The last week of our trip, we flew to Toulouse, France, and rented a car. This was probably my millionth time in France, but I was so glad we added this leg to out adventure!
Our time was split three ways: the first part we spent exploring medieval cities such as Carcassone and Albi. Carcassone is a beautiful walled city, and it felt like we were walking around a renaissance festival. Albi boasts the largest brick cathedral in the world, apparently, and overlooks a beautiful river. What I didn't like about this part: More Spanish speakers than I was comfortable with. We were in France, after all. Also, our hotel may or may not have been a former prison/psych ward, and not in a cutesy touristy way.
Part two was probably my favorite leg. We drove through the Loire Valley, which is famous for having literally hundreds of chateaux that the various kings of France built. We got to see the largest, Chambord, which was massive. Apparently, the king that built it only spent roughly 90 days in total there.
My favorite chateau was Chenonceau, by far. Chenonceau is known as "The Ladies Castle", because of the important women that resided there. One of the most famous was Catherine di Medici, of Italy. However, it was the king's mistress that really took over the chateau, and she lived there most of the time. Chenonceau is built next to the River Cher, and there is a long hallway/bridge that extends across the river. During World War I, the river was the border between occupied France and non-occupied France, so the Allies would use the chateau to smuggle people and weapons to the other side.
Chenonceau was also meticulously upkept. There are fresh flowers that are brought into the chateau every day, and the gardens, while smaller than Versailles, are just as beautiful. Even though it was drizzling, I could have spent all day exploring the grounds.
The last part of our trip was to Normandy, to visit the D-Day beaches. Admittedly, I think the guys enjoyed all of the military stuff a lot more than I did, but it was still very moving to stand on the beaches and think about how many soldiers gave their lives there. We saw the three beaches that Americans invaded: Omaha, Utah, and Gold. If you like World War II history, I highly recommend you visit Normandy.
On our way out of Normandy, we stopped at a little place called Le Mont Saint Michel. I had wanted to visit this tidal island for a long time, and while it was very beautiful, it was overrun with tourists. The streets were so narrow and crowded, it was difficult to walk without bumping into everyone. However, we came to the conclusion that it would be a fantastic stronghold during the zombie apocalypse, so it earned back some points for that.
All in all, another successful Semana Santa. I ate good food, saw some amazing sights, and learned a ton. Our only low point was after Mont Saint Michel that Bryce locked the keys in the trunk, so we got to experience the joys of a French locksmith. However, we stayed in an amazing apartment, complete with tennis courts, that night, so we couldn't be too mad at him.
Originally published 5.9.12
No comments:
Post a Comment