Sept-Vents, Arromanches, and Bayeux

La Maison Fleury, photo courtesy 

of Brice Fleury.

I might be known for a bit of hyperbole every now and then, but when I talk about ideal places on this planet, I am very selective and very thoughtful about them.  Conneaut Lake, Mont-St-Michel, Rome, and Sept-Vents (Seven-Winds)--home of the famille Fleury, are a few of these places.  I first visited the Fleurys in 2004, before I went to a summer program in Montpellier.  Michèle is the cousin of a former French professor I had at UNC who said that if I was going to France, I had to meet his family.  I am very glad I did!  I remember at the end of the first time I visited, they said, "Lisa, you are always welcome here, and someday you can bring your husband and your children to visit."  I also remember thinking that would never happen, but now I am married and have taken my husband there!

One very happy cat.

A home where cats warm
themselves by the fire.

So, what's so wonderful about it?  Well, to know a bit about that, you need to know a bit about my definition of a home.  First, you obviously have to have love, and second, you have to welcome all kinds of life (especially cats).  Third, you have to open your home to others (as many of you know we are doing this semester here!).  So, in Sept-Vents, first, it's full of a wonderful family.  Secondly, they have cats and other animals!  Third, they treated me like I was one of them from the get-go.  Now onto other things...fourth, it's out in the countryside, which I love.  Fifth, they grow a lot of their own food, make everything homemade, and live a very organic life.  This time, just one example of some amazing food was dessert one evening--raspberry sorbet topped with homemade raspberry coulis, with a vanilla langue de chat.  Perfection. Now I hope you can understand why I think it's ideal.

Pierre Fleury, Justine, et leurs meilleurs amis.

Organic dairy.

On Saturday, Michèle took us to the local organic farm where the Fleurys buy their dairy products and other local items, like delicious cider and bread.  On the way there, we got to see some property owned by Americans--the Forbes!  Apparently, the family likes châteaux and bought one for themselves.  We also visited the chapel beside it, which was very pretty both inside and out!  At first we thought it wasn't open, but a nice lady who lived next door assured us that it was. The inside reminded us of the church next to the Wenzel Family's Cemetery in Illinois that we visited this summer.

Le Château Balleroy, owned by the Forbes family.

Chapel by the château.

Chapel interior.

Arromanches at low tide, with remains of the port in the

background.

That afternoon, Michèle and Brice took us to see the D-Day beaches and museum at Arromanches, which is where the British landed on June 6, 1944.  Off the shore, the Allies built a whole port.  The museum was very technical, so we got to learn a lot about how the port actually functioned and that it continued to be used.  I always had a difficult time remembering that the beaches weren't entirely abandoned after June 6th; they continued to serve as the port.  The exhibit did a good job of showing the effects of the embarkment on all the nations involved in the campaign. 

On the way home, we stopped and visited Michèle's parents, and it was so nice to see them again!  I hadn't seen them in seven years except through Facebook (ah, Facebook, I admit you are useful for some things!).  We had a very nice cup of tea and finally got to try the LU butter cookies that we'd seen in Nantes.

The next day, Michèle took us to Bayeux, another of my favorite places (can you tell I really like Normandy?).  Bayeux is the seat of the diocese in which Caen, the capital of Basse-Normandie, is located.  The cathedral was built by William the Conqueror's half-brother in 1077.  It lost some of its prominence when William moved the Capital to Caen, but as you can see from the cathedral, it is still very impressive.  The interior of the cathedral is gorgeous and full of light, which we have found is somewhat rare for medieval cathedrals and much more characteristic of the abbeys we've visited.  It felt very welcoming.  The town is also home to the Bayeux tapestry, a 70-meter long embroidered work of linen and wool that tells the story of William the Conqueror's conquest (shocking!) of England.  Here is a link to a rather amusing video that animates the tapestry.

Cathedral, Bayeux.

Cathedral interior, Bayeux.

Back at the house, we enjoyed good company and good food around the table, ending the evenings with enjoyable games of Scrabble and Bananagrams (which you should really try if you haven't; it's great for even one person!).  In all, we had a fantastic visit spending time with the Fleurys and sight-seeing, and we thank them for a lovely visit!  

Scrabble with Michèle, Brice, Justine, Pierre, and Aaron.