National Road Trip Day was last week and the 77th anniversary of D-Day is approaching June 6, so it’s a smart time to share a remarkable circle of family roads we made in June 2019 this summer, to explore and enjoy.
My son Cary is a history buff, so my husband Bill and I invited him and his wife Zhanna for a walk on some of the major European battlefields of the global wars, in Belgium and France, ending 10 days later in Paris. Come here.
We depart from Paris Charles DeGaulle Airport, in our great Volvo, along a now non-violent countryside dotted with ancient cities. The Picardy region extends north of the suburbs of Paris and from the Champagne vineyards to the beaches of the Bay of Somme on the English Channel.
We first sought to prevent the Wagon de Compiegne, the exercise carriage in which the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the Armistice of 22 June 1940 were signed. For many Germans – adding Adolf Hitler – the signing in the forest of Compiegne the ultimate betrayal and a national humiliation.
But we couldn’t locate the site. Things happen on car trips, as in life, especially with jet lag. We were so tired that day that we also diverted the GPS and returned to the airport, another 4 hours by car. That’s life! (And a reminder for after a flight abroad).
We visited quite the city of Laon, on a hill above the fields. Then we went to Lille, “The Capital of Flanders”, known for its Flemish culture and roots.
We spent 3 nights in Lille and planned to exercise the next day in Ghent, or maybe Brussels, so we chose a hotel near the exercise station, instead we slept and took some time to explore the domain further. shaken by the mistakes of the previous day.
Finally rested, we went to Ypres in western Belgium, a giant city of knitting fabrics in the Middle Ages. Along with Bruges and Ghent, he almost controlled Flanders in the 13th century. Ypres (Dutch: Ieper, or pronounced “eeper”) has glorious architecture and a turbulent past.
Three major Battles of World War I took place nearby; the most famous, the Battle of Passchendaele from July to November 1917. The Great War Museum in a former medieval fabric factory near the cathedral offers a perspective.
We bought a map at the museum and followed the tour to see where the battles were taking place; we wandered through the poppy fields that were once scenarios of bloody war, and idea and talked about life near cemeteries and solemn monuments, and along violent meadows.
At Ypres, we make sure to attend the Last Message ceremony, which takes place every night at 7 p. m. at Menin’s Gate, named after more than 54,000 British and Commonwealth infantrymen killed on the Ypres ledge of World War I, whose graves are unknown.
The next day we drove from Lille to Bruges, near the capital of West Flanders in northwestern Belgium, the popular city with a fairytale center full of canals, cobblestone streets and medieval buildings. In Burg Square, the 14th-century Stadhuis (town hall) has a carved ornate roof. Markt Square features a 13th-century bell tower with a 47-bell ring and a tower with panoramic views.
We stayed for dinner so the crowd would dissipate and walk later. I proposed to stay in Bruges, to spend early in the morning and at night, the most productive moments for the crowds.
The next day we went to Amiens, France, and stayed two nights. In this university the city has an exceptional Gothic cathedral, floating gardens on its canals and the House of Jules Verne, the home of the 19th-century novelist, now a museum.
The next day, video of the battles of World War I, adding the Battle of the Somme in 1916, one of the greatest vitals of World War I and one of the bloodiest in human history.
British forces suffered more than 57,000 casualties, adding more than 19,000 infantrymen killed on the first day of the battle. In the small town of Péronne, a Museum of the Great War is located in a castle, illustrating the nearby battles.
The next day, we stopped in Rouen, the port city of the Seine and capital of the northern region of Normandy, vital in Roman and medieval times, with a pedestrian center paved with medieval half-timbered houses. it is governed by the needles of Notre Dame Cathedral, painted largely through the Impressionist Claude Monet.
Joan D’Arc, a national heroine, was burned at the stake here, and from The Crown, France’s oldest inn where we had lunch, we may see this famous place across the street. Child, the wonderful food and cookbook girl had her first meal in France, and the rest is another story of a prominent woman.
On the way to our next hostel, we stop at Honfleur, the most beautiful port in Normandy, on the estuary where the Seine meets the English Channel. The Old Basin (Old Port) is covered with townhouses from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries and painted through artists. like Monet and his son, Eugene Boudin. Nearthrough is the 15th-century church of St. Catherine, a vaulted wooden design erected by shipbuilders.
We made a carousel, walked a little to the scene, then headed to Bayeaux, 10 kilometers off the coast of the English Channel. The medieval city centre is home to Notre Dame’s imposing Norman Gothic Cathedral.
The famous Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of England in 1066, is housed in an 18th-century seminary and has risen to its reputation.
We spent a full day experiencing the ultimate recent invasion: Omaha Beach’s cell sites, the American cemetery, the War Museum, the D-Day batteries and the harsh battles of World War II.
After this moving stopover the next morning, we should not drive to Mont St Michel, a long journey, before returning to Paris. A sensible resolution (unlike our first day, this time we strayed as a precaution), as it was a Friday. and a vacation. Around the Champs-Elysies, the traffic was really fierce.
When we arrived at our favorite little hotel on the left bank, we left the car and spent a fantastic few days in Paris (this takes item. It’s Paris!).
And that gives you a concept of our successful circle of family members. Array The independence of a car, as well as consideration and enthusiasm, made it work. Consider an Array car anywhere you are and whatever you’re looking for, and also enjoy it as destinations: bugs, detours and everything.
Travel podcast presenter, Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Follow you listen, or on my website, placesirememberlealane. com.
Travel podcast presenter, Places I Remember with Lea Lane. Follow you listen, or on my website, placesirememberlealane. com. Author of award-winning travel memoirs, Places I Remember: Tales, Truths, Delights from cien Countries. On Twitter, @lealane; on Instagram, Travelea. In addition to Forbes, I wrote on a blog about Huffpost, Salon and The Daily Beast; I have written for the New York Times, the Miami Herald and Gannett Newspapers; he was editor-in-chief of Travel Smart (a trace of what I’m smart about!) gave the impression weekly on The Travel Channel; and was a regular speaker at the New York Times Travel Show. I love sharing discoveries about travel, gastronomy, art, culture and the art of living through words and photos.