Sara’s parents came to visit us for two weeks in the beginning of September. We did day trips to Lyon (one of the three largest cities in France) and Chamonix-Mont Blanc (Mt. Blanc is the tallest peak in Europe) and we took a longer trip to the Loire Valley (castles, anyone?), Mont Saint Michel and the Normandy Beaches in northwest, and then back to the Loire (more castles, anyone?). See a bit of France through the pictures.
Villandry
This castle, purchased by the family of its current owners in 1908, was used to display their art collection. The owners beautifully restored a number of the gardens after the...
Cheverny
This castle was built as a hunting lodge. It is relatively small in size and was never owned by a king or queen of France and has been owned by...
Chamonix-Mont Blanc
After our longer trip across France, we did a day trip to Chamonix-Mont Blanc. The town looks very Italian which is not surprising since it's very close to the Italian...
Lyon
The first few days of Sara's parents' visit were very rainy, so we opted to go to Lyon and see some museums. We visited the Printing Museum and then the...
Guedelon
Guedelon ( is the first castle we visited. Unlike the other castles we visited, this one is currently under construction, using as many 13th century techniques as they can. They...
Chenonceau
Chenonceau is the third most visited castle in France (after Versailles and Fontainbleu). The original defensive castle was destroyed, except for one tower (La Tour des Marques), and the palace...
Chaumont
The castle of Chaumont was built on the side of a hill overlooking the Loire River. It's architecture and construction are that of a defensive castle. Castles eventually went out...
Chambord
This castle was originally built to be a hunting lodge, but then was turned into a palace. It has a keep with a fantastic double spiral staircase. Inspired by a...
Mont Saint Michel
Monks came to this tidal island seeking a retreat from the world; they built a church on the very pinnacle of the island on a foundation of vaults. It soon...
Normandy Beaches
The beaches of Normandy are where the tide of World War Two began to turn in favor of the allies in Europe (D-Day). The Americans, British, French and Canadians reclaimed...