Since I knocked of Mont St. Michel a day earlier than planned, I had a free half-day. I had read a little bit about Cancale, and the French woman I sat next to on the train to Caen recommended it, along with St. Malo and Dinard. Over breakfast the owner of the B&B also recommended Cancale and St. Malo, which were less than 45 minutes away, so I decided to go. About half way to Cancale, I hit the beach, and the rest of the drive went along the coast. I don't know if there is a better way to spend a Saturday morning than zipping along the French coast in a little car with manual transmission on a sunny day with the windows down. The scenery was spectacular. I ended up spending a couple hours in Cancale, walking the boardwalk and exploring the town. Unfortunately, this didn't leave any time for St. Malo. Next time! These towns are in the area called Brittany, which is immediately west of Normandy. With the French using Ascension Thursday to make a long weekend, I think they place was pretty packed for late May. I didn't hear a single language other than French the entire time I was there.

I arrived in Bayeux and hour before I could check in to the apartment, so I saw a bit of the town. (As opposed to getting out of Caen, I had almost a perfect trip through the city of Bayeux. Sometimes the stars line up…) It is lively! I thought it would be a quiet, sleepy country village, but it appears the tourism business has served the town well, this place is lively. And they know how to play it up; the storefronts have painted windows in honor of the 70th anniversary; everywhere you turn is something related o D-Day. I'm hearing English almost as much as I'm hearing French. I checked into the hotel at the same time as a couple guys from Holland. I've heard lots of Brits, too. Anyway, I spend the remainder of the day shopping for supplies, unpacking, getting dinner and otherwise settling in.

The apartment is decent. This is the one that had me nervous because they were not great with communication. First and foremost, it is very safe, clean, and the location is fabulous." Wi-fi is weak, if it works at all. I was told the apartment had a washer and dryer, but in truth, the complex has a washer and dryer. (Ironically, the best wifi connection is in the laundry room.) But I have a functioning TV and get the channel for the French Open! And the size of the apartment is good, with a bedroom totally separate from the living area. The big negative is that my location is like Grand Central Station…everyone else walks right by my apartment to get to their apartment. And the paths are narrow, so they are walking right by my windows. To avoid feeling like I'm in a fishbowl, I have the blinds drawn. Not quite like Paris where I was a couple stories off the ground and would leave the windows open so I could hear the church bells. But I'm in Bayeux!

TV note: French TV has the following English speaking channels: CNN international, BBC, CNBC Europe and Sky International (new/business). In other words, news, news and more news. BIG, BIG treat as I type this: CNBC is playing the past week's episodes of The Tonight Show. But wait, it gets better….Hugh Jackman is the current guest.