Le Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most stunning sites in France. We live just an hour away, and have driven past it on several occasions, and it never fails to take my breath away. Le Mont-Saint-Michel dates back to 708 when the Archangel Michel appeared in the dreams of Saint-Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches, and... Continue Reading →
The Charming Village of Ceaucé, France
Those of you who are regular followers of my blog know that theTravelsketcher and I live in rural France. We live in a little expat community several miles off a quiet country road, in the middle of nowhere. We even pass through a dairy farm as we turn off the road to get to our... Continue Reading →
Eight Cultural Differences Between France and the US
When we arrived in France six months ago, we knew there would be a learning curve involved as far as the cultural differences between our two friendly countries. Prior to moving here, we had traveled to France on many occasions, so we were aware of some of these. However, there are a few that we... Continue Reading →
Laval, Normandie, France
Earlier this week, theTravelsketcher and I had to take a trip to Laval to get our COVID boosters, so we decided to make a day of it and see some of the sites in this historic city. Laval, about one hour from our home, is the capitol the Department of Mayenne, and is located about... Continue Reading →
Stairways
The theme for today’s blog post is stairways, naturally occurring and human made. I’m sharing a collection of interesting ones I have found in my travels. Like pathways and passageways, stairways are also inviting; it’s our curiosity that draws us to them to find out where they lead. 1. On the shore of Loch Ness,... Continue Reading →
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Musée d’Orsay, located on the left bank of the Seine in Paris, houses the largest collection of impressionist art in the world, including works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir and many other famous artists. In addition to the amazing paintings, you’ll find sculptures, photography, and other works of art dating from the mid 1900s to... Continue Reading →
Les Jardin des Plantes, Paris
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 →