Bound for Normandy

We left Marly le Roi yesterday to travel by car to Normandy.  I must say that the most miserable times we have are with all of us in the car.  Inevitably, someone is arguing, hungry, thirsty, angry, whining, getting smacked, or otherwise miserable.  Add to this tornado of emotions the anxiety of driving in a foreign country and you can understand that car rides are not our favorite.  So, we decided to prepare well for this 2.5 hour drive to Bayeux--the car was filled with snacks, all electronics were charged, bathroom stops were mapped out--check.

The drive north passes through beautiful countryside---many times I am reminded of the east coast of the US because it is so lush.  As we entered Bayeaux, the first thing I noticed was the American flags flying.  I read that this area of Normandy is very grateful to Americans for our D-Day participation and I expected that we would be greeted with kindness as we have all over France, but I never imagined that I would see our flag flying at the entrance to a town in France.

Bayeaux is a lovely town with a beautiful Cathedral at the center.  We saw the cathedral, said a few prayers for better weather and family harmony, and headed down to the Battle of Normandy Museum.

This museum was excellent, but it is really difficult to explain WWII to the kids since they haven't studied it in school and without this frame of reference, I'm not sure that this battle has much meaning for them.  Maddie asked really excellent questions and I was wishing that I had a degree in history so that I could answer her accurately.

After the museum, we checked into Chateau de Damigny.

 The surroundings of this chateau date back to the 12th century and contain an original defense tower from that time period.  The current chateau was built in the 1800s and was renovated several years ago by the owners who run it as a Chambre d'Hote (B&B).  The most enchanting part of the Chateau is 3 year old Paul (the son of the owners) who greets you at the door and loves playing with the kids.  There is also a pretty fruit and vegetable orchard to explore--Maddie tried the fresh green beans and loved them--now how can I get her to eat them at home?


Last evening, we went back to Bayeux for a yummy dinner and the kids ate their first chocolate crepe--the best quote is from Jacob who said, "This is like heaven!".  The plate was licked clean.

A final view of the Cathedral at night and off to bed in the castle----Bonne Nuit!