Mont Saint Michel & Our Escargot Encounter! (Thurs, 7/31/14) - NEWLY UPDATED

We departed Bayeux this morning for the drive south to Mont Saint Michel, an iconic abbey & village built atop an island facing the English Channel.

Our guide for a walking tour of the village & abbey was Florence, who engaged the younger members of our group wonderfully well, involving them in her explanations at regular intervals.

From the top of the island, in the abbey, there were superb views across the notoriously dangerous mudflats that pilgrims used to risk their lives to cross.

On our return journey we made a stop for something entirely different - to visit a small, independent escargot farm.  The owner Christine showed us around, opening our eyes to all kinds of unexpected information about the life cycle of the edible snail.

There were other animals to catch our attention too, including this Normandy cow. 

Of course, at the end of our visit there was an opportunity to taste the snails, washed down with some excellent local cider. 

Back in Bayeux we ate dinner at another local restaurant, celebrating a birthday with champagne & table-top pyrotechnics!

After dinner we stopped to see the cathedral, illuminated & open after dark due to a spectacular sound & light at the neighboring 'Liberty Tree'.

The Louvre, Versailles & Bayeux (Weds, 7/30/14)

We made an early start today, riding the metro to the Louvre.

After deciding against two possible alternative entrances, we joined the line just as the museum opened & were inside within 15 minutes.  The group then divided to explore the enormous museum independently, cherry-picking what they wanted to see.

We regrouped at the hotel to meet our bus for the journey to Bayeux.

En-route we made a stop at the Chateau of Versailles, the magnificent former palace of the French royalty.  Lines were very long here so some of the group decided to explore the gardens first, whilst others endured the lines.  Most enjoyed lunch in the gardens during their visit too.

From Versailles we continued our journey west, stopping once for a break, before finally arriving in Bayeux around 7:00pm, just in time to check-in for our 3 night stay before dinner.

Exploring Paris (Tues, 07/29/2014)

Our first full day in Paris, exploring the city by foot & by metro...

We began with a metro ride from our hotel at the Arc du Triomphe to the Opera Garnier.

From the Opera Garnier we meandered into some of central Paris' smaller side streets, making our way to some of the remaining few original 'galleries', the world's first 'shopping malls'.

The Palais Royale is another often-overlooked corner of central Paris.  From there we continued to the courtyard of the Louvre, the ending point for our walking tour.

Then the group enjoyed a free afternoon before our dinner rendezvous.

After dinner we rode the metro again, this time to Montmartre, the former artists' neighborhood the is now one of the city's most popular areas amongst tourists.  It can be overcrowded & touristy but it's undeniably picturesque & a great place to end our day.