At this time last week, we had just arrived in Paris and were looking forward to spending a few days exploring this iconic city. Our first stop was Les Jardin des Plantes, and due to a heatwave, we got an early start. This 68 acre park reminds me of one of my favorite places, Balboa... Continue Reading →
Settling for Paris
We had planned on going to the US tomorrow. We had plane tickets, and a rental car reserved; hotels reservations, plans to stay with family and friends, and other reservations in place. However, with rising COVID cases, and travel challenges at CDG and Heathrow, we came to the difficult decision that it was prudent to... Continue Reading →
D-Day Beaches, France
Last week I wrote about the first part of our trip to Bayeux; you can read about that here. After visiting sites in Bayeux, we headed to the D-Day Beaches and other WWII sites. We started our tour at Arromanches-les-Bains where artificial ports were installed to allow for quick unloading of supplies, equipment, and troops... Continue Reading →
Bayeux and Beyond
Last week I wrote about some sites we have visited recently not far from our home in Normandie. This week I’ll write a little more about two of these locations, Beuvron-en-Auge, and Bayeux. After visiting Château de Canon, we headed to Beuvron-en-Auge, one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, for lunch. It was a... Continue Reading →
Trois Châteaux
We have visited some beautiful châteaux since arriving in France four months ago, including Château de Valmer, Chenonceau, Château de Domfront, just to name a few. As I have mentioned before, some of these were built as fortresses, others as hunting lodges, and others as holiday homes, and we have seen a variety of each... Continue Reading →
Even More Out and About in Normandie!
We have been very busy the past few weeks, and have seen tons of beautiful, interesting, and emotionally moving sites not far from our home. I’ll cover the highlights today, and follow up later with more details of each location. A few weeks ago, we met up with our son-in-law’s mother and sister in St.... Continue Reading →
Château de Fougères
The current standing Château de Fougères, located in the town of Fougères next to the Nançon River, was built during the late 1100s as a stronghold at the intersection of well traveled trade routes. (The original castle, built of wood rather then stone, was burned by Henry II, King of England, and later rebuilt). Located... Continue Reading →
Passageways
There is something inviting about passageways; they seem to beckon and call us to explore where they lead, what surprises they hold, or adventures await once we have passed through. Mayenne, Normandie, France Passageways can be human made, or found in nature. They have many different names; alley, tunnel, gate, aisle, walkway, corridor, path, portal,... Continue Reading →
Out and About in Normandie, Part Three
We are enjoying our time in Normandie, and continue to find interesting destinations not far from our home here. A few weeks ago I wrote about the ancient stones in Carnac; it turns out there are a few similar sites less than an hour from our home. This one is called Dolmen de la Table... Continue Reading →