Blogs from Mont Saint-Michel, Lower Normandy, France, Europe

Day 13 Out of our B&B and off to Mont Saint-Michel. Well organized tourist site - big car park with Free bus transport to the island. And better still - no queues. Just lots of steps up to the Abbey. Finally in and with our Audiologues we walk the abbey. Beautiful day (28 degrees) so the steps have got the sweat happening. In the Abbey it is much cooler. We sand outside and then the bells start to peel - Mass is about to start. 4 or 5 monks and 7 nuns start the mass with lots of singing - really impressive sounds - sorry Mike Mc, but they can really make the singing in this huge abbey sound fantastic.... The tour takes us through big halls, little rooms that are built to hold up walls ... read more

Day 12 Starts well with a hearty breakfast at our B & B but then it turns not so good. Finally get Stella (or is it Sylvia) -our GPS voice back. That is the good news, bad news is that I suff up the location and don't quite follow Stella's instructions and end up a long way in the wrong direction and have to do a U turn to get back on track. Finally back where we wanted to be and have a very nice time by the beach and the English Channel (very warm and sunny day). Lots of really old buildings to see, along with a few castles/forts built on rock outcrops guarding the entry to the port. Also see some guys getting trucks onto the beach to cross a low tide road to ... read more

Day 11 Early start for the train to Paris, along with all the workers who commute (just like the Geelong train I reckon). We got good seats and the train only stopped at 1 other station so we reckoned we were good - haha - not to be - the carriage was full after the 1st stop. Ticket inspectors got another one so we have been good by buying and stamping our tickets appropriately.... Into Paris and then onto Charles de Gaulle airpor to pick up our new car. Off without a hitch and we are now proud owners (albeit for a fixed time) of a brand new Renualt Megane 2 door Sports Coupe... Really slick looking unit and even got a hot bum from the heated seats while being given the run through.... Had to ... read more

Because of my cracked rib or ribs as the case may be, I did not sleep all that well, but it did allow me to get this great picture of Chateaux Chambord at 6 am. I am not sure the picture does it justice; it was a pretty amazing site with the low fog surrounding the Chateaux. We skipped breakfast and opted for food on the go, which was a great plan as there was a small patisserie in a village on our way back to the main road. We got croissants and café filled éclairs. It was the best éclair I have ever had. On the drive back to the main road we passed another chateau that is vacant, perhaps the Vaughn’s good buy it as a retreat. Might open up the European market for ... read more

This would have to be up there in the one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the world that had managed to escape my attention before arriving there category. Claimed to be the second most visited tourist attraction in France, there is ample reason to see why. Spectacularly set on a rocky tidal island it is a sight to behold. Unfortunately on the day that we went we weren't the only ones beholding the sight, with the experience unfortunately diminshed by the production line process within which we had to see it. Nonetheless you would have to be the ultimate grinch not to derive some pleasure from visiting Mont Saint-Michel and as I have not attained that ultimateness/ultimacy yet, I still enjoyed the experience, Despite being pushed and prodded and having my path dictated to ... read more

There are some things in life that lose their awe-inspiring power when experienced again. The D-Day Beaches of Normandy, France, do not fit into this category. After checking out of the apartment, we left Paris bound for the village of Bayeux. From Bayeux, it was only a short bus ride to Omaha Beach. Cool and grey, the mood was set for a moving walk through history. Our visit began with a tour through the Omaha Beach Visitor Center. Though the events and facts of the D-Day invasion were factually presented, the beauty of the Visitor Center is not its preservation of historical information. Rather, the center focused on the individual stories of sacrifice and heroism. Through videos, letters, and diary entries, we were moved by the incredibly personal perspective. What made the presentation even heavier was ... read more

MONT ST. MICHEL Day 9 Got the super early train to Pontorson so that I could visit Mont St. Michel. Before I forget to comment on an important matter; dogs are allowed to ride the train in Europe. All over the place I keep seeing dogs on the trains and not just little ones either. I like it! Dogs should be able to ride whatever train they want to. Back on track now, Mont St. Michel is an amazing abbey that is built on a hill in the middle of a bay. There is a road that has been constructed in order to reach the hill. The story goes that the Archangel Michael came to St. Aubert in a number of dreams and told him to build this abbey on this particular spot. So that ... read more