BIARRITZ, FRANCE
NORMANDY CEMETERY OF AMERICAN SOILDERS
MONT SAINT MICHEL
NORMANDY CEMETERY OF AMERICAN SOILDERS
MONT SAINT MICHEL
AUGUST 21, 2007
Flew to Paris to return my niece to Bordeaux. Met with family and was treated to a great French meal. Rented a car the next day to drive around France for 2 weeks.
First stop, Biarritz. Spent 2 days there exploring the coast and the lighthouse, Phare de Biarritz. (photos above.) Biarritz is in the Southwest just above Spain, with a rocky coast and the most beautiful blue-green water. I drove along the coast until I was in Spain, but didn't stay in Spain long.
Next I drove towards Lascaux to the caves. I spent the night in Perrigeau which was a very ancient looking town with castles. The next day I went to Lascaux which they call Lascaux II (deaux) because it is a copy of the real cave since you can't go in the real one. They spent years making a reproduction of the main part of the original cave. It was so realistic, I forgot I was in a reproduction. I got there in time for the English tour.
On the way to see relatives in Ile d'Oleron, I stopped in Cognac and bought some cognac. Before going to see the relatives, I visited another lighthouse on the coast, Phare de Chassiron.
My distant relative is in her 90's and was telling of her memories of the war, WWII.
La Rochelle was next, an adorable coastal town with a castle near the harbor. They were having a celebration and I walked around that night listening to the French music and watching the French artists.
The drive to Mt. St. Michal took almost all day, so I stayed in a nearby town called Ducey. That was the most adorable place with stone bridges, a castle that looked haunted and flowers everywhere. All of France was clean, neat and decorated with flowers.
Mt. St. Michal was amazing! Driving on a small road all of a sudden there is this HUGE towering triangular structure in the distance, as if growing out of the ground. It was built in the sea with a causeway as the only way to get to it by land. The tide goes in and out everyday almost covering the causeway. Inside walking up and around through the town, in the center there is a cathedral that rises up to the top pointing towards the sky. It is said that people make pilgrimages to there. I felt as if I were back in time, if not for the people and the gift shops on the bottom "floor". (photos above)
The most solemn place was the American cemeteries in Normandy. It is a short drive from Mt. St. Michal, (both on the Northwestern coast of France.) There was an atmosphere of reverence. It is kept so well that if a leaf falls near a grave stone, it is picked up by the time you look again. I walked among the graves and down to the shore at Omaha Beach. I thought how young these boys were to die here on this shore far away from home. All of the grave stones face America. (photos)
I spent the last 3 days in Versailles. I visited the castle, took the train to Paris to see the Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, and Rodin's museum.
Paris may be interesting, but I was most impressed with Mt. St. Michal and the Normandy cemeteries. I would go there again. And the French people were friendly and helpful, probably thought my limited knowledge of the language was funny, but I tried. I got lost a lot driving even with a map and need to memorize the phrase, "Help, I'm lost!" I have plenty more photos to load, so watch for them soon.
Flew to Paris to return my niece to Bordeaux. Met with family and was treated to a great French meal. Rented a car the next day to drive around France for 2 weeks.
First stop, Biarritz. Spent 2 days there exploring the coast and the lighthouse, Phare de Biarritz. (photos above.) Biarritz is in the Southwest just above Spain, with a rocky coast and the most beautiful blue-green water. I drove along the coast until I was in Spain, but didn't stay in Spain long.
Next I drove towards Lascaux to the caves. I spent the night in Perrigeau which was a very ancient looking town with castles. The next day I went to Lascaux which they call Lascaux II (deaux) because it is a copy of the real cave since you can't go in the real one. They spent years making a reproduction of the main part of the original cave. It was so realistic, I forgot I was in a reproduction. I got there in time for the English tour.
On the way to see relatives in Ile d'Oleron, I stopped in Cognac and bought some cognac. Before going to see the relatives, I visited another lighthouse on the coast, Phare de Chassiron.
My distant relative is in her 90's and was telling of her memories of the war, WWII.
La Rochelle was next, an adorable coastal town with a castle near the harbor. They were having a celebration and I walked around that night listening to the French music and watching the French artists.
The drive to Mt. St. Michal took almost all day, so I stayed in a nearby town called Ducey. That was the most adorable place with stone bridges, a castle that looked haunted and flowers everywhere. All of France was clean, neat and decorated with flowers.
Mt. St. Michal was amazing! Driving on a small road all of a sudden there is this HUGE towering triangular structure in the distance, as if growing out of the ground. It was built in the sea with a causeway as the only way to get to it by land. The tide goes in and out everyday almost covering the causeway. Inside walking up and around through the town, in the center there is a cathedral that rises up to the top pointing towards the sky. It is said that people make pilgrimages to there. I felt as if I were back in time, if not for the people and the gift shops on the bottom "floor". (photos above)
The most solemn place was the American cemeteries in Normandy. It is a short drive from Mt. St. Michal, (both on the Northwestern coast of France.) There was an atmosphere of reverence. It is kept so well that if a leaf falls near a grave stone, it is picked up by the time you look again. I walked among the graves and down to the shore at Omaha Beach. I thought how young these boys were to die here on this shore far away from home. All of the grave stones face America. (photos)
I spent the last 3 days in Versailles. I visited the castle, took the train to Paris to see the Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, and Rodin's museum.
Paris may be interesting, but I was most impressed with Mt. St. Michal and the Normandy cemeteries. I would go there again. And the French people were friendly and helpful, probably thought my limited knowledge of the language was funny, but I tried. I got lost a lot driving even with a map and need to memorize the phrase, "Help, I'm lost!" I have plenty more photos to load, so watch for them soon.