9/10–Jumieges Abbey

The route of the Ancient Abbeys is a winding, scenic tour roughly following the Seine river back toward Le Havre.  There are a bunch of different abbeys along the route, but we’ve chosen to visit only one:  The ruins of the Jumieges Abbey.  It was founded in 654, then “disrupted” (as it says in the brochure) by the Viking invasions between 841 and 950.  It was subsequently rebuilt and then, after the Revolution sold and converted into a stone quarry and finally saved by the State in 1946.

We take a winding route alongside the river, passing cute little towns on tiny, narrow roads that wind through countryside and forests alike.  The GPS’s are arguing over the best route, and neither tell us to turn at the road where the Jumieges Abbey sign indicates.  Sigh.  Somehow we manage to find the abbey and the parking lot across from the entrance just fine.

This  place is immense and amazing.  In addition to the abbey itself, there are acres of gardens, with lawn chairs sprinkled about, we guess for rest and reflection. We stroll through the abbey’s main church just reveling in the atmosphere and the structure. It is a beautiful day and we take full advantage of the sunshine and blue skies as we wander through the nave, the transept and around the choir areas.

We could stay here all day!  It’s that great a place – but it is getting late in the afternoon and we need to start heading back to Honfleur and the Quest.

We head out of Abbey parking lot and decide not to take the little ferry across the Seine, but to instead make a circular route home via Le Havre and the cool Normandy bridge. This presents several dilemmas since the GPS units are warring again. We end up following a hybrid route, and getting turned around when we try to change our direction and head back on the Honfleur side of the river by taking a bridge across the Seine.  That tactic didn’t work and we end up once again sight seeing through little twisty windy French roads that lead us up through farmland and hills, finally dumping us out onto the A29 heading to Le Havre.  Phew.  Thank heavens I managed to get a map from the TI in Rouen. We’d have been doomed!

But, all is well and we make it back to the car rental office a little before 6:00.  We grab the 6:00 shuttle and are safely aboard and ready for dinner with plenty of time to spare before sailing at 10pm.