Checking out Vancouver Canada

Posted on July 31, 2023 by David Cross

Since the world is continuing to open up, we decided to head North from Seattle and check out Vancouver again!

It is a gorgeous and relaxing drive from Seattle up the I-5 freeway, but the border crossing waits can be brutal. On a mid-day Saturday, it was almost an hour and it is hard to determine which line to take and which will be fastest. Very inconsistent timing for all the checks that occur.

Of course, it is a great city to go walking, running and biking – especially Stanley Park and we did all three!

So what did we do outside of all the great local restaurants? We rode the bikes a lot and checked out some of gorgeous scenery.

One morning, during low tide, it was pretty cool to check out the huge numbers of purple starfish. It might be me, but I am not sure I have ever seen purple starfish before. and definitely not in North America.

Vancouver is not just a weekend getaway city, it is fun to see all the shipping and boating that occurs throughout the day that you can see from the waterfront hotels.

We decided to get a 2,000 view of city and take a Seaplane to check out the entire area.

Harbor Airlines has some fun and reasonable priced options for quickly hopping on a plane and checking out the sites.

The suspension bridge is sometimes more amazing from above than it is from below.

and some some great views of the city where everyone goes to shop and check out all the restaurants.

The islands and ocean paths are just amazing to see from above,

If you not taken a seaplane ride before, these are highly recommended and lot of fun to experience for a reasonable price… and amazing views that you can see above!

Some of the restaurants we checked out on this trip:

After this, we headed east to Fraser Valley. Check out our next fishing adventure!

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Bastille Day in Paris

Posted on July 14, 2023 by David Cross
Celebrating the revolution!

We decided to tour Paris on Bastille Day by bike today.

So many sites are best seen by walking or biking and not by bus.

Some of the best shots are taken from the bike trails along the Seine.

The Louvre is crowded with long lines, but you can still ride a bike all around it on Bastille Day.

We even had a police escort around the city to make sure we saw everything!

It was a delight to see how much progress has been made on restoring the Cathédrale de Notre Dame.

You can compare these shots from my pictures from 25+ years ago here.

They just have a lot of scaffolding for a few more years. Apparently in 2024 you might be able to enter again.

Many streets were closed to even bikes, but we got a good shot of the military school.

And said hello to Napolean since we were in town.

And took advantage of seeing some of the luxurious shopping streets without a single car!

Many shops are closed, but makes it easier to take the best pictures 😎

But in some cases the military were marching and our French was not good enough, so we had to take a few detours.

Many parks were open and fun to explore.

We felt like locals joining in all the festivities!

So we decided to stay next to the Notre Dame plaza. Why?

The national military air show!

Of course I had to add some live video of some of the best flyovers

You cannot mess with the military today. They even had anti aircraft missile launchers set up near the Place de la Concord.

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Chateau Gaillard

Posted on July 13, 2023 by David Cross

Does anyone know what this Chateau is famous for?

We went back and stopped in Les Andelys today to take a morning hike. Some may know it best since it was the first expedition in balloon from France to England.

Others may know the village for not only it’s amazing bakery, but also for this special St. Savior church built for someone famous.

The first clue is the very rare lions heads at the top of the columns in the church.

It was pretty cool to see a lot of the similar historical homes just like we see all across Normandie like in Honfleur.

But the best part is the great hike you can take up to a famous landmark.

It is not too strenuous and the trails are fairly easy to navigate. It does change weather frequently so we recommend taking a light jacket as the winds can pick up across the Seine.

Anyone figure it out yet? It is the conquered castle and fortress of Richard the Lionheart. This is a view of the giant dry moat and some of the remaining defense wall.

It was believed that 400 people could live in the outer alcoves that were carved under the outer wall,

and they could store food for a full year to outlast any attackers that tried to starve out the inhabitants to get them to surrender,

The legend says that the attackers got into the fortress through the stained glass windows of the chapel area of the overall castle.

It is a great 2 hour morning hike for those that like to adventure in Normandie France!

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A French Downtown Abbey

Posted on July 13, 2023 by David Cross

We had some free time when we were in Rouen France so we decided to venture out into the countryside and check out some of the historical palaces throughout the country.

We visited Chateau Bonnemare which could be found hiding in the huge wheat and cornfields of the area.

It is an excellent bed and breakfast option for those looking to get away from the city for a day.

I could not resist taking pictures of the detailed plaster and composite designs which were quite amazing from the 17th century builders.

It was really interesting to see all the worker shops where they made bread, blacksmith and even where they made the local apple based cider which Normandie is famous for.

This is where the horse turns the mill to crush the apples.

The garden is not manicured like hundreds of years ago, but you can slightly see how it was raised to hide the moat in the distance.

I think someone decided this is her summer home 😎

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Exploring Rouen

Posted on July 12, 2023 by David Cross

Rouen is the capital of Normandie and is a very charming city.

Although there are many tourist novelties, it did not feel like a tourist city.

It is a combination of modern city life and government centers

As well as historical sites and amazing cathedrals.

It like Paris without the crowds, but has way more homeless people in the shopping districts.

I was pretty fascinated with the historical references to gargoyles

And demons throughout the churches and landmarks.

The Notre Dame cathedral is huge and quite the place to visit. It is under a 7 year renovation to ensure it avoids the fire problems that were encountered with the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

The historical library attached to the Notre Dame cathedral was quite amazing and learning about how the monks hated the Vikings was very educational.

What we also learned us that Notre Dame cathedral is where Richard the Lionheart is also buried.

Remember we saw his castle a few days ago?

We also learned and saw where Joan of Arc was burned alive. There are many monuments and discussions on her history here in Rouen.

