dwebster

Day 17: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 BAYEUX, FRANCE Bayeux is one of the closest towns to the Normandy D-Day beach landings and was the first town liberated. While most Normandy towns suffered great damage during WWII, Bayeux is one of the few to sustain none. This is due in part to how quickly it was liberated, but also I read somewhere that the mayor got word to the allies that the town was of no strategic importance and germans weren't there. As a result, a bombing mission planned for the town was cancelled. Alarm 7:00am, but I rolled over. Breakfast wouldn't be served until 7:45-8:00 am anyway. I got up around 7:20 am. I'd already packed most of my things last night, so not much to do there. Took breakfast in Cafe at about 8:10 am. ... read more

Day 15: Monday, July 6, 2009 MONT-ST. MICHEL, FRANCE Alarm went off at 6:00 am, but no point in getting up that early. Not only was I tired, but it was very overcast outside. Went back to bed. Decided to get moving around 7 am or so. Today the plan is to tour Mont. Saint Michel. This UNESCO listed site was a former abbey built on a rocky island mount. Around the base of the mound were built protective walls within which a town and the abbey were built. Everything spirals up to the abbey, which sits at the apex. Previously it was connected to land via a thin natural bridge that would be covered during high tide. However, now days there is a raised causeway on which cars (and many tourist buses) can pass safely. ... read more

Day 13: Saturday, July 4, 2009 PARIS, FRANCE 4th of July, Independance Day in the United States. Yet, I'm in France. Doesn't mean a thing here. Having completed my research yesterday, I am ready to travel south to Normandy. Aside from it's other attractions, many would know that the Normandy area is where the D-Day landings took place during WWII. After checking out of my hotel, it took about half an hour to travel via metro to St. Lazare train station. Note: Paris is a large city with several train stations. So when you are taking a train from Paris, you must know from which station it is travelling. For today's trip, my train left from St. Lazare station. At St. Lazare train station, I had my 2-month Eurorail Global Pass validated. This is necessary with ... read more

Day 11: Thursday, July 2, 2009 PARIS, FRANCE Decided today I would visit The Château de Versailles (or Palace of Versailles). According to the Versailles website, it "is one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful." (1) Versailles is located just south of Paris, and is easily accessable via the RER train system, making it a popular destination for many visiting Paris. 7:55 am - Left hotel headed to St. Michel metro station to catch RER train to Versailles. From the book "Rick ... read more

Day 9: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 LONDON, ENGLAND Woke around 8:00 am. Was still tired as I'd stayed up late last night cruising the Internet using the Wi-Fi in the hotel lobby. Unfortunately, that was a waste of time as I didn't find what I was looking for. Today taking the EuroStar to Paris. A friend decided to come along, so we agreed to meet at St. Pancras station at 11:45 am. That should give us plenty of time to catch our 12:29 am train. Got up, dressed at 8:30 am. Went downstairs to eat breakfast (scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee). Coffee was terrible as usual. Afterwards, headed over to Queensway Street to see if I could get Underground ticket for less at discount ticket shop. No. Nothing less than the 4.00 pounds (5.64 USD) for ... read more