Normandy, France and Mont Saint Michel with Our Big Family Abroad

This was the rental house I was most excited to stay in. A farmhouse with a horse, sheep and a tree swing. I loved it!

Learning Abroad

We have had some wonderful learning experiences so far. Normandy, France has been incredible. Before we drove to the Omaha Beach in Normandy, we did some research and watched a few videos with our children. We were able to teach them more about WWII and what D-day was. They learned how young, brave and probably scared these soldiers were going into the Battle at Normandy. I was able to talk with them about how my grandfather, their great grandfather, Kenneth Pitts, was one of the soldiers who Stormed the Beaches of Normandy. I felt a reverence and a pride in our country and our soldiers; who defend, protect and help others have freedom. We also went to the American Cemetery and Museum and learned more about WWII.

Mont Saint Michel

This was incredible! It was so interesting to learn about this Abbey. Saint-Aubert had Mont Saint Michel built in 708 after he had seen Saint-Michel appear in his dreams three times. Over the next 1,300 years Mont Saint Michel continued to develop and expand.

We purchased our tickets into the Abbey, two days before our arrival. We are in December and in Off Season, which is so nice for less crowds. We parked and took a free shuttle up to the edge of the Abbey. We then walked up and through pathways and small shops until we reached a steep set of stairs, called the “Grand Degré,” which is a large staircase of around 350 steps. We paid extra for the audio tour, which we enjoyed, and tickets were free for children under 18. The view from the Abbey was wonderful and we enjoyed walking through the Abbey rooms. I enjoyed seeing the large chimneys used for cooking and warmth and the architecture of the buildings. We learned that many people throughout history pilgrimaged to this Abbey, including many French Kings, all asking for Eternal Life from Saint-Michel.

The tide water was low, so after our tour we came out of the Abbey and we were able to walk around the entire Mont Saint Michel.  It was really fun!