Trip to France, Brittany and Normandy - A wonderful trip, wonderful places, it would be nice to go back again, we went by car, we had all the stops already with hotels booked, they don't speak Italian but as in all places there is the nice and the not so nice.

Cliffs that have inspired so many artists! - I loved my Normandy Melody small group tour to Étretat & Le Havre. The drive from Paris to the Normandy coast effectively follows the Seine to its estuary leading to the sea. The bridge we used to cross over it was spectacular. It was then a thrill to see the white chalk cliffs at Étretat which inspired many of the works of Courbet, Boudin, Monet and others. Seeing the shifting light over the famous arches and L'Aiguille (The Needle) I could understand Monet’s obsession in painting this area. This was followed by a visit to Le Havre (Monet’s home town and where he painted the famous ‘Impression, Sunrise’) and the impressive Musée d'Art Moderne André Malraux in Le Havre which has works by Boudin, Renoir, Pissaro, Sisley, Degas, Courbet, Corot and others. I was lucky to see a special temporary exhibition there of the work of Raoul Dufy who was born in Le Havre in 1877. Our Normandy Melody driver/guide was Joanna, who was intelligent, knowledgable, funny and friendly. And also an excellent driver including asserting herself through peak Paris traffic on our return. The pickup and drop off at my Paris accomodation was very much appreciated, especially at 7.15am. I highly recommend Normandy Melody and this tour in particular.