French Impressions - (Basse Normandie in two weeks)

Just back from two week away in France.  Here's some of our first impressions:

Bayeux: Home of the Tapestry,  and this Cathedral

From the wide range of medieval cathedrals that had been patched up after WW2 this was perhaps the most impressive:

Rouen Cathedral

 It's so big you can't get it all in one shot!

At closer quarters

There is also a range a wide range of chateaux of varying ages:

William The Conquerer's Castle at Falaise

It's hidden behind massive ramparts - this is about a third of it!

Carrouge-This is just the Gate House!

Another fantastic day trip was Mont St Michel:

Mt St Michel

I must admit to not having heard of the City of Caen before.  It was certainly a revelation:

St Etienne in Caen -

One of Caen's functioning cathedrals

Every town, however scarred seemed to be proud of its medieval centre:

Domfront Cathedral with reconstructed spire

And there were spa towns too:

The Casino at Bagnoles-de-l'Orne

There was heritage, and (working bells) in every village

Our local village church!

We even stopped off where they make them:

Bell foundry at Villedieu les Poeles

For all the focal point buildings there was also a lot of countryside:

Hedgerow in 'Bocage' country

We had a great time!