day 2

monday 10 may 2010 les andelys

Les Andelys was of considerable strategic importance during the Middle Ages, prompting King Richard the Lionheart to build a fortified castle to protect the Duchy of Normandy from the French King Philip II in the 12th century. Walk to the English king's stronghold and admire the remains of the impressive Château Gaillard.

hit the ground running once we docked in les andelys. made the most of the brisk morning and went for a solo  stroll after breakfast while the parentals braved the cold and made away with the barge's bicycles. we gathered for a tour of the chateau and were greeting by an adorable sight in the grounds. a group of school children were re-enacting the battle for history class and the redshirt (no connection to the bangkok protests) were slugging it out with the blueshirts. talk about history coming alive! enjoyed exploring the main street and quaint shops in the afternoon. the adults also went on a quest for local wines, and returned with baskets of the good stuff. don't think our refined, culture-rich cruise down the seine was supposed to be boozy (akin to the infamous scandinavian booze cruises!) but we did have an almost endless supply of very drinkable wine after that ;) yay for resourceful adults!