After a long week in Italy and an overnight train back to France, I finally got to meet up with my mom and spend a few days with her. We met at the train station in Paris and spent a few hours walking around before we got on our train to Normandy. I introduced my mom to the acclaimed apricot croissant before we went to the Latin Quarter and then to see the beautiful Sacre Coeur. After my second attempt at liking Paris, I have decided that it is too stressful for me and I'm leaving it alone for the rest of this trip. I haven't gone into the Louvre, but I think I can live with that being the only thing I missed out on for now.

Our hotel in Bayeux turned out to be a beautiful old chateau with a swan pond and a horse farm, which I suppose was an upgrade from a week of campgrounds and hostels. Aunt Rita and Uncle Rob and their friends Walt and Kathy were already there when we arrived so I got hugs all around- then I was told that if I was planning to shower it better be fast because we had things to do (Aunt Rita, of course ). We spent the evening walking around town and doing some shopping. At dinner I showed off my new cultural expertise by demonstrating how to properly taste wine and explaining that the cheese on my plate was Morbier and that there was an actual reason for having a line of ash in the middle of it… if anyone wants to know more about French cheese, you can ask me but I'll probably have to Wikipedia it. It was solely by chance that I knew about that one but they all seemed impressed.

We drove down to Mont St. Michel on Sunday which is an awesome sight. My brother actually showed me a picture of it in a travel magazine once and explained that it is an island when the tide is in and part of the mainland when the tide is out. Mont St. Michel is surrounded by nothing but flat land so when it finally comes into view from a distance it is like the Emerald City. We climbed (and climbed) to the top and the view was incredibly vast. You can see from the pictures that there is really nothing surrounding this place- it was definitely worth the visit. On the drive home, Uncle Rob was nice enough to take me to Omaha Beach so that I could see the D-Day memorials even though they had already gone, but unfortunately the cemetery was already closed by the time we got there. I did get to see one of the beaches and a plaque, so I don't feel like I ignored the history of Normandy completely.

On Monday we made our way back to Lyon so that I could attend half of a class, but most of the day was spent in transit so we saved the touristy things for Tuesday. Lyon is small and requires a day at most, so by 3:30 on Tuesday we had gone shopping and seen our Cathedral and basically came back to my apartment so that I could offer the use of my internet before dinner. By the way, my mom bought a very cute bag and some great European eyeglasses, so when you see her you can compliment her on her stylish new look.

Since we exhausted Lyon on Tuesday, Wednesday we decided to go to Annecy- a very cute lakeside town with the French Alps in the background. I had visited Annecy the first weekend I was in Europe and I knew my mom would enjoy it; it is beautiful and relaxed, so I figured it would be a good way to spend her last day here. We had a nice time walking around, shopping, eating and catching up. We even took an hour-long boat ride around the lake at my mom's suggestion… first she decides she can get on airplanes, and now she likes boats. Things have changed.

Anyway, my visit with my mom was just what I have needed. I'm really glad she was able to come, I know Europe wasn't exactly her thing but it was good to just spend some time together and have her see first-hand what I'm experiencing here. It is also nice to have the Goldfish and Orbit gum that she stashed in her suitcase for me. Now, I'm off to take a recovery nap after almost 2 weeks of non-stop traveling... I don't think Madrid is going to happen this weekend. I need a break.

PICTURES: http://clipsnag.com/Caitness/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=31