Mont Saint-Michel & Caen

One of the most striking images of Normandy is that of Mont-Saint-Michel,  a stunning medieval abbey perched at the top of a rocky island in a bay in the English Channel. 

It looks particularly beautiful at high tide, when the ocean makes it look like it’s floating. I, however, went midday, so it resembled more of a castle out of Game of Thrones surrounded by desert (low tide, sandy beach).

I decided against doing an organised tour due to the hefty price tag and tried it solo. I took a FlixBus there (dropped me right by the Visitors’ Centre) and a train back (from the 20-minute-away town of Pontorson). I bought my abbey entrance ticket in advance (highly recommended because of the massive queues for those who didn’t!) and arrived just after lunch. While I was wandering through the area before the Mont, I kept seeing cow statues painted in different designs on my walk. They say that Normandy has more cows than people, so it’s quite the fitting mascot.

I decided, since I was young and relatively healthy, to walk the path to the Mont rather than taking the free shuttle. I should have remembered I’m not exactly fit. That direct sunshine, a 3.5 km / 45-minute walk PLUS the 350 steps up to the top resulted in one sweaty, out-of-breath Susan when she got to the top.

Some abbey highlights:

• Begun in the 10th century and continuing through the 16th century, it was established for a community of Benedictine monks while a village was also built below the abbey.

• Throughout history, it was also a stronghold in the Hundred Years’ War, and during the French Revolution, the monks were expelled and it was used as a prison.

• The Cloister, which was used for moving between buildings as well as meditation and prayer, now has a cool disco ball in the centre of it. Somehow, not very medieval, but the millennial in me loved it.

• There were two other modern additions I saw: Zeus & The Moon. Zeus was the robotic stallion featured in the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony and is now positioned outside on the West Terrace. The Museum of the Moon is an art installation by Luke Jerram, which features a large suspended moon sculpture that rotates to different famous locations around the world and is currently in the main abbey church.

• The Crypt of the Great Pillars was super impressive and a little spooky. It reminded me of the pillared crypts in Game of Thrones.

• It had a wheel room installed in 1818 to bring up food for the inmates in the (now) prison, and now has a giant replica wheel that would have been used to help build in the Middle Ages.

After visiting the abbey, I wandered through the streets of the village, getting increasingly annoyed at how packed and touristy it was (totally while acknowledging that I too am a tourist contributing to this problem, lol). An ice cream helped alleviate this annoyance while I waited for the bus to Pontorson.

Side note: Sometimes travel is NOT glamorous... upon arriving at Pontorson and assuming there would be a place to grab a sandwich or pasty (even from the supermarket), this gal was out of luck, so my dinner that night consisted of a can of Pringles and a banana while I took the train home.

Caen

I stayed in Caen as my launching point for Mont-Saint-Michel. It seemed incredibly empty to me, void of the crowds of tourists I had seen in Bayeux and the Mont. So, as the 21st-century traveller I am, I asked my travelling confidant and planner, Monsieur le Chat GPT, what was up.

Apparently, the first two weeks of August are holidays, and many people leave Caen to go to the coast. It’s also a university town, and, it being warm August, was obviously void of rowdy youths.

But how do you pronounce this city? It’s not "Kane"— like how I thought — but rather more similar to “con” (like a softer version of Wrath of Khan). Meanwhile, that famous film festival to the south? Cannes is pronounced “can”.

It also has much more modernised architecture, as 80% of the buildings were destroyed during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. It doesn’t lend itself to as pretty architecture as its neighbouring town of Bayeux, but I still found some beautiful sights.

For example, 2025 was the celebration of Caen’s Millennium anniversary (marking 1,000 years since the city was first officially mentioned in 1025), and they had built some lovely gardens for the public to enjoy called “Jardins d’été” (Summer Gardens).

Also, guess what else I found... another petite tourist train! Of course, I went on it. 

Verdict: Less worthy than the Bayeux one... loudspeaker in French, then English (sorry everyone else), plus it was a Sunday and most things were closed! I did learn that William the Conqueror made Caen his capital when he was the Duke of Normandy. I also learned that the Abbaye aux Dames de Caen was a Catholic abbey built to get around the Pope excommunicating William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda, because they were fifth cousins, and the Pope said you had to be seventh cousins removed to be married. So they built two abbeys to appease him and soften his point of view.

Moon & Sons

One of my favourite places I have eaten at in France was by total fluke. On the train ride, we drove past a restaurant that had cool font on its awning and I saved it on Google Maps to look at later. Well, not only was Moon & Sons a vegan restaurant, but it was a nerdy fantasy-themed one at that! The “chick’n” burger I had was called the Luke Skyburger and the cocktail was a White Walker, and throughout the restaurant there were tons of fantasy Easter eggs hidden. For example, I saw the Fat Lady portrait and Platform 9 3/4 signs (Harry Potter), a giant moon painted on the ceiling with Elliot riding his bike on it (E.T.), and a wardrobe that revealed a kids’ play area behind it (nod to Narnia). Highly recommend if you ever go to Caen!

