The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Seine à Vélo and Hidden Normandy 2024

September 16th to October 3rd

Ride Director: Sue Bunten
Ride Co-Director: Graeme Thomson
Report by: Arleen Sakamoto

Ah Paris!  The city that dares to be all things to all people with more than it’s fair share of discoveries, beauty, art and of course, fabulous food.  

Thousands of trees line the streets, numerous public parks, gardens and squares dot the city.  Most of the parks and gardens are on land that formerly was reserved for the kings on the old city’s outskirts.  The Seine River flows for about 8 miles through the center of the city, from which you can see iconic points of interest such as the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame, the Louvre and d’Orsay Museums as you bike along the banks.  There is an opportunity for a scenic ride to Versailles, Louis XIV’s hunting grounds, and view France’s most embellished chateau.  The bike offers a perspective of awe.

We followed the Seine River running northwesterly to the English Channel at Honfleur, where we spent 2 days discovering the picturesque fishing village. It is a major commercial waterway and a source of water for the Paris region.

The Seine Valley is a region of diverse landscapes, rich history and heritage.  It is where the light and landscapes inspired generations of avant-garde artists; painters from Claude Monet, Courbet, Turner and Sisley and also writers, including Victor Hugo, Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant.  We literally rode in the footsteps of Impressionists.

Leaving Paris by way of Poissy, we entered a verdant Norman countryside, in route to Giverny, Claude Monet’s house and celebrated water-lily ponds, a place you step into his private world.  The storied Seine (France’s story) is unusual in it’s many smooth curving loops as it wanders toward the channel, many dominated by fortresses or chateaus.  Early on one day we passed by Chateau-Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart in 1198.  After his death the Château was soon captured, marking the connection of Normandy to the Kingdom of France.  Intricately carved limestone cliffs reflect elegantly in the river, creating a scene that is tranquil and inspiring, where upon we reach the capital of Normandy, Rouen, “The Gothic City”.

Rouen is famous for its medieval ambiance, timber-framed houses, and Joan of Arc.  We stayed in a hotel next door to the sole surviving relic, a13th century tower of the medieval castle of Rouen.  This is where Joan of Arc was imprisoned and interrogated before being burned at the stake in 1431.  We were fortunate to be in Rouen for the last days celebration 

of the 150th Anniversary of Impressionism, creation of a new pictorial movement.  The Impressionists paved the way for modern art. 

As a group we paired memorable regional meals delighting in sides of conversation and laughter while enjoying the culturally rich adventure. Normandy’s agricultural settings produce some of the most cherished food and drink of France; ciders, Calvado; world’s finest apple brandy, Camembert cheese, complemented by fresh seafood caught in local waters.

From the old port of Honfleur, La Seine a Velo enters beautiful green meadows, greenways and peaceful country roads through a couple of villages labeled “Most Beautiful Village of France,” Beaumont-en-Auge and Beuvron-en-Auge, before arriving into the city of Caen.  Amongst the many areas to visit, Memorial de Caen, a museum and war memorial commemorating WW11 and Battle for Caen is not to be missed.  It serves as a reference for our ride ahead.  

A couple days later we reach the English Channel, where on the fateful day, D-Day, June 6, 1944, many thousands of British, Commonwealth and American troops appeared from the sea and waded ashore onto German occupied France.  The community beaches, each giving reverence to the cause with plaques, statues, memorabilia, memorials and museums, made for a quiet, solemn ride into Bayeux.

Cycling is a brilliant way to travel through the Seine Valley in Normandy, engaging deeply with the landscapes that so inspired the Impressionists and capturing unrivaled views of the meandering Seine River.  Our leaders, Sue Bunten and Graeme Thomson are to be commended for their vision, planning and execution.  It was a priceless journey!