A Photo Tour of Lower Normandy

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The moment I first arrived in Lower Normandy following a lengthy ferry ride across the English Channel, my first instinct was to exhale. After spending months cooped up in the choking density of central London I felt a sense of relief from being in the presence of open fields and grazing land. My moment of zen didn’t last long as I was on a tight schedule. Lower Normandy, as it turns out, is a bit of a logistics nightmare if you are traveling without a car. Depending heavily on public transport, I set out to explore three items from my travel “bucket list” – Mont-Saint-Michel, the D-Day Landing Sites and the Bayeux Tapestry.

Mont-Saint-Michel

I caught my first glimpse of Mont-Saint-Michel on the 2-hour train ride from Caen to Pontorson. It exposed itself for a brief moment behind a cluster of drab storage warehouses, giving me and a sprinkling of other tourists on the train a preview of what was to come. Following a short bus ride from Pontorson, Mont-Saint-Michel revealed itself in full view. The result of over 1000 years of construction, this fairytale abbey is perhaps the most photogenic spot in all of France.

View from within Mont-Saint-Michel

The abbey was built at the top of a small island just off the coast from the mainland in a shallow sandy bay. During high tide, water fills the bay and transforms the landscape, making Mont-Saint-Michel appear as a castle floating in the sea. Unfortunately I missed high tide during my visit, but that didn’t take anything away from Michel’s beauty.

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey

Mont-Saint-Michel is still an active abbey and a small group of nuns reside here year round.

Nun climbing the Abbey steps

Even at low tide on a cold and gray morning, the views from the top of Mont-Saint-Michel are stunning. The photo below shows the elevated road from the mainland to Michel as well as the surrounding bay.

View from Mont-Saint-Michel

Below the abbey is a maze of densely packed streets covered in cobblestones, cafes, souvenir shops and a few small museums.  The photo below is from a cafe located at the foot of the island with a cafe au lait in the foreground.

Cafe au Lait

Head east along the coastline from Mont-Saint-Michel and you’ll reach the D-Day landing sites.  Because I was without a rental vehicle, I took a D-Day tour departing from Bayeux.  The photo below is of Pointe du Hoc, just east of Omaha Beach.  It was here that US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to destroy a cluster of German casemates on June 6th, 1944.

Pointe du Hoc

Facing the early morning sun, Pointe du Hoc makes for an eerily serene setting.

Pointe du Hoc Battlefield

Looking towards the English Channel, pockmarks on the ground left by bombs nearly 70 years ago are still clearly evident.

Pointe du Hoc Battlefield

Pointe du Hoc’s proximity to Omaha Beach (shown in the distance below) is part of why it was such a heavily contested area.

Pointe du Hoc Battlefield

Some of the original German bunkers are still in tact and are open to visitors.

German Bunker

Omaha Beach is located a short drive from Pointe du Hoc and is now frequented by dog walkers and joggers.  Nearly 70 years ago, 15,000 soldiers stormed this beach to help liberate Northern France from the Nazis.

Omaha Beach

The Normandy American Cemetery is the final resting place for many of the soldiers who fought on D-Day.  The cemetery is set on a cliff overlooking the English Channel.

Normandy American Cemetery

Most of the graves in the cemetery are named, but there are numerous unnamed markers inscribed with “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God”.

Unnamed Grave

Inland from the D-Day landing sites is the ancient town of Bayeux.  Like most European towns, it is anchored by a formidable cathedral.  The Bayeux Cathedral (below) is striking, but is best known for once being home to the Bayeux Tapestry – a 1000 year old embroidery than runs 230 feet long.

Bayeux Cathedral

Today, the Bayeux Tapestry is held and protected in its own museum just a few steps away from the cathedral.  Across the length of the delicate cloth are numerous panels detailing the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and the subsequent Battle of Hastings.

