Normandy, France

For the Royal Wedding and Early May Bank Holiday we decided to take a road trip with six others to Normandy in France.  I know that you are probably thinking "why on earth would you leave London when the wedding was on".  The reality is that we probably would have watched it on TV anyway and it was utter wedding hysteria here.  Plus, we wanted to take the opportunity to get out of the UK.

We left London and crossed the English channel to France by driving in the Chunnel.  Actually, we didn't drive in the Chunnel we drove into a train that could hold cars which took us through the Chunnel to Calais.  It was then a loooong drive to our Chateau in the little town of Vassy.  By little town, I mean tiny town!

We couldn't believe our eyes when we arrived out our Chateau!  It was perfect and was exactly what you would expect from a house in the french countryside.  Our Chateau was built in 1814.  We spent many conversations wondering who it's first owners may have been and what they would have farmed on the land surrounding the house. 

The area where we stayed was full of cheese farms, cider houses and rolling meadows.  It was so peaceful and calm and the fresh air was delectable.  Camembert was not too far away so you can imagine the cheese we were feasting on.  We also bought two cartons of amazing apple cider with the view to bringing some back to London but instead we finished all 12 bottles in one night.

We feasted in the open air on cured meats, croissants, cheese and bread.  It was heaven.  We also drank plenty of french wine because it was so darn cheap.  My favourite was the rose from Bordeaux.

We spent lots of time in the garden (and the sun when it decided to visit) and the boys played lots of football.  Us girls even got involved.  Although I did cop a ball to the face and one to the stomach so it was game over for me.

One night we went for a lovely three course french dinner - we found that ordering dinner was incredibly hard in a little french village even though a number of us knew a little bit of french.  Nonetheless we had a lot of fun trying to decipher what was on the menu.  We managed to have only one yucky experience where some sausages looked a little bit questionable (I think there may have been some brains included in that dish).  The desserts were absolutely delicious.  I adore french food so I was in utter heaven.

On our last day we visited Mont Saint Michel.  A massive Abbey and charming town built on an island off the Norman coast.  The Abbey sits high on the island and its origins are based on the legend that the Archangel Michael appeared to St Aubert in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet.  When you see it, it is an imposing structure that has the feeling of an angel sitting above the land.  We enjoyed a lovely late lunch of crepes and fresh muscles in a cafe under the Abbey.

We had such a lovely relaxing time in the french countryside.  We also had a few rowdy nights which prompted the slow moving days.  I think we all came back feeling a little bit energised and it was so nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of London (without phone reception!).

Some photos below:

E&S
xoxo

The Chateau Bremnisil which we had to ourselves.

 (I adore the heart shape windows!)

 Mont St Michel