This past weekend was a 4-day weekend for Andy so we planned a trip out to Normandy, France. This was the longest drive yet for Addison - about 7 hours!! We stopped a couple times so that we could all eat & have our bathroom breaks but she did awesome both ways.
We stayed in the most charming B&B in Bayeux, France called 'Le Petit Matin' - meaning 'the little morning'. The owner, Pascal, was the kind of French host you'd dream of - amiable & kind. He would greet us every morning with a delicious home-made french breakfast (nothing makes this mama happier than a good hearty breakfast!) and made sure that we were all doing okay. He even held Addie for a bit while we ate the first morning! I was a little worried about staying at a B&B because Addie still cries a bit at night but she actually did really well. We had such a wonderful experience here and would stay again if we could. Ah yes... I have to mention, Addie slept in a pack-n-play for her first time! Yay!! :)
On Saturday, we went around with a tour guide to the different sites in Normandy. We covered the Batteries of Longues-Sur-Mer, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery of Colleville-Sur-Mer, Pointe Du Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Angoville Au Plain, the aid station & German battery at Holdy, and ended in Utah Beach. It was hair-raising to see these historical landmarks in person. I mean, these were places that we have seen only in movies and photographs! It's hard not to be moved by it all when you're standing there thinking of how scary it must've been & all the lives lost.
It was a little difficult to do with Addie because it was cold and extremely windy since it was along the beaches but we made the most of our visit and took in as much as we could. Definitely not easy doing a tour with an infant!
On Sunday, we headed an hour and a half south-west to visit the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. It was quite the sight to see this huge abbey sitting on an island surrounded by muddy waters and quick-sand. We did a quick audio tour, which we learned was much more manageable than following a tour guide with Addie and then headed back to Bayeux. On the way back, we made a stop by Arromanches to take a few quick photos then made it back in time to Bayeux to stop by the Tapestry museum.
Monday morning we had our final breakfast served by Pascal and headed home. On our way home, we made a stop by a town called Honfleur where we found a picturesque port. Snapped some photos and then continued our long journey back home to Germany.
It's always tough to appreciate it all in during these sort of trips but as I'm flipping through our photos and writing this blog post, I'm sad to say good-bye to this 4-day weekend in Normandy, France. I'm not really a big history person but I really did enjoy this trip and I was touched by it all. I've also realized I love France more than I thought!
Anyway, here's what you're all really here for! Photos!
SOO much to share from this trip!! Hope you enjoy it.
*I have had people ask me what camera I use and I used to caption all my photos with the camera used but it's just too much work! You'll have to figure it our for yourself whether it was taken with my Nikon D800, Andy's panasonic lumix, a cell phone, or go-pro. HAH!!
We stayed in the most charming B&B in Bayeux, France called 'Le Petit Matin' - meaning 'the little morning'. The owner, Pascal, was the kind of French host you'd dream of - amiable & kind. He would greet us every morning with a delicious home-made french breakfast (nothing makes this mama happier than a good hearty breakfast!) and made sure that we were all doing okay. He even held Addie for a bit while we ate the first morning! I was a little worried about staying at a B&B because Addie still cries a bit at night but she actually did really well. We had such a wonderful experience here and would stay again if we could. Ah yes... I have to mention, Addie slept in a pack-n-play for her first time! Yay!! :)
On Saturday, we went around with a tour guide to the different sites in Normandy. We covered the Batteries of Longues-Sur-Mer, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery of Colleville-Sur-Mer, Pointe Du Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Angoville Au Plain, the aid station & German battery at Holdy, and ended in Utah Beach. It was hair-raising to see these historical landmarks in person. I mean, these were places that we have seen only in movies and photographs! It's hard not to be moved by it all when you're standing there thinking of how scary it must've been & all the lives lost.
It was a little difficult to do with Addie because it was cold and extremely windy since it was along the beaches but we made the most of our visit and took in as much as we could. Definitely not easy doing a tour with an infant!
On Sunday, we headed an hour and a half south-west to visit the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. It was quite the sight to see this huge abbey sitting on an island surrounded by muddy waters and quick-sand. We did a quick audio tour, which we learned was much more manageable than following a tour guide with Addie and then headed back to Bayeux. On the way back, we made a stop by Arromanches to take a few quick photos then made it back in time to Bayeux to stop by the Tapestry museum.
Monday morning we had our final breakfast served by Pascal and headed home. On our way home, we made a stop by a town called Honfleur where we found a picturesque port. Snapped some photos and then continued our long journey back home to Germany.
It's always tough to appreciate it all in during these sort of trips but as I'm flipping through our photos and writing this blog post, I'm sad to say good-bye to this 4-day weekend in Normandy, France. I'm not really a big history person but I really did enjoy this trip and I was touched by it all. I've also realized I love France more than I thought!
Anyway, here's what you're all really here for! Photos!
SOO much to share from this trip!! Hope you enjoy it.
*I have had people ask me what camera I use and I used to caption all my photos with the camera used but it's just too much work! You'll have to figure it our for yourself whether it was taken with my Nikon D800, Andy's panasonic lumix, a cell phone, or go-pro. HAH!!
Our B&B
Batteries of Longues-Sur-Mer
Omaha Beach
The American Cemetery of Colleville-Sur-Mer
Pointe Du Hoc
hard to see in these photos but this area is covered in huge bunkers
Sainte-Mere-Eglise
Look closely at the top where you can see a mannequin hanging by it's parachute. This has been placed there to commemorate the American paratrooper John Steele who landed there (on the opposite side of the church was the exact location) and pretended to be dead for over a day until he was cut down. He managed to escape & complete his mission.