The Johnsons' Journal

Wow how long has it been since we’ve posted! Did we get caught up drinking French wine and eating Croissants to bother doing anything about the site? Hmm, well maybe a bit. But here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve been up to for the past couple weeks. Or at least some of it.

Picking up where we left you last, I believe we were drinking Cider, Calvados and eating delicious Camembert cheese.

Since then, we moved along through Normandy to a quaint little town called Bayeaux. Bayeaux was the first town liberated during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, so as such has a bit of history including a museum focused on the Battle of Normandy.  The other thing Bayeaux is famous for is the Bayeaux Tapestry which depicts the Norman Conquest of England. We gave that one a pass, but there was a nice picture of it on a sign. Exciting stuff!

Besides the war stuff, Bayeaux is a cute little town with a river running (more like strolling) through it and a quite large Cathedral. Nice for an evening stroll.

From Bayeaux we headed up to the coast to the Normandy Beaches and the American Cemetery.

There was a fantastic museum as you enter which gives you a very personal feel of the events of the lead up to and of the invasion. Much of it is told in the words of soldiers who fought on D-Day and in the subsequent Battle for Normandy. Following this we took a  guided tour of the Cemetery which told the stories of several soldiers who are buried there. It as all a very moving experience and I’m really glad we were able to experience it.

On our way to our next destination Dinan in Brittany, we made a trip to Mont St. Michel which is an ancient island village which sits atop a rocky tidal island in the mouth of a river.

It is home to a most impressive abbey which has grown over various additions and reconstructions over the past 1000 or more years. Its very beautiful to look at from afar, but inside the walls it is packed with tourists and gift shops. The self guided tour through the abbey was interesting to do once… I’d highly suggest if you were to go, get there well before noon.

Dinan was our stop for the next few nights which is in the heart of Brittany. Dinan is a medieval walled city which sits on the hillside along the river Rance. Much of the Medieval buildings are still in tact as well as the walls surrounding the city.

While we were there, we borrowed bicycles from the owners of the B&B we were staying at and rode along the river to have a leisurely lunch at a restaurant along the marina of the next village south.

Moving south from Dinan, we moved into the Loire Valley which is known for its amazing chateaux. We limited ourselves to 2 or 3 while we were there but there are dozens to visit. One which caught our attention was Chateau du Villandry which was meant to have some of the most exquisite gardens including a quite stunning and massive “Family Garden” growing fruits, veggies and herbs throughout the year in superbly manicured beds.

Around the Loire Valley we encountered many fields of sunflowers which on a bright sunny day like we had were amazing to see.

One evening we took a evening tour of one of the Chateaux, which ended up being less of a tour rather than a theatrical extravaganza which took you through the surrounding gardens to see shows of fire breathers, equestrian dressage and even show with a donkey, goat, dog and a chicken. What more could you want really! Also throughout the evening they had the chateau lit up with interesting colors and patterns which gave it a very different look.

Besides the tremendous chateaux of the Loire Valley, the other thing the area is known for is wine! In this area, many of the chateaux (wine chateaux not castle chateaux) cellar their wines in caves because they stay at a very consistent cool temperature all year round. This was apparent when we went to taste some wine in a cave on a 85 degree day and it was as if they had the A/C on full blast inside the cave. It was quite cold.

Well that has caught you up a bit on whats been going on in the France. Next up more wine and Chateaux in Bordeaux!