Thursday May 9
Well, I said we would slow down a bit and we have.  Today we slept in a little after a rough night.  I think Michael is coming down with something, he is having a very hard time sleeping at night.  Anyway, before we checked out, we tried to find a hotel for tonight.  As it turns out, this is a popular vacation weekend and we were having a very hard time finding a place.  Fortunately, Dave has become very good at playing the French "game" and he talked someone into a room (after she said she didn't have any).
 
So we headed off to Givenry, where Monet built and painted his gardens.  We were surprised when we arrived to see many tour buses and cars in the parking lot.  There was a long line to get in, so we decided to stop and have lunch.  We found a cute little pizzeria right on the river.  We ate lunch outside on the bank.  It was very pretty.  As we walked back to the gardens to get in line (still rather long) both boys dissolved into tears and grumpiness.  Given the line we decided to skip this attraction for the sake of family harmony.  We did stop and walk through the gardens of the American Impressionist Museum.
 
Then we were off to Caen, where our hotel was.  It is also the home of William the Conqueror.  He built two abbeys here (one for men and one for women) as penance for marrying his distant cousin, Matilda.  In fact, after we checked into the hotel and the boys had a bath, we went to the Abbey of Men to see William's tomb.  As it turned out, there was a church service going on and as his tomb is behind the altar, we didn't get a very good view.  The church was very pretty though.  It is Romanesque rather than gothic (being built in the 11th century) and so was much more plain then the Gothic churches.  Still, it was an impressive building.
 
We also stopped by the square were the French flag was raised for the first time in four years after the town was liberated in WWII.  A plaque and an obelisk have been placed to commemorate the event.
 
After dinner we went to bed.  The boys are beginning to tire of the trip.  We have been vacationing for almost two weeks with little rest.  Only three light days left.
 
Friday, May 10
We had to wake the boys this morning!!  They are quiet tired and chose to sleep today, when we wanted an early start.  Typical.  Anyway, we left the hotel towards Bayeux, the first French town liberated after D-Day.  We stopped first at the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandie.  This building houses a large collection of war memorabilia, including uniforms, vehicles, newspaper clippings, and letters and telegraphs home to family.  Andrew liked the display of weapons, while Dave and I were impressed by the number of personal affects displayed.  There was even a destroyed plane that had been "successfully" crash landed.  It was pretty much destroyed, but the pilot walked away and helped the French resistance.
 
After having lunch at a Turkish restaurant, we took a trip way back in time to another famous battle.  We went to see the Tapestry of Queen Matilda (married to William the Conqueror).  Also know as the Bayeux Tapestry, it was made in the 11th century and tells the story of William defeating England.  It is 231 feet long and only 3 or 4 feet tall.  It is divided into scenes that tell the whole story.  It is fascinating, especially because it is in wonderful condition.  It is 1,000 years old!  Amazing.
 
We then headed to the American Cemetery at Omaha beach.  This is a very sobering sight.  There are 9,387 men and women (four of them) buried here.  However, that is only about 40% of the Americans that died in the invasion.  There are thousands of Crosses and Stars of David all in perfect rows.  It is vary hard to imagine what those days must have been like.  We also looked out over the beach to see where the invasion actually took place.  Amazing.  There is also a beautiful chapel and a wall with the names of 1,557 soldiers that were never found after D-day.
 
We then drove to a wonderful hotel in San Malo.  We were lucky enough to get one of the last rooms available anywhere, thanks to Dave working the system again.  We were a little concerned about what the hotel would be like as it is not a chain. The last privately owned hotel we stayed in left a lot to be desired.  This one is awesome.  It is right on the Atlantic.  We walk out of the hotel onto the boardwalk and the beach.  It is a very cozy place.  And get this:  The owner is from Iowa.  We like the hotel so much, we extended our stay.  We will stay her two nights and have a long drive on Sunday.
 
After we checked in, we played on the beach (Michael was worried that the waves would get Andrew) until dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant up the beach.  It was a late night, but well worth it.
 
Saturday, May 11
Today we headed off to one of the sights that was on the top of Amy's top ten to see in France list:  Mont Saint-Michel.  This is a city and Abbey, built on a big rock in the middle of the ocean.  Except when the tide goes out, then it is  surrounded by sheep grazing on the salt marshes.  Then the tide comes in and it  is an island again.  Pretty cool.
 
Anyway we drove across the causeway (the tide was on its way out) and parked in the lot outside the walls (no cars in the city).  After checking what time high tide was (didn't want our car to become a submarine) we went into the city. It is a lot like Carcassonne in that it is a walled city with really narrow streets.  We first walked the ramparts, looking at the city and the sea.  Then we took a tour of the Abbey.  It is huge.  It had been started in the 11th century and added on to many times over 500 years, so there are many different styles of architecture.  We went up to the top and looked down, and we went to the dungeons (it was turned into a prison during the revolution) and looked up.
 
Then we had lunch on a terrace overlooking marsh that would be sea in a few hours.  We bought some souvenirs (namely a gargoyle) on the way out and drove to the hotel for naps.
 
After naps, we went to downtown St-Malo to look around.  There is a small castle that we wanted to see, but as it closed in half an hour, they wouldn't let us look around.  Instead we walked on the ramparts for a while.  Then as we were walking through town, a parade went by, honoring war veterans.  They were marching to a bagpipe band.  After dinner, Amy and Michael walked along the beach and watched waves, while David and Andrew played Chinese checkers in the bar.  Then, after the boys were in bed, Amy watched the sunset over the Atlantic.
 
This was a very nice way to end our trip and our stay in France.  We had a wonderful day.  Now all that's left is a long day of driving to get to our hotel in Toulouse.  Bon soir.