Driving outside of Paris was wonderful - it is so green and there are so many trees. It seemed to take no time at all to get to the coast of Normandy - just an hour and a half!
Deauville was a very pleasant surprise. A huge beach, lovely soft sand, and a modern boardwalk that went on and on, taking us to nice beachside restaurants, shops, etc. They have an American film festival there every September, so I think they have tried to make it look like a first class destination. The boardwalk has the names of famous Hollywood actors along the length of it.
The town behind it, is also extremely attractive. All the buildings have that Shakespearean style of architecture. We found a lovely old abbey as we explored. It was so peaceful, sitting by it in the sun.
Our hotel was just outside a little town called Pont-L'Eveque, which was soooo pretty, and it is situated right beside a huge lake. Ducks were playing in the grass right beside us as we had a coffee in the cafe.
We went back to Deauville to their hippodrome to see the races! Every half an hour, another race would take place. It was just like being at the Kentucky Derby, or something. The horses would be paraded around at the back, while everyone watched or placed their bets, then the spectators would rush out to the front to watch the actual race. It was so big, and the horses so far away for most of the race, that we had to watch the big screen to see what was happening. When it was over, everyone would head in to the back again, to pickup their winnings, watch the presentation to the winner (involving speeches, etc.), and to bet on the next race. Neither of us had ever bet on horse-racing before, but Jerome actually picked the winner twice! The weather was perfect. I learned some new vocabulary such as "pouliches" (the horses), and "montes" (the jockeys).
No comments:
Post a Comment