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Category: 2019 (page 1 of 1)

Road trip Normandie: Rouen, Gerberoy, Abbaye Jumièges

More than one year after our first trip to Normandy and Bretagne in the springtime of 2017, we decided to go back to this region for a long summer weekend road trip to its capital Rouen and some beautiful villages in the countryside.

Rouen – old town

Rouen is a historical city with medieval roots and many architectural highlights among which its gothic and enormous cathedral.

Rouen - cathédrale

Rouen – cathedral

Many other churches and ancient houses have stood the test of time very well and give space to beautiful squares and streets. Make sure you pass by Le Gros Horloge, a one-of-a-kind monument.

Rouen - Le Gros Horloge

Rouen – Le Gros Horloge

The historical zone stretches far and we recommend to go completely north until the old train station Rouen-Rive-Droite in a beautiful art nouveau style.

Rouen - gare

Rouen – train station

Don’t forget to also go and have a look at the old bridge on the river Seine, which has very nice viewpoints towards all sides of Rouen.

monument on Seine bridge

Rouen – monument on Seine bridge

Close to Rouen you will find also very old villages, like Lyons-la-Forêt and Gerberoy. These are tyical, Normandic historical small towns, full of nostalgia and charm.

Gerberoy

Gerberoy

On our way back to Belgium we made a last long stop to see the ruins of the Abbey of Jumièges. It was one of the oldest and most importants Benedictine monasteries and had a rich history before being destroyed in the nineteenth century, after the French Revolution. A sweep of medieval romance can still be felt walking through and around it.

Jumièges - ruins of the abbey

Jumièges – ruins of the abbey

Road trip Champagne: Sacy, Reims, Verzenay

Mid September 2019 and some sunny days ahead for our escapade en Champagne. We found a room in one of the most lovely boutique hotels of this very special wine region. Château de Sacy is a 5 star hotel surrounded by beautiful vineyards and the perfect starting point for explorations towards Reims and Verzenay.

Château de Sacy

Château de Sacy – © Sam Geuens

Sacy itself is a small historical village with less than 500 inhabitants just outside of Reims and is completely surrounded by fields of ‘green gold’. Multiple smaller champagne houses can be visited in walking distance from each other in the peaceful wine village of Sacy.

Sacy

Sacy – © Sam Geuens

On the next day Reims, the capital of the Champagne region was on our list. This charming city breathes history and has architecture from many different periods and styles like Art Nouveau and Art Déco. A few years after our first short visit to Reims we now planned to see more and eat and drink the local delicacies.

Reims - Le Cellier

Reims – Le Cellier – © Sam Geuens

Just outside Reims many prestigious champagne houses can be visited, like Pommery, Taittinger and Vranken. We took a guided tour in the caves of Taittinger and learnt a lot about the complicated production process of bubbles.

Villa Demoiselle

Villa Demoiselle – © Sam Geuens

Villa Demoiselle is the former house of the owner of Vranken champagne and is now turned into a unique museum. We loved spending our afternoon there and bought even some bottles to take home. And then it was time to explore the further region by driving our car through the champagne fields.

Vineyards near Verzenay

Vineyards near Verzenay – © Sam Geuens

Moulin de Verzenay

Moulin de Verzenay – © Sam Geuens

Tamino

Tamino Mainsquare Arras 2019 portrait

Tamino Mainsquare Arras 2019 portrait

Tamino Mainsquare Arras 2019

Tamino Mainsquare Arras 2019