Our Adventures in England: Giverny and Mont Saint Mechelle

Mont Saint Michel

In May we spent a weekend in Dover, England where we learned a lot about Britain's defenses along the English Channel during the wars. Living close enough to France to fly over for a long weekend, it only seemed right to spend a bit of time in Normandy, and in September we were able to get away to this region in the north of France. We landed in Paris, rented a car, and set off into the countryside en route to Bayeux, in Normandy.

Some French friends gave us some great advice for our trip to France that included a visit to the village and ramparts of Mont Saint Michel, a major center for Christian pilgrimage in the middle ages, and to the village of Giverny and the home of Cindy's favorite artist, Claude Monet. We had a fantastic visit, enjoyed an elegant dinner at the Chateau d'Audrieu near Bayeux, traveled the countryside, explored and walked to the top of Mont Saint Michel and stayed in a wonderful B&B where we visited the home and the famous lily pond of Claude Monet. Then we finished with a visit to the port town of Honfleur. All absolutely fantastic!

The village inside the walls of Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel can be found on a rock outcrop in the middle of a large tidal bay. At high tide it is completely isolated and sounded by water. At low tide vast sand sholes are exposed and people hike and ride horses around the outside of the compound. Mont Saint Michel was originally settled by a group of Christian monks in the 6th century. What began with a modest settlement and two sanctuaries through time developed into a walled fortress enclosing a village and a monastery and a tremendous abbey church at the top of the rock. This is an incredible place!

The monastery has come under attack throughout history but still stands strong.

Gothic Choir

The Cloister

Mont Saint Michel

We enjoy art and the works of Claude Monet are definitely one of our favorites. The opportunity to go Giverny and see the places that provided his inspiration was a treat. Below are a few pictures of the town, Monet's gardens, the lily pond, and Claude Monet's home.

Visiting american artists resided here as they studied under Claude Monet

Monet's Resting Place

This lily pond was subject of Monet paintings.

Monet's home

The Chateau de La Roche-Guyon is just a short drive from Giverny. It is located on a bend in the Seine River. The Chateau adjoins a keep high on the Vexin Plateau behind it and the two are connected by tunnels and stairs. We made the steep climb and explored the many rooms of the Chateau and the caves and tunnels along with the keep. This was a part of the defenses for the King of France in the Middle Ages against Norman attackers and then the English. The Chateau was home to nobility, the Lords of Guyon from the 12th century. This place was occupied by the German forces during World War II and was headquarters to Field Martial Rommel. Tunnels were excavated into the hillside for storage of munitions and personnel and the keep became a strategic watch post during that war.