Happy Memories: Loire Valley and Normandy

Stone fortress and historic buildings with orange sunset light, perched on a seawall above crashing waves, with a cloudy sky and distant coastline.

Stone bridge with arches lit by streetlights, spanning a wide river at dusk, with reflections on the water and a dramatic cloudy sky.

Arched bridge illuminated by yellow streetlights at night, with reflections shimmering on a river and classic multi-story buildings along the embankment.

Harbor with white boats docked in calm water, lined by tall, narrow historic buildings and a cloudy sky overhead.

View across a marina with sailboats and masts, facing a row of old buildings and a church spire under a gray, overcast sky.

Close-up of sailboats with tall masts in a marina, with historic waterfront buildings and a cloudy sky in the background.

To brighten up the early spring of 2020 I was looking through my photographs from Loire Valley and Normandy – couldn’t resist the urge to share my admiration for this country.

Normandy brings you closer to understanding of the light and atmospheric feel of Impressionist’s paintings. The natural bodies of water reflect a lot light back to the coastal regions. The famous Monet painting that gave the movement its name “Impression, Sunrise”, was created in Le Havre. The Musée Malraux in Le Havre has the second largest collection of Impressionist paintings, after the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

I love the coastal Normandy cities: Saint-Malo and Le Havre, maritime city of Harfleur. Giverny is a beautiful stop before landing in Paris on a way home.

Loire Valley is another place that makes the heart of any gardener or devoted Francophile skip a bit or two – Grand Chateaus, magnificent French gardens and small villages along the river – here just a few looks. What an amazing study of forms, repetition, symmetry, colors and romance!

Formal garden with symmetrical green lawns, decorative gravel paths, and intricate topiary designs, viewed from above with trees and a dirt path in the background.

Geometric garden with square plots bordered by low hedges and topiary arches, set in front of a large stone building with a steep roof, overlooking a town under a cloudy sky.

Elaborate parterre garden with intricate, swirling patterns of hedges and colorful flowerbeds, enclosed by stone walls and surrounded by dense greenery.

Cluster of green hydrangea bushes in front of a wrought iron gate with brick pillars, with a white building and trees in the background.

Pink hydrangea flowers and leafy shrubs growing beside a stone wall and rustic building, with trees and sky in the background.

Dense garden with pink and white flowering bushes, surrounded by various green plants and trees, next to a wooden deck.

Stone chateau with pointed towers and slate roof, reflected in a calm moat, surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.

View from above of a small waterfall over a stone ledge, with foaming water below and green aquatic plants visible in the stream.

Large ornate building with turrets and dormer windows, set behind formal gardens with trimmed bushes and colorful flowers, under a partly cloudy sky.

Long stone building with arches spanning a river, surrounded by trees and reflected in the water, viewed from a shaded riverbank.

Rectangular pond with swans swimming, bordered by stone edges and surrounded by green lawns, trees, and people walking in a park setting.

Historic stone building with arched bridge supports crossing over a river, seen from across the water with trees framing the scene.

Formal garden with manicured lawns, colorful flower beds, trimmed bushes, and a large stone building with many windows in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Close view of a lush garden border with vibrant pink, purple, and blue flowers beside a neatly mown lawn and a gravel path.

Stone house with steep red-tiled roof, red doors, and ivy climbing the walls, surrounded by trees and a wide gravel path.

Brown and black rooster with a red comb standing on dirt and grass near leafy plants.

Stone cottage with white shutters, climbing plants, and a small garden, set along a quiet paved lane with cloudy sky overhead.

White and black rooster with a red comb pecking at the edge of a paved road.