Normandy & PARIS!! Part deux

Hello Friends!

I know, I know.  But we have been doing things here.  I will do a post on sports again soon (just went to a tournament in Rotterdam with Luke - playing International Schools from all over - what an opportunity), but I wanted to get back to our Fall Break trip we enjoyed so much.

We debated the trip to Mont St. Michel because of the drive.  It was 2 hours plus some away from where we were staying, and an old abbey in the water didn't seem that interesting for the kids.  However, we all LOVED it. (Thanks to my sweet friend Dawn for encouraging me that it was worth it!!)

If you want to know more about the abbey itself, check out its Wiki page here. I had read about the abbey in several fiction books, but had no idea about its reality. Then, while in Bayeux visiting the tapestry, there was a scene played out at Mont St Michel on the tapestry. It showed soldiers drowning in quicksand and the hero saving the day (later he was the bad guy, but isn't that the way of most stories? Who we think is bad is good, and vice versa??) Quicksand experience was all it took and my boys were IN! 

You saw from the previous post we broke up the drive there with a stop at St. Mere Eglise and continued from there to Mont St Michel.  I will let a roll of pictures demonstrate the fun that ensued.  The construction prevented me from truly capturing the majesty and beauty of this place. All I can say is GO!!  It is worth it.

Taking the shuttle to Mont St Michel

A lot of construction because they are restoring it to its state where it is surrounded by water at high tide - a bridge will reach it now, instead of a causeway.

Love how they closed the gates! There are actually a few bed & breakfast hotels on the island.

Family portrait made by fellow touring Americans.  This is from the abbey itself with the marsh in the background.

boys will be boys!

Zee snaps a portrait.

Luke snaps a portrait.

Zee posed me and snapped the picture!

In the quicksand.  It was chilly that day, but the boys braved the cold water!

Love them!

Quicksand socks!

This is from behind the abbey.

We headed back to our hotel with full hearts, so thankful for these experiences.  The sun truly did shine on us that day and we would love to go back.

The next day it was on to Paris.  Let me just say that this drive was no problem - until we reached the city.  It took us 1 hour to get around the circle to where our apartment was.  UGH.  And the roundabouts reminded me of Italy - no lanes, just go as soon as you can and wherever you can.  And hope you reach your exit.  ("There's Big Ben, kids.  And there it is again.  Look, kids, Big Ben!  And again...")

Our favorite thing we did in Paris was the Fat Tire Bike tours.  Truly, a great way to see the city and something active for all the family.

Who doesn't love the behind the back shot while bicycling??  I know, I know.  Safety first!

Look at this great tandem bike for Zee - he felt like a big guy with the rest of us!!  

Our kids were the only ones on the tour - and they behaved so wonderfully.  So great to keep them busy by bike riding!

Enjoyed it even in the rain!

Our bikes had names - he is checking to make sure this is his!

What is Stuart thinking?

Showing their calves like all the Louis's did in their portraits.  We learned so much on this tour!

 I think it says a lot that we loved this tour even in the rain.  They also offer walking tours, Segway tours, and a variety of bike tours.  Stuart and I plan to do their all day Versailles tour soon - we hope!

The rest of Paris went by in a blur of going to the top of the Eiffel tower, trying French cuisine without knowing exactly what we were getting (some successes, some failures!), and generally getting to know the city a bit. The kids loved the science museum there, and we spent a good part of one day there, avoiding the rain and exploring. It is easy to get around on the underground there, and we had so many Parisians help us out. Our last night we did a boat tour on the Seine. I think this could be magical, if it is not cold, rainy, and foggy. However, we did see a lot of sites, and enjoyed a warm beverage or two. And the Eiffel tower lit up at night on the hour is a must-see. Really.

The boys look out over the Seine

Temporary art display around the Eiffel tower - bears representing every country.

The Arc de Triomphe

No fear - 2nd level - Eiffel Tower

A lot of fear - at the top. (we went into the glassed in area immediately after this picture!)

This nice Parisian shared his bread with us.

By the EIffel tower

Thanks to the shared bread, this happened.

Pizza delivery in a crowded city

Science museum fun

He can fly!

Lit up on the hour!

The Notre Dame in Paris during our foggy boat ride

Notice Stuart's eyes closed on the last night of our trip - always at the end of a week long trip, I cannot get a picture with his eyes open!  ;-)

We really did enjoy both Normandy and Paris, although Normandy was the highlight for all of us. I hope you enjoy the pictures, the thoughts, etc.  Vive la France!