Bayeux Tapestry

It’s estimated that the embroidery was created sometime around 1066 and the illustrations created from the stitching range from amazing to even comical (see the generously sized horse penis above).  The battle sequences and horses are of particularly high quality, while some of the portraits and faces are reminiscent of Quentin Blake illustrations.

Bayeux Tapestry

Cafe Cats, Belgian Beers and Dutch Masters – This is why I moved to Europe

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Mention Amsterdam to those unfamiliar with the city and chances are you’ll hear them mention “pot” and “prostitution” in their opening breath. It’s sad really, when there’s so much more to Amsterdam and indeed the Netherlands than its unwholesome reputation suggests. I’ve just wrapped up my second trip to the Dutch capital and to date have not stepped foot into a “coffeehouse” or taken a gander at the Red Light District. The truth is that outside heavily trodden tourists zones “coffeehouses” are much more discreet and pretty unremarkable from the exterior, so unless you’re actually seeking these places out, chances are you won’t notice them.

Amsterdam

“Eccentricities” aside, Amsterdam is one of those cities that leaves you Googling your way through pages of apartment listings and real estate ads. It’s just so gosh darn livable and it has reminded of why I moved across the pond to begin with. Just as I did on my first trip, I chose to stay just outside Amsterdam’s center to enjoy the city for what it really is, not what it’s advertised to be. Our hotel was a few blocks west of Leidseplein and within walking distance to the Rijksmuseum. While I enjoyed seeing all the remarkable masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age of painting and reveled in the opportunity to visit the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, the real pleasure came from visiting local restaurants, cafes and simply walking around town.

Painting in the Rijksmuseum

Thanks to a little internet research, I stumbled across a few great bars and restaurants that really summed up Amsterdam for me. The first was called Gollem Proeflokaal, which was just a few minutes from our hotel. Offering 20+ beers on tap and dozens more in bottled form, this tiny bar with dimmed lighting and generous wooden benches made me feel right at home. Gollem’s patrons were all Dutch, though the bar staff seemed to speak with more English fluency than I can claim. As we sat at a table sipping our beers and discussing our weekend options, we were greeted by the only member of the staff who couldn’t speak English, or Dutch for that matter. One of Gollem’s cats (yes, CATS) parked its caboose right next to mine and kept me company while I dined on Flemish stew and french fries.

Belgian Beers

Our special dinner guest.

The next night we visited a small street corner cafe called Toussaint on a quiet block of residential homes just outside of the Jordaan district.  It consisted of an impossibly small kitchen, a small grouping of candlelit tables and a chalkboard menu filled with the day’s specials in Dutch.  Our patient waiter was kind enough to go through and translate each dish on the list for use.  For the same price as dinner and drinks at the awful Zizzis (UK-based Italian chain restaurant . . . think Olive Garden), we enjoyed duck, seafood ravioli, desserts, wine and a beer all under twinkling candlelight.

image courtesy of http://www.bosboom-toussaint.nl

If I had to describe Amsterdam in one word I think it would be “calm”. The people seem calm and the cafes and bars are cozy. Walking down the city streets I encountered numerous mouthwatering independent shops selling everything from the little wooden toys I once had as a kid to quirky home furnishings and handmade odds and ends. Next to the sidewalks an endless stream of bicycles outfitted with wicker baskets whizz past and it all seemed so comfortable. I think I’d like to live here one day, but until then I am content with the fact that I’m just an hour’s flight away.

Historic Hiking in Gibraltar

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View of Gibraltar

On the surface, Gibraltar appears to be little more than a boozy, sun kissed British overseas territory.  Best known for its status as a tax haven, the tiny 2 square mile town consists of a myriad of crumbling housing estates and cobbled roads lined with shops hawking duty-free alcohol sprinkled in with a few British high street brands.  However, few of us tourists make the trek down here for just the town.  The towering Rock of Gibraltar is the territory’s main attraction and in addition to some of the best hiking I’ve ever experienced, it’s home to (in my opinion) a treasure trove of grossly underappreciated historic artifacts and features.