Mémorial de Caen

Finally, the last thing I explored in Caen was the Mémorial de Caen. It was a very informative museum, focused on WWII but with some pre-war and Cold War areas as well. It also houses the former bunker of the German command centre for the coastal defences in the region. It probably would have been a very good museum for someone who knew little to no knowledge of this time, but as someone who has a degree/passion in 20th-century history and had gone to the beaches yesterday, it was a bit underwhelming. However, I did see some info on Juno Beach (🇨🇦!) and a tribute to the Battle of the Atlantic, which both my grandfathers fought in (Grandpa Sutton in the 🇨🇦 navy on escort ships & Poppa Howse in the 🇬🇧 navy on U-boat destroyers).

Next stop: Exploring Burgundy wine and mustard in Dijon!

D Day Tour (Omaha Beach & Band of Brothers)

Today was one of the most interesting and impactful days I've had on this trip.

My visit to the D-Day beaches (specifically Omaha Beach—the worst sector for the Americans) and surrounding areas that were involved in the Battle of Normandy. I signed up for a tour through Overland Tours that focused on the American sector in the morning and followed the footsteps of the *Band of Brothers* show in the afternoon (the 101st Easy Company paratroopers). We lucked out in that it was a small group of four (2 Belgians, 1 American, and me). My guide was Guillaume, and he was so informative, kind, and really passionate about the subjects. Even though we weren't going to the Canadian sector (Juno Beach), he found time to mention specific Canadian facts to me during the tour.

The Beaches of Normandy

On June 6th, 1944, the Allies (British, US, and Canadian forces) attacked the German fortifications in France. It was an all-out naval, air, and infantry assault which saw 156,000 troops landing on the beaches alone. There were five beach fronts that were divided by different Allies: Utah & Omaha for the US, Gold & Sword for the British, and Juno for the Canadians.

My guide told me interesting facts about the code name choices. The US beach codenames (Omaha and Utah) were chosen for where two clerks were from who worked in the office of the general. The British chose their names based originally on sea/fish because it was called the “Neptune” Operation. They chose Goldfish, Swordfish, and Jellyfish (later dropping the “fish” part). However, the Canadians said “Jelly” was a ridiculous name, so the Canadians chose Juno; it was the name of a Canadian officer’s wife.

Omaha Beach

Omaha was the most heavily fortified beach due to numerous hills and bunkers. Bunkers and guns never faced the sea directly (they were on an angle to create a crossfire). The Germans had a few years to build and study the formations of the land as well. Of the American sector, Utah was the most successful landing, and Omaha was... well, the intro to Saving Private Ryan.

I felt very, very small while standing there. It's a piece of history that I learned about and now I'm here. And the world keeps turning. History is wild.

When we were at Omaha Beach, we saw a rock called “Ray’s Rock” (named after medic Ray Lambert), which he used as a makeshift medic station, hiding behind it to treat soldiers he rescued from the water. Omaha Beach is very large; this rock was not.

We also visited the remnants of German bunkers & trenches in WN (Widerstandsnest) 62. It housed a radio communications bunker and was a significant strongpoint. Multiple bunkers/ trenches housed field guns, machine guns, and 25–35 soldiers. Its elevation made it even more deadly to the soldiers arriving on the beach.

American Cemetery

We then went to the Normandy American Cemetery. It’s very respectful and honors 9,388 US soldiers who died and 1,557 MIA in the battle for Normandy (not just on June 6th specifically). The rest of the 29,000 who died were expatriated back to their home soil. It is the second-largest US cemetery outside of the US (the first is in the Philippines for the Pacific Front). It has a large memorial and 10 different sections for the graves (some roped off so you can’t walk on all of them at once). In between graves of known soldiers are those of unknown soldiers. 💔

I took a picture of a random grave and researched more about the soldier when I had some downtime later. I thought it would be a good way to humanize the immensity of this site. 

“Preston V. Wells. Killed in Action: Landed on Omaha Beach (Easy Green sector) as part of the engineer units tasked with clearing beach obstacles and enabling supply movement. According to his friend Bill Burleson, he was wounded or killed almost immediately upon exiting his landing craft.”

Easy Green Sector was right beside the sector I was standing on (Easy Red) when I was just on Omaha Beach. Wow. 🥺 You are not forgotten, Preston Wells.