Normandy and Paris - Fall Break 2012, Part I

  One of the many things I do here (besides lots of laundry that takes an inordinate amount of time - although it is really clean) is plan our travel. (We are trying to take advantage of our time here!) I completely understand now why travel agents make their money.  It is a big job to plan and book a trip that will please everyone and fit the budget.  Particularly when you have 3 boys, one who hates to travel and one who is a bit too young to appreciate fully the history around him.  I have to say, however, that I was talked into Normandy as our choice for this trip (and PARIS!) by all the expats around here who had been.  Even a mom of 3 girls said it was one of their favorite trips, and I would not have expected 3 girls to enjoy WWII history, etc.  

So once we decided, I booked our places to stay, our tours, etc. and tried to figure out how to pack our car for a full week of driving and traveling.  (Normandy is about a 7 hour drive from us, Paris around 4-5 hours.)

After the 7 hours, and about 40 euros worth of tolls (no kidding!), we arrived in Normandy.  And after the initial recovery of all that driving, I have to say...we LOVED it.  The boys still say it is their favorite trip we have done yet.  And that includes choices between Rome, Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Germany and a Centre Parc! 

We began in Bayeux where we met our tour guide for our 1/2 day tour of Omaha Beach and the American cemetery as well as Pointe du Hoc.

The boys at the German gun battery on the Normandy coastline.

Our family on Omaha Beach - look how big the beach is at low tide.  This is when the Americans came ashore and this is why so many of them died...but also why it was so successful.  A paradox, to be sure.

  I can highly recommend the movie The Longest Day about the D-Day invasion  - the storming of the beaches, the paratroopers invasion, etc. It is very well done, rated G (the whole family watched it) and available on Netflix. There is of course violence, and people die. But it is done where our youngest was able to handle it and we were able to talk about it. It really connected with the boys (after the first 45 minutes - a lot of German and English speakers talking about the plans), and they understand a LOT about D-Day now and even WWII.

The American cemetery - it is very large, we did not have time to explore all of it. It is in a beautiful location on the cliffs of Normandy overlooking Omaha Beach.

This is a crater left by one of the Allied bombs at Pointe du Hoc - this is where the soldiers literally climbed the cliff with their bare hands and a knife.

Walking to the memorial at Pointe du Hoc and playing in the craters.  The memorial is a knife sticking in the ground - to remember how the soldiers climbed the cliff.

Pointe du Hoc memorial

Boys at Pointe du Hoc

Gold Beach  - the cliffs into the water are stunningly beautiful, but also filled with reminders from the war.

On Gold Beach with the cliffs of Normandy in the background.

 That first day was a great introduction to Normandy.  The next day we went into the town of Bayeux and explored a bit on our own, including the Bayeux Tapestry. The boys actually really enjoyed this bit of history that ended with the famous Battle of Hastings of 1066. The tapestry is actually quite gory and graphic (heads and arms cut off with blood in places) and had several nasty stories to tell. We listened to audio guides and because we had a big family, we got the family discount - 10 euros for all of us to see it and have audio guides for adults and children. Only took about 1 1/2 hours and was totally worth our time. We also went to the Arromanches 360 degree museum at Gold Beach. It had real news footage from WWII and some re-enactments in a 360 theater (like Canada at Epcot!) That actually brought me to tears in the 15 minute movie because it was violent and sad. But through all of this we had great discussions about the war, why it happened, why Americans were involved and right and wrong. 

The next day, we decided to go ahead and do the 2 hour drive to Mont Saint-Michel. We debated doing it truthfully right up to the last minute. We are SOOOOO glad we went. We all LOVED it. Stuart was overwhelmed by the size, the history, the architecture, the secrets (it is a commune and since the 8th century AD a monastery). I have read about it in several fiction books and was also really taken by the narrow windy roads and the beauty from afar. The boys just loved the quicksand! We also got to squeeze in even more WWII history going by St. Mere Eglise, the first town liberated by the Allies during D-Day when the 82nd Airborne division landed here.

Watch the movie - you will understand this picture better. Let's just say this fooled the enemies!

Memorial to John Steele, the soldier who got caught here on the church when parachuting in - it actually saved his life and is depicted in "The Longest Day." 

This was the public toilet in town , just off the sidewalk. I don't know what to say about this.

Mont Saint-Michel in the distance. Under construction right now to get rid of the road and build a bridge so it can be surrounded by water again like it used to be.

Okay, I want to publish this tonight.  So this will be part I!  I will conclude tomorrow, or at a later date with the rest of Mont Saint-Michel and then PARIS in the next post, Fall Break part deux!!  But I will at least end with a picture -

More of Mont St-Michel to come!