From a geographic perspective, Gibraltar sits at the southern tip of the European subcontinent and it is separated from Africa by the 9-mile wide Strait of Gibraltar.  In antiquity, this was considered (more or less) the end of the known world.  Providing access between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Gibraltar has long been a sought after spot for both strategic military and trade reasons.  Over millennia, a wide range of peoples and civilizations have made their mark on the rock.  An avid fan of ancient history, I made it my mission to take a gander at some of its older sites starting from 40,000 BCE and ending in the 1400s.

St. Michael’s Cave
St. Michael’s Cave has a very unassuming tunnel entrance that opens up into a dazzling display of limestone stalactites and stalagmites carved by rainwater over countless years.  This is the first significant cave I had ever visited and I was floored by how organic and beautiful it was.  The cave has received several mentions throughout history and is also known to have provided shelter to Neolithic peoples (approx. 20,000 years ago) and Neanderthals (approx. 40,000 years ago) as evidenced by the skulls, cave painting and bowls that they left behind.

St. Michael’s Cave

The Mediterranean Steps
Originally carved in the 18th century by the British as a means of traveling from one major defense point to another, the Mediterranean Steps scale nearly 200 meters of sheer limestone rock face.  The steps make up a popular hiking path today and offer absolutely stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and Spain’s Costa del Sol in the distance.  It also passes by several structures and tunnels made by soldiers both in the 18th century and during WWII.  The hike, however, is pretty challenging.  While most tourist choose to climb up (from Jew’s Gate to O’hara’s Battery), it’s probably easier to take them down in the opposite direction.

Well worth the hike: View of the Med Sea from the Med Steps

The Pillars of Hercules
In classical antiquity, the Pillars of Hercules consisted of the Rock of Gibraltar and a neighboring peak across the strait in Africa (the exact peak is up for debate).  At the crossroads between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, this was a crucial spot in the ancient world. It was mentioned by Plato and was settled by the Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and even the Vandals .  Standing on Gibraltar’s peak and staring across the strait towards Africa put me through a bit of a time warp.  As the geographic features have not really changed since ancient times, I could have easily been standing on the same spot and sharing the same view as an early Phoenician did settler 3,000 years ago.

Pillars of Hercules — View of Africa

Moorish Castle
The Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula around 700 AD, which subsequently led to a centuries-long power struggle for Gibraltar.  The origins of Gibraltar’s Moorish Castle date back to the 700s, but what stands today is a reconstruction from the Moors second time at Gibraltar’s helm in the 1400s.  Today, there is unfortunately not a whole lot left to the structure, but it still provides a glimpse into the region’s rocky past.

Moorish Castle with Barbary Ape in the Foreground

Hiking Review
As an added bonus to all this history, the scenery from Gibraltar’s hiking trails are second to none.  There are also plenty of barbary apes (macaques) and high-flying seagulls to keep you company during your walk.  The entire rock can be viewed in 1-day if you’re up to the challenge.  My boyfriend and I were able to get through most of it in 5-6 hours, though my legs are still feeling the effects of all that walking.
Trails crossing the rock are well paved and shared with vehicles.  The exception to this is the Mediterranean Steps.  They are incredibly steep, slippery and I would consider them to be dangerous if you aren’t in great shape. I would not recommend them for the elderly or younger children.

 

Though Gibraltar is a popular summertime destination, if you’re here to hike and see the historic sites on the rock I suggest coming in the cooler months.  The weather was perfect for hiking during my 2-day visit (early Feb) and I imagine the weather will stay cool for another few months or so.

Barbary Ape Taking in the View

Pertinent Information:
Getting to Gibraltar — 4 daily flights operate from London to Gibraltar (2x British Airways, 1x Easy Jet, 1x Monarch)
Getting to the Rock — Hike either towards Jew’s Gate or the Moorish Castle; Take the Cable Car (my recommendation); Take a Taxi