June 6, 2015.

First stop on our day trip from Rouen.

I love places that have been left in a ruined state, and Jumieges Abbey on our route from Rouen to Normandy’s coast was not only a large and beautiful, but also functioned as an open air gallery.

An etching of the abbey in 1678. The restored house containing the ticket office and gift shop.The towering ruins…
A staircase spirals upwards.The requisite gargoyle.
There were some gardens that appeared to be maintained by a family. Their little girl in a too big hat dances on the grass near where they were working.
A variety of changing art exhibits are included with the admission – I saved this brochure just because I really liked the cover design.When we were there there was a wood ‘forest’ as described (in French) by this sign.
We were blocked on our way to the coast by a bicycle race and so ended up stopping for our first French picnic!
More about our 2015 trip to France.