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D-Day Normandy

Posted on July 11, 2023 by David Cross

It is almost the 80th anniversary of D-Day, so could not resist trekking to Normandy!

Our first stop is the US cemetery near and above Omaha Beach.

Almost 10% of the soldiers that arrived on June 6, 1944 died that day and 40% are still buried here and not repatriated back to the US.

Myself and two other veterans were asked today to assist with the daily ceremony of laying flowers at the memorial.

It was a very moving moment and I was honored to have been asked and able to participate.

There is also a wonderful visitor center that has numerous exhibitions and artifacts to tell the whole story that many have only seen in movies.

From there we went down to Omaha Beach where 30,000 US soldiers came ashore that day. In the distance you might be able to see the high cliffs where many Rangers climbed and lost their lives to reach the previous cannons that used to be on that site.

The memorial

When you actually visit the beach during low tide, it is hard to believe how anyone could have survived the 250+ meters from the water to the shore. When you watch the Saving Private Ryan movie, you might get a hint of how hard it was.

Most of the bunkers and cannons are long gone and destroyed, but a few remain.

These 150mm guns were what threatened all ships and were the biggest targets that the Allied planes had such a hard time finding and destroying due to camouflage, etc.

One of the old temp harbor pilings the British built when the D-Day invasion succeeded with a permanent beachhead.

So much history along the miles of coastline and historical villages where the Nazis occupied the homes of the local French population under their control.

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Biking around Le Havre

Posted on July 10, 2023 by David Cross

We decided to explore Le Havre with a casual bike ride since the city has some awesome bike lanes and trails throughout the city.

It is quite warm in France this summer, so bike rides are bit more pleasant than long runs in the heat/humidity.

Let’s share a few of the cool sites we found around the coastline area.

The first the Le Havre Cathedral which survived the Allied bombing in 1944 that pretty much destroyed the entire city.

You can still a lot of the shrapnel and damage in the church walls from the bombing and fighting that occurred during WW II.

Next, we stopped by the WWI and WWII memorial for local residents that were lost in the wars. This was also the only monument that survived the Allied bombing during the war.

About a half a kilometer away, we went to check out the city square/town hall/government mayor penthouse. If you look close, you can see the Ukraine flag and strong continuing support from the community.

One of the most amazing sites that is MUST visit is the famous St Joseph’s Church. It has a stunning exterior design that is very unique.

If you are blown away by the exterior, just go inside. It will out of this world. It feels like you have just entered a science movie and it is almost hard to believe it is real when you look up. You will lose your breath, trust me!

To conclude our afternoon ride, we biked along the coast and enjoyed the delightful sands and views of the English Channel from the French side. I had to remind myself that beaches have optional “top” requirements, so there may be some surprises in the photos you take of the beach if you look closely!

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Morning Walk in Honfleur

Posted on July 10, 2023 by David Cross

We are exploring the coastal area of Normandie this morning and were able to visit one of the most popular villages in Northern France.

Of course, on the drive to Honfleur we had to take a picture of the famous suspension bridge which is still quite amazing even though it is only the tenth longest suspension bridge in current times.

It is a very popular tourist village and great place to walk around and check out all the sites.

We found there is so much history and unique building sites throughout the city.

Every twist and turn has some memorable to capture and story behind it.

There are many historical landmarks and this was part of the remaining drawbridge that was the gate to the famous marina.

Anyone recognize this famous site and picture scene? I think there has been many paintings of this one shot alone!

There is also the famous Saint Catherine’s church which has multiple levels of constructions over the years like many of the other buildings and homes.

The most interesting carving or hidden statue is the miniature character that is found right about the door if you look very closely!

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Giverny France – Home of Claude Monet

Posted on July 9, 2023 by David Cross

This is probably one of the most popular places in Northern France to visit in the spring/summer – a small village of only 500 people known as Giverny.

But it is the home of a famous person/artist.

Can you guess who that might be?

He was an art lover and enthusiast.

This picture may give you a clue of one of his most memorable pieces of artwork…

But this shot of the pond of water lilies might help you a little more in recognizing one of Claude Monet’s most famous pieces of artwork from his garden.

I must admit despite the morning rain we encountered, the color of the flowers and gardens were simply amazing.

Yellow was Claude Monet’s favorite…and that was clear from the acres of sunflowers you saw in the beginning when entering his former property.

Just walking through the gardens makes you feel like you are viewing his artwork in a museum. The caretakers are phenomenal in how they can maintain the gardens despite 700,000 annual visitors.

It is slightly unrelated, but despite the Normandie province/region being known for all the foliage and colors, it is also surrounded and accented by massive white limestone cliffs which are known for so much of the historical architecture and building materials for hundreds of years in the area.

It is a highly recommended visit and on the way north after leaving, we were able to catch a nice shot of Château Gaillard which is famous castle of Richard the Lionheart.

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Paris Post-COVID

Posted on July 8, 2023 by David Cross

We decided the world was back open again this summer…so where should we go?

Paris! a lot has changed in 25 years hasn’t it (previous visit many years ago).

Yes, it is very hot and very crowded, but we could not resist spending a night on the Champs-Elysee since it is so lively and full of energy.

Early in the morning it is easy to take pictures and enjoy nice weather, and of course, you can actually jog along the long road and take in the best sites at 7 AM!

We used our saved up Bonvoy points and stayed at the Paris Marriott right on the strip. It was lovely.

and it was all great to get a free upgrade to the top floor with balcony since I was a Titanium status for life 🙂

And we have to already start talking about the food! Yes, the Champagne is always the best and the smallest snacks are so tasty!

and the meals are simply incredible! We will likely need to have a dedicated blog about the food!

Stay tuned to this channel for updates 🙂

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