TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Rouen, pronounced through the nose as “Ro-wah” is the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) region in France known for its beautiful and large number of surviving half-timber houses. Striking, pastel-coloured and playful half-timber houses in Rouen... so lovely to look at! These buildings were destroyed during the Second World War and were painstakingly restored to its former glory in the 1950's. The city is also known for a couple of significant personalities and historical events. Firstly, for its Cathedral being a favourite subject of Claude Monet’s series of paintings. Secondly, Rouen was the capital of the once powerful Anglo-Norman empire. And thirdly, for Jeanne D’Arc (Joan of Arc), the national heroine and patron saint of France. Jean D’Arc was burned at stake in the old town square of Rouen. More fotos of the old historical town of Rouen. Unfortunately, Rouen is a large city and I am not really fond of large cities but the old town is pretty and compact, so trul...

In April I was in Morocco with Blondine and we visited Ouarzazate which is located in the eastern part of the country near the Saharan Desert. We hired a tour guide for our visit to Kasbah Tourirt and the medina. It was well worth it. At the end of the tour, our tour guide brought us to a tapestry shop outside the medina. We witnessed how carpets were weaved the traditional way. Just by using their hands and a wooden frame weaver. We saw 2 women busy on their weaving by hand tasks while 1 was taking a nap. They have shifts here as well =) The women were on the top floor (open terrace) of the shop. At the open terrace where the women are weaving one can sight beautiful views of the medina. We were then led down to the main hall with walls adorned in stunning bright rugs designed with beautiful weave work patterns. At this point, we already knew what’s going to happen – they will sell carpets to our group. It can be pretty annoying but in Morocco, everywhere you go som...

I was on my way to Rouen from Le Mont St, Michel and Camembert , and this little town called Bernay that I read before the trip was along the way, so I thought, why not combine the journey with a quick stopover? Stretching my legs by doing a short walk around town is a good idea. Bernay is about 65 kilometers to the south of Rouen and is part of the Haute Normandie region (Upper Normandy). Half-timber framed houses in Bernay, and most of these houses are in the same colours, beige with brown timber stripes. Bernay was not what I expected. It is literally a ghost town on a Sunday (early) evening. On the other hand, I’ve read that on Saturdays the town holds a bustling and colourful market. Unfortunately I was somewhere else on a Saturday... can’t have everything right, must choose. Anyway, I was here around 7:30PM Sunday for a quick driving break and apart from the steady flow of French and English plate numbered cars that seem to have lost their way, there was almost no one in ...

Weeks before I travel, I have already outlined my major itineraries such as places I should not miss, routes I need to take, local culinaire I must get my hands and tastebuds on, markets to explore, events, etcetera... but I also like to have a bit of flexibility just in case what I have planned didn’t work out well. From Le Mont Saint Michel, the next major stop on my road tip is Rouen, but before reaching Rouen, I will be passing by the villages of Camembert and Bernay. I thought its best to avoid the French highways this time and take a nice tour of the renowned French countryside. The national cheese of France was born in this idyllic little village called Camembert, about 2500 acres on top of the hills in the countryside of Lower Normandy known as Pays d'Auge. There are about 200+ villagers living here.  Speaking of Camembert, many people cannot identify the difference between Camembert and Brie, even chefs, but Camembert is known for its stronger scent and flavour...

The views from the top of Le Mont St. Michel... as it is low tide, you can see in the horizon the muddy sands surrounding the islet. The distance of Le Mont Saint Michel from the mainland is about 3 kilometers and the parking areas (see above foto) on the left with the cars and on the right with the tour buses are submerged during high tide. Only a narrow strip (see the highway in the middle) can be seen connecting the island to the mainland. If you forget to remove your car from the lower parking after 6:30PM, I’m afraid you might find it floating across the English Channel to the direction of London. It is also not advisable to wander around in the muddy sands but Dutchman said he did this before as a kid. It also might be interesting to know that there is an English version of Le Mont St. Michel--the St. Michael’s Mount in the UK off Cornwall’s coast, just right across the English Channel from France. Travel Period: May 2009