, Ilyse, Gail and I "rendezvoused" in Newark on Monday.  The first order of business, after admiring each other's outfits, was to play "We are family" on the CD player I purchased for the trip.  Yes--- our Gail is 60 tour has an accompanying soundtrack!
Ilyse had 2 poems for Gail this first day.  The first revealed our theme, which is Creativity.  We will celebrate all types of Creativity during our time together.  This poem was actually sung to the tune of "Personality".
After dinner in the airport Gail received her first gift, a Transatlantic Flight Kit (TFK for short) filled with things to make the flight more pleasant, including socks, snacks, lip balm, and sleep mask.
Later Ilyse gave us a mini French lesson.  The last phrase for Gail only was "Avez-vous un cadeau pour moi", meaning "Do you have a gift for me?" which will be used frequently throughout this trip.  When she had pronounced it correctly we gave her a gift of a journal to keep while on our trip.

Our ship is Avalon's Creativity.  (I had a hellava time convincing them to rename the ship in honor of our theme!)  Today we introduced a new concept (along with another wonderful poem from Ilyse)- Accessory of the Day.  The first Accessory of the Day was a small silver pouch that Gail can where in lieu of a handbag for touring.
After unpacking, we went to Sainte Chappelle to hear a concert.  Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Pacelbel Canon performed by fabulous violinists would have been exciting enough.  But when we you add in the exquisite sight of the stained glass of Sainte Chappelle, it really makes for a peak experience.

Back on board, we had 2 overnights in Paris.  Unfortunately, Mom was sick and couldn't join us yesterday as we explored.  Ilyse treated us to another poem on The Creative Muse, our creative inspiration for the day.  It was about the unique creative expression of the three sisters, with particular homage to Our Creative Muse, our mother, who has nurtured and inspired us to seek out our individual niche and talents in life.
We spent the morning at the Musee d'Orsay.  Most of our time was on the top floor, home to fabulous Impressionist paintings.  This was a foreshadowing of some of the sites we will visit over the next few days.
There was an exhibit on Misia, who was a muse to many painters, dancers, musicians which we found particularly interesting and appropriate. At lunch we gave Gail her Accessory of the Day which was a bracelet.  Gail has also been treating us to daily gifts.  In true Abrams fashion, they are presented in different wrapping for each of us and a poem. In the afternoon, we did some shopping, but remarkably for the Abrams girls, we didn't buy anything.

At night we called in a doctor to look at Mom.  Fortunately after resting all day, she did feel somewhat better but was still unable to go to dinner with us.

This morning we are on our way to Conflans where we will walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh.

Getting Close

Laid out all my clothes - and gifts for Gail- and technology (more later on) today.  How am I going to fit everything in one suitcase plus a carry-on?  Oy!
The emails are flying between Ilyse, Mom and I.  Trying to tie up all the loose ends before we leave.
As the Abrams' would say- only 2 more wake-ups!

Where are we going?

In 2002, when Gail Abrams turned 50, we started a new family tradition.  My Mom Rhoda Abrams, my sister Ilyse Janove and I (Diane Ross) took Gail on a surprise birthday trip.  We told her when we were going but kept the destination a secret.  We went to Scottsdale Arizona where Gail was born.  Staying at The Boulders in Carefree, we ate, shopped and explored the surrounding area.  We took a hot air balloon at dawn, spent a day in the spa, and shopped until we dropped.  We also laughed ourselves silly.


For Mom's 80th, we surprised her with a trip to New York where we boarded the Queen Mary II for a "cruise to nowhere".  One highlight was a Tribute to RhoRho- a scrapbook packed with old photos, letters, poems and even songs sent in from friends and relatives.


For Ilyse's 50th we went to Santa Barbera and then to Laguna Beach.  We're really getting into it now.  Ilyse is a singer so the theme was music.  The first night we wore costumes from the different eras of Ilyse's life and sang songs.  Each activity had another song attached to it.  I set up a phone number before the trip for Ilyse's friends and family to call in with birthday wishes.  I played a few for her each day.  Another highlight was seeing a performance at Pageant of the Masters.

For my 60th birthday my Mom and sisters treated me to a fantastic trip to Canada.  One of the highlights of the trip was a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls.  Spectacular.


So- now it's Gail's 60th birthday.  What are we going to do to top the other trips?  We've "upped the ante" and have an unbelievable experience planned for Gail.  Stay tuned to find out where we go and follow our travels and discover all the surprises we have in store for her.  The journey begins on June 18th where we will all rendezvous at Newark airport.  I'll be blogging along the way, so please join us!