WHAT A DAY!

(started yesterday, Friday 10/4) I INTERRUPT THE CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE TO REPORT ON TODAY, ONE HEROIC day when I am so tired at the end that I forget to change the all caps from the heading to lowercase until I have written part of the first sentence.
Started in the lux Chateaux Richeux near Cancale where only the departure breakfast was not up to the highest standards. Long and relatively complex drive to Roche d'Oetre, a scenic spot in the southern part of Normandy. Full of gorges. We took a strenuous two hour hike down and up one of them. Then a long drive to Rouen with a  horrendous two hours to find our way to our hotel in the old section after the GPS failed to work and the maps were inadequate.

We stopped in front of the Gustave Flaubert Museum and called the hotel but the clerk didn't even know where the museum was. He suggested we walk to the hotel and get driving instructions. Which we did - a 20 minute walk. Then, with the driving instructions we got lost and began to lose hope. Finally a resident led us to the right spot with his car - and believe me we would never have found our way in without that. Getting into the underground garage was Emma's ultimate driving heroism of the day. With the outside mirrors folded there was just 2 inches clearance on either side of our big Volvo.

Incidentally, Emma does all the driving and I do all the navigating. Her driving is superb. She is also great at driving with a half bottle of wine inside her.

As it turns out the hotel is perfectly located for walking around - just behind the famous Cathedral  ...... (ran out of gas at this point and am continuing on the following day)

Some more wandering around in the evening after checking in, looking for a restaurant. First a bistro from Michelin was full. Then a one star I had failed to reach by telephone while on the road had a table but, after waiting ten minutes for the menus we realized there was torture ahead of us, so we walked out. We were very proud of ourselves for not submitting to more stress. Then, we found a simple creperie with some excellent Norman food and wine and had an enjoyable meal there to finish off a totally exhausting day at about 10:30 PM.

If you look carefully from our window at the Chateux Richeux you can see the faint rise of Mont St.Michell across the water.

Chateau Richeux, part of the domain of Olivier Roellinger, who gave up three stars and now runs Le Coquillage restaurant in the chateau and a mini-empire of spice shop and hotel. We had a good meal.

Part of the gorges at Roche d'Oetre. There's a river running down below after a downward hike going down 300 meters in elevation.

Quite steep down a rough stone path. We wouldn't want to do it in wet conditions.

More of the path

Mushrooms to snack along the way

Down by the river a nature-lover had made himself at home in a hammock with a sun/rain cover.

After that, the highway to Rouen

In the back, the Mercure hotel which took blood, sweat and tears to reach.

The one-star restaurant from which we walked out after waiting too long for a menu.

The lovely creperie in which we found our dinner. I had a great chicken gizzard salad with potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and bacon. A good bottle of Muscatel helped.

The map which the idiot hotel clerk marked to get us to the hotel from The Flaubert Medical Museum (where we had parked in frustration a half-mile away. After telling us on the phone he didn't know where it was -  this in a town where Flaubert was born and working at a hotel decorated with Flaubert - as you will see.

Hotel Mercure lobby with bust of Flaubert in back.

Our room with Flaubert and faux library over the bed.

Tourist pondering the highs and lows of travel