Pointe du Hoc

The next stop of the tour was Pointe du Hoc. Pointe du Hoc was a German position on a 100-foot cliff that had six cannons that could fire at both Omaha and Utah Beaches. It was imperative that these were destroyed so that the landings could proceed. Destroying them was critical to the invasion’s success, so the U.S. Army Rangers, an elite assault unit, were sent in. Intel was incorrect in that the guns were actually moved inland, but regardless, the Rangers succeeded in their mission and held Pointe du Hoc for two days (suffering 60% losses!). It was an insanely challenging aspect of the battle.

The Church of Sainte‑Mère‑Église

This story was made famous in the film The Longest Day (I actually haven't seen it! On my list now 🙈). A paratrooper, John Steele, famously got caught on the church steeple in Sainte-Mère-Église during the D-Day drop and hung there wounded for hours until he was captured (and later escaped!). They now have a replica paratrooper hanging on the steeple to honor him and all the other troopers that landed and liberated the town (even if, factually, he landed on the side opposite the square!).

Angoville-au-Plain Medics

Robert Wright & Kenneth Moore were two relatively fresh medics who landed in Angoville-au-Plain and set up a makeshift medical center in the church. They treated both American, German, and civilian injuries and saved 80 lives in three days.

Band of Brothers

The afternoon was spent driving around to different areas that had significance historically and in connection to Band of Brothers specifically. Here are some of the places we saw:

• The field where Winters parachuted in (off-target during the D-Day drop, like many in the 101st Airborne)

• The street where Easy Company ambushed soldiers on horseback (and Garnier’s trigger-happy actions reflecting his emotional response to learning his brother had been killed in action — shown in Episode 2. Side note: these were not German troops but Georgian POWs used as supply runners—new things learned!)

• The crash site of Lt. Meehan’s C-47 plane (the lead aircraft in a V-formation; tragically, one of 23 paratrooper planes lost on D-Day... resulted in Winters being promoted)

• The site where Lt. Spiers reportedly executed German POWs—just after Malarkey had a brief conversation with one of them and found out he was also American (Episode 2)

• Brécourt Manor—where Winters led a major tactical victory and military maneuver, taking out cannons aiming at Utah Beach, which helped the Utah landing be a success (Episode 2)

• Carentan—the strategic town that Easy Company helped liberate with fierce urban fighting after securing their D-Day objectives (Episode 3)

Bayeux

40–90% of Normandy’s cities were bombed and destroyed during WWII, but Bayeux was a rare exception (along with Honfleur on the coast). The Germans had tightly restricted access to the town, only a few were allowed to move freely. One of them was a monk, a famous cyclist, who needed to ride outside the city.

Bayeux wasn’t a strategic target... it was more of a leisure post for German soldiers, with "houses of pleasure" (apparently most of the hotels here were that!), a cinema, and very little military equipment. They heard the shelling on D-Day and quickly left to reinforce the coast. The cyclist monk left too, informing the British that the Germans had gone and begging them not to bomb Bayeux. The nearby rown of Caen was 80% destroyed ans Bayeux wasn’t touched. That’s why its cathedral and historic buildings remain intact. Thanks, in part, to the monk, Dom Aubourg.

So with that being said… Bayeux is gorgeous.

It has a completely different vibe from Pari: super laid-back, with a slower pace with both locals and tourists. My Airbnb is a room in a whimsically decorated 16th-century house. My window overlooked Rue Saint-Jean, a strolling street that became unexpectedly lively when a band performed right outside on Saturday night (every other street in this town was completely dead).

Tired from my journey from Paris, I treated myself to the very cheesy, but completely adorable: Petite Tourist Train. It does a 45-minute loop around town with audio in seven languages (including English) and was a perfect intro to Bayeux and a much-needed break for my feet.

I also had my first macarons of the trip at L'Olivier du Macaron which, according to one review was, “better than any I had in Paris.” I can’t speak for Paris, but compared to Canada, these were amazing. Perfect crunch, soft crème filling. I tried blueberry, apricot, vanilla, and apple-caramel and blueberry and apple-caramel were my faves.

Speaking of apples… Normandy is known for them, and thus, for its cider! I tried a glass of Les Vergers de Ducy at dinner, just the right balance of dry and sweet. Goldilocks level goodness.

Bayeux Cathedral

One of the most impressive sights here is the Bayeux Cathedral, built in 1077. It dominates the skyline with its spire. My agnosticism always takes a backseat in Europe, apparently.

My favorite sculpture inside? Two tiny figures called The Bayeux Lovers.

In the evening, I was lucky enough to be there on a day they were doing a light and sound show on the cathedral. Using the art inspired by the painter Alain Thomas, they had moving images depicting the four seasons. It was quite impressive and one of the more magical moments of this trip.

The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is a 950-year-old, 68-meter-long embroidered cloth that depicts the events leading up to William the Conqueror's success at the Battle of Hastings. William then became the subsequent Norman ruler over England in 1066. This tapestey is part of Unesco's Memory of the World.

It can be viewed as a sort of medieval propaganda that justified the Norman invasion to the public, as it was displayed yearly in the cathedral to the majority of illiterate masses. Upon arrival, you are given a headset that tells the story of the tapestry as you slowly walk around it - much like they would have done in the 11th century. It was impressive how well the colours and cloth have kept up, considering all the wars and revolutions that France and England have been a part of since then! 

Afterward, I accidentally napped during a follow-up film (oops), but then wandered into a room full of Pixi statues: cute little metallic miniatures depicting French life, cartoons, and pop culture. I saw Tintin, Astérix, Babar… even the Simpsons!

They also had a miniature replica of the tapestry, which is handy since you can’t take photos of the original.

Bayeux is a stunning, low-key town... a peaceful break from the buzz of Paris, perfect for a weekend away. But that’s not why I came here. I chose Bayeux because of its proximity to the Normandy beaches. And if you know even a smidgen of WWII history, you know that’s a must-visit. That’s where I’m headed next… Stay tuned.

My Paris Art Trail

I’ve done the Louvre and checked off the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I’ve visited Versailles and been humbled by its architecture and extravagance. So, which art gallery is next...

...The Rodin Museum!

I love a good sculpture, probably more than any other type of art. While Henry Moore may be my favorite, I really appreciate the naturalism of Auguste Rodin. His museum was at the top of my list, and luckily, it wasn’t too busy 👌

The sculpture garden was full of his most famous bronze statues like the Thinker, the Kiss and the Gates of Hell. 

There were also statues of influential French leaders I’d never heard of, grouped as The Monument to the Burghers of Calais. It depicts six men who surrendered to the King of England during the Hundred Years’ War. Each figure was displayed solo, then finally together in a powerful grouping. My favorite was Andrieu d’Andres, with his head in his hands, overcome with despair.

The Gates of Hell was another standout—massive and intricate, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, and incorporating many of Rodin’s other works like The Thinker and The Three Shades. I actually saw the original plaster version at the Musée d'Orsay the next day!

After the garden, I toured Rodin's former rental home, Hôtel Biron, which now houses a lot of his art. As expected, I was drawn to my favorite piece of his: The Kiss.

But I was also unexpectedly moved by two of his hand sculptures—The Cathedral and The Secret. These sister statues were beautifully made.

Fun fact: when Rodin first began sculpting, he made a statue of a Belgian soldier that was so lifelike, critics in 1877 accused him of using a life cast instead of sculpting it by hand. Talk about a compliment!

Musee D'Orsay

This has always been a bucket-list museum for me. I love expressionism and post-expressionism, and the architecture alone was worth the visit. The museum is housed in a former train station (Gare d'Orsay) built in 1900, the first electrified urban terminal station in the world. It still has much of that original beauty.

My favorite animal has always been the polar bear (bless you, elementary school project), so I was thrilled to see François Pompon’s sculpture. Pompon worked with Rodin, but his focus was animals, not humans.

I also fell in love with these quirky little sculptures by Léopold Chauveau called Monstre. Which Little Monster speaks to you most? Move over, Seventeen Magazine, this is the hottest personality quiz yet.

Since today was a low-energy, recovering-from-jet-lag kind of day (Rodin Museum and Hôtel des Invalides wore me out yesterday), I headed straight to the 5th floor for the Impressionists while I still had some steam.

I mostly skipped the Renoirs (though I did appreciate Dance at the Moulin de la Galette) and just soaked in the Monets and Van Goghs.

Impressionist Highlights:

• Les Villas à Bordighera – Monet: This surprised me. I thought Monet only did dreamy water lilies and garden scenes, but this Mediterranean villa felt like an exotic twist on his usual.

• Nymphéas bleus – Monet: 😍 Classic for a reason.

• Danseuses bleues – Degas: As a kid, I loved the Degas dancers, so it was special to see this one in person.

• The Siesta – Van Gogh: Something about this just feels peaceful. Like, everything can wait... it’s nap time.

• Starry Night Over the Rhône – Van Gogh: My favorite painting is Starry Night (at MoMA in NYC). This felt like a beautiful brother of it.

• Self-Portrait – Van Gogh: Calm and unhinged all at once. Painted while he was in a psychiatric hospital.

• Port de la Rochelle – Paul Signac: Pointillism at its finest. 'Nuff said.

• The Origin of the World – Gustave Courbet: A bold and divisive piece, but one I find absolutely beautiful. NSFW, so click this link to view.

Thanks for joining me on this little art adventure. I have zero art history background, but I sure appreciate the heck out of it.