Saint-André de l’Eure, up the Seine
Wednesday 25 July, end of day
We took off from Le Havre at 3:30 pm for a flight that involved following the Seine upstream, skirting Rouen to the south and Evreux to the north: Tancarville Bridge, meanders winding from north to south heading west, forests and river ports. We reached the river, which is wilder than one might think, at the Andelys meander, dominated by the remains of the imposing Château-Gaillard, which was Richard the Lionheart's defensive gateway to protect Normandy. Then very quickly Vernon and Giverny with the sumptuous and cheerful gardens of Monet's house. The Seine deserves to be known beyond its Parisian bridges, and one quickly perceives the tourist wealth of the Le Havre-Rouen-Paris axis.
Flying conditions are almost scorching, and in the middle of the afternoon the thermals were numerous and dry; in this kind of sport it is always the weight-shift pilots who deserve the most credit. The flying atmosphere on the Tour is always good but we noted a few weak signals of fatigue or loss of concentration. Two machines thus ended their participation after breakages, undercarriage collapse. It is therefore necessary to stay focused.
The welcome at Saint-André was radiant and festive, with flags, crowds and smiles.
We leave tomorrow around 9 am.
Sébastien Perrot
The Saint Romain hangar and its gliders
A young person discovers the gyroplane
The Tancarville bridge
The Seine at Vieux-Port
The Venables marina opposite Muids
The Andelys meander
The Château du Thuit, where Georges Guynemer spent his childhood
Le Petit-Andely
The ruins of Château-Gaillard, which served as the bolt on the entrance to Normandy in the time of Richard the Lionheart
Monet's house at Giverny
Dam and lock at Port Ilon
