More Photos

We take holidays for many different reasons. Our visit to Normandy in France was to spend some quality family time with Sally and the children. Escaping for a week in the summer holidays with Bryony and Rhia can be expensive but I am pleased to say this was a great way to do this on a budget. Disneyland magic, then peaceful relaxation in beautiful settings made summer 2008 rather special.

We have friends (Graham and Debby) who rent their charming 3 bedroom cottage out in La Baroche Sous Luce, which is close to Domfront which nobody has heard of so when the girls were asked where we were going in France the reply was always ‘Graham's Place’

As the cost for accommodation and two ferry crossings was so low, Sally and I decided to include a day at Disneyland, Paris into the trip. The ferry and drive to Paris went smoothly and we spent some time driving through the city ending up driving along the banks of The Seine to The Eiffel Tower. The photo shoot was followed by a lovely meal in a pavement café before retiring to our overnight hotel in the suburbs.

The next morning we made our way to Disneyland which lived up to the girl’s high expectations. Bryony is 11 and Rhia is 6 which is perfect and the girls smiled all day as they met the characters and enjoyed some of the rides. Smallworld was a favourite and by the time we left around 5pm everyone was really tired. That’s okay as everyone fell asleep except me as I drove the 3 hour journey to ‘Grahams Place’.

Situated overlooking the village church, with a tiny village shop that was also the only bar, it was perfect to experience the French way of life. The small town of Domfront was just a 5 minute drive. It is a medieval town with much character as well as great shops, restaurants and 3 supermarkets. As we were in ‘real France’ without tourists, there were few souvenir shops, however there were great little craft shops and always a never ending supply of baguettes’, cheeses, and wine to choose from.

Exploring Normandy and the Loire Valley allowed us to see some beautiful scenery and discover places like Mayenne and our favourite place…Bagnoles de l’Orne. With a magnificent lake, great lakeside restaurants and a real green forest all around. It was great for walking, eating and photos. As most French shops close for around 3 hours at lunchtime, what better way to enjoy France than with a great meal in such relaxed and pleasant surroundings?

After 5 days at ‘Graham's Place’ it was time to drive back to Calais for the ferry to Dover, then the 1 hour drive back home to Hastings.

If you would like to know more about holidays in France, Disneyland Paris or the area of Normandy, please call or email me. I hope you like the selection of photos taken during our summer holiday of 2008.

Thank you for reading my journal.