Western France

I lose track of the number of times I have been to France – maybe five or six. Perhaps I am drawn here in part since my heritage and a petite bit of sang du France pulses in my veins. (according to our book of genealogy, Jean dejarnat, a Huguenot, fled the country to avoid religious persecution after the king revoked the Edict of Nantes.

The Edict of Nantes, a document signed in 1598 by Henry IV, aimed to give Calvinist Protestants amnesty and restore their civil rights in a country where the predominant religion was Catholicism. . Some years later it went through what we shall call a ‘shaky period’. Finally, in 1685 Louis XIV gave it the coup de grace. Protestants were given two weeks to leave the country or convert to Catholicism. To exacerbate the situation and cause immense confusion Protestants were forbidden to leave the country. (Hmm, reminds me of present day Presidential proclamations.) Still, some several hundred thousand souls fled. The number is put at somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000.

It is interesting to note that according the DeJarnette book of genealogy my ancestor arrived on the shores of America, in Virginia, in 1705. I think if the story of him fleeing from persecution is true, he should be in the Guinness Book of Records for taking 30 years to pack his bags. But history is history and we can only be left to wonder.

France has given us much to enrich our lives – The Statue of Liberty, statuesque Brigit Bardot, art movements such as Impressionism, an appreciation of fine wine, and on and on. I’ll share some sights and memories with you from my recent 10 days in the western part of the country.

Who doesn’t know of Monet’s waterlily paintings? He lived a lifetime in a house next to the pond in Giverny. I was taken by the difference in the changing light for just the few hours I spent there. Just imagine what the artist saw and how he was inspired over the last three decades of his life painting about 250 of those scenes.

His house is open to the public and is filled with art, furnishings and mementos of his life.

There are about 40 or so framed Japanese woodblock prints adoring his walls among other works of art. I am happy to report that I possess several of them!

Now, on to Mount Saint Michel. Who of you haven't come across a calendar with an iconic photo of this abbey standing alone surrounded by water off the coast of Normandy? Well, how about checking into your hotel room and being treated to this view?

Not only that but to get up the next morning and see it like this, shrouded in the morning mist.

And then to ever so slowly watch it emerge.

From Mont Saint Michel it was just a short hop to Saint Malo, a centuries old walled city perched at the edge of the Normandy coast.

Saint Malo, first founded by the Gauls in the 1^st century BC, is often said to be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Having spent a night in a hotel in the heart of the walled city, dined on plump succulent mussels with a delightful red wine late in the evening, wandered and at times became a bit lost because it is much larger than say Carcassonne (another famed walled city in the Languedoc region of France) I am in full agreement. Disney could not capture the essence of this magical place.

Here is a picture of the harbor.

And before we depart Saint Malo here are a couple of pictures of the dessert that followed those succulent mussels.

The cookie layers separating all that Chantilly creme are composed of crushed baked almonds. Fresh raspberries stud the Chantilly creme and it is positively floating on a raspberry coulis. It was definitely worth the $10 price tag!

From Saint Malo it was an hour or so by fast ferry to Jersey which is one of the three islands off the coast of Brittany. Although they are close to France the Channel islands (Jersey, Gurnsey and Sark) are actually British. Aside from high prices, winding roads and windswept scenery I found little to hold in common with the thousands of English who flock here in the summer.

The one thing - the 'War Tunnels' proved to be very moving. Here pictures, sights and sounds chronicle the coexistence of occupying German troops and the locals who stayed behind. Churchill announced that the islands would be left undefended - non military - and residents had just a scant few hours to make up their minds to stay behind or flee to England for the duration of the war. What would your decision have been?

Back from Jersey it was on to the American D Day cemetery in Normandy. Who hasn't heard of Omaha or Utah beaches where the American troops landed and fought such a brutal and deadly battle to gain a toe hold for the invasion to follow?

I had been here before just to stroll the grounds. But this time I took advantage of going on a tour. It evoked a somber feeling as I followed the tour guide and listened to the stories of actual service members buried there.

We can't have a blog post without something about food. Normandy sits on the coast and seafood abounds.

Here is a deluxe version of a seafood appetizer - albeit it a little unusual. Whelks, and snails, among other local delicacies grace the plate.

On to the Bayeux Cathedral consecrated by William Duke of Normandy and King of England on July 14, 1077. To put it simply, this is one of the most immense cathedrals I have ever been in.