A Weekend in Normandy and Bretagne

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted...my family was here this week which kept me off the computer and busy for a while! But more on that in a bit...

Last weekend we had the amazing opportunity to go to Normandy and Bretagne with our ACCENT group. I didn't really know much about the area before heading there, just that the region is known for its Camembert cheese and foggy mornings. But I have come back ladened with knowledge of Normandy's history, culture, and beauty. I had an amazing weekend, and saw so much in just a few days!

On Friday morning (the 3rd...now it feels like so long ago!) we left Paris (which was shrouded in a misty fog) at about 7:45 am. Only a few hours later my family landed at Charles de Gaulle, but I wouldn't see them until Sunday night. A few hours later, we stopped in Caen, to visit the museum dedicated to WWII, and to the history that led up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The museum exhibit had a lot to take in, and at the end was followed up by a documentary-type film that incapsulated the museum, in a sense. It was overwhelming but very interesting. It made the experience even more somber when we stepped outside and the day was still so gray. The weather reminded me a bit of Monterey -- overcast but beautiful nonetheless.

We drove a little while and arrived in the early afternoon to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. It was glorious to wade in the water and collect shells for even a short time, and although it was still cloudy, it was warmer than it has been in ages for all of us. It was amazing to look at the beach and imagine all the soldiers coming to the shore from the waters during World War II, and also very sobering. The cemetery was almost foreboding, and the air was heavy. However, at the same time, it is a very peaceful place, with fresh ocean air and a sense of safety. All the tombstones are in the shapes of crosses (except for a few scattered Jewish stars), which gives a very uniform and American look to the cemetery, and all the graves face West, towards home. All of the men and women buried here are the bodies that families did not request be sent home; it is amazing how many people died during this part of the war, when one considers that this isn't even all of the people...it is also sad because some gravestones were of men that could not be identified as anything but a brave soldier who defended the Allies.

After our visit we drove the rest of the way to our lodgings, in St-Malo. We stayed at the Hotel l'Univers, right on the waterfront, and it was incredibly quaint. The town itself is amazing--surrounded by ramparts, and right on a picturesque Normandy beach. We arrived just in time to head out and have a nice dinner at a nearby creperie (I had a delicious Soupe de Poisson), before crashing for the night.

The next morning, we took a day trip to an old medieval city, Dinan. It was the most picturesque town I have ever seen, even after having travelled through the English countryside last summer! What made it seem particularly French was the fact that it is walled and on a hill, and one can practically hear the knights cluttering their way through the narrow, cobbled alleyways. There are thatched rooves, wooden overhangs, and adorable shopfronts, as well as a multitude of tiny cafes and taverns, remniscent of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." We were inspired to burst into song!

Just as we were leaving, the daylight broke through the clouds and it was a gorgeous spring day. We returned to St-Malo and spent the afternoon walking along the glorious sandy beach, collecting shells and appreciating the water and warm sun. That evening, the entire group went to a three course seafood dinner a long ways down the beach in St-Malo, and had Fruits de Mer, scallops, fish, and a wonderful sorbet dessert.

The next day, before heading home (on a long busride of 6 hours), we stopped at the incredible mountain village of Mont Saint Michel. The site is an old Abbey, built on a huge hill of rocks that is set into the middle of a vast valley of sand and marshland. The sand stretches in from the coast, and underneath it for miles and miles is water, so in effect, it is a huge expanse of quicksand. Mont Saint Michel is an awesome sight in the middle of such vastness, and it was quite intimidating as we drove up. We could not see the abbey at the top of the hill because it is so high up the fog was covering it. But as we climbed up the mountain and through the cute little village, we eventually wound up above the fog and on top of the town. It was so breathtaking! We toured the abbey and cloisters, which were incredibly built on the very tip of the rocks, and the experience felt like being in the Elvin town in Lord of the Rings! What a fairy-tale weekend!

We arrived back in Paris around 6 that night, and I was able to meet up with my family for a lovely dinner at the apartment they were renting. I was so happy to see them--I think it had been the longest stretch of time we've all gone without seeing each other! Thank goodness for Skype. More on our week in a bit!