With a cool spring we finally got a few days of good weather in late April and I headed off to Normandy to visit my friends Roy and Sylvia. Roy has been working on restoring a house in the small French village of Montbray for the past several years and finally made the move from the UK at his retirement.
Roy is a fellow motorcycle enthusiast and has three motorcycles in his garage. Roy helped me through the French process of purchasing a motorcycle from a private owner and registering it in France. Could not have done it without him.
Roy invited me to stay with him for the Normandy visit for which I am eternally grateful. We visited another friend Simon who lives nearby, not retired, and is an artisan who for the past 20 years restores antiques. He showed me his portfolio of before and after pictures and his work is fantastic. The day I arrived at Roy’s house, we all got together in the evening and had a tasty barbeque. Perfect ending of the day.
The previous evening we had coerced Simon to play hooky for a day and come out with us for a days ride in the country along the coast. We headed west on our bikes with an eventual goal of reaching Mont St. Michel that through the past 1500 years has been a famous stronghold, Abby and prison. Much history for this location can be reviewed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel
Here is our route: View Map
We stopped for a quick picture opportunity once we reached the coast. And here is a picture of all three of our bikes.
We arrived at low tide so boats in a channel were high and dry.
Another stop by a sea wall in a village showing Roy and Simon.
Here we are at a walled entrance to a village. The drawbridge to the village still works. This time Roy and I get the pose.
Along the coast there are many old German compounds and bunkers where artillery was manned during World War II. Here is one facing the ocean. Note the gouges near the top where American shells fired from ships far off to sea, hit and skittered off the concrete.
Finally we get to the Mont St Michel area. Still far off, I stop and take a picture of it along with another island now exposed at low tide.
Many like to hike out to the islands at low tide and they do get wet doing this as they have to cross numerous channels still holding water. A friend who is scoutmaster is taking some boys out here this weekend for a 10 mile hike across to the islands.
Here we stopped on the causeway and took a closer picture of Mont St Michel. An imposing and beautiful structure where people still live to this day. This is a very famous visitor’s location so there are many parking lots on the mainland where you can park and walk to the island. After you get there then you proceed to walk UP to the top. You need to be in shape to make the journey.
On the way back, we passed another town with part of the old town wall still standing.
All in all, the days ride-out was very interesting. I plan to spend a lot more time in the Normandy area in the upcoming weeks as there is much to see and explore. Some areas still have many bunkers with guns still in place. You can walk among them and it is very eerie. And there is the American cemetery where thousands of Americans who lost their life in WWII rest overlooking the ocean. A very beautiful and historic region.
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