Gothic Cathedrals

Welcome to the quiet, quaint medieval town of Canterbury, England; home of the famous Canterbury Cathedral which was the seat of Roman Catholic Power in England until the Protestant Reformation during the 1500s-1600s.

The house is actually leaning to the right!!! The door is collapsing, but supposedly the owners have reinforced everything, and the townspeople still use the building on a regular basis. Yeah.... right?! This is also our awesome Tour Guide for the trip who was a saint for putting up with all of my hellions for 10 days. :)

Medieval meets modern...

Here is the memorial for the Archbishop Thomas Beckett who King Henry IV (I believe... don't quote me on that! All of the Roman numerals get soo confusing!) had killed because they disagreed on their political and spiritual views.

As we walked around the cloisters, we could hear the choir singing!

Now we visit the majestic figure of the Notre Dame Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France. It is one of 7 Notre Dame Gothic Cathedrals in France.

Everywhere we went the flowers were just huge and gorgeous!! How I wish the San Anton climate would allow for this!!

Rose and Lancet windows

Very old pilgrimage shrine to the Virgin Mary (her clothes are new though)

The altar looked like it belonged in Italy, not France!! All that white and green Italian marble...

Pretty sure Batman helped create the design for the organ... hehe!

Brittany and Normandy, France

Welcome to the coastal towns of Ponceut, Mont St. Michel and St. Malo!!!

Sweet bunch of kiddos!

This was our hotel for 2 nights: an old, restored Medieval Monastery!!! Little bitty rooms with little bitty staircases... The monks were skinny dudes!  

Honestly and truthfully, the most impressive thing I have ever seen, period!

