Normandy, France

My husband, daughter & I arrived in France. We met my mother and sister at the train station in Paris and rented a car, which we drove north to Bayeux. Upon arrival, we checked into this amazing, old Airbnb right in the center of Bayeux. We got settled in, and took a quick walk around Bayeux.

We had the day to explore Bayeux. It's such a cute, historical town! We visited the Bayeux Tapestery, the Bayeux Cathedral, and the Old Mill. For coffee, we made a quick stop in the adorable Les Volets Roses. For an afternoon pick-me-up (tea and pastries), we visited the beautiful Á La Reine Mathilde.

On the third day, we were up early to make the hour-and-a-half drive to Mont-Saint-Michel. We parked and walked across the bridge to the beautiful little city-island. It was quite cold, so we stopped for a quick crepe and coffee before walking up to the top, to see the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. We took a short guided tour (which I would recommend) and then explored on our own. It was a long day, so we stopped at the nearby L'Atelier St Michel Ardevon et Café for a quick bite and to get some snacks for the road.

Our fourth day was our epic trip to see the D-Day Beaches near Arromanches-les-Bains, in Normandy. We visited several viewpoints of the beaches and explored Gold Beach. We visited the D-Day Museum, the Arromanches 360º Circular Cinema, and the Normandy American Cemetery. We did have to take turns with my daughter (who was only 2) in the museums and the cinema, but otherwise, it was a day full of history. If we were to go again, we would engage a tour guide, because there is so much more to see!

After a quick farewell tour of Bayeux, we drove to the harbor town of Honfleur. Honfleur is a very fun little town to explore, and we happened upon an outdoor market that we explored, and sampled several local specialities. We also visited France's oldest wooden church in the center of Honfleur: the Church of Saint Catherine. Then, back to Paris we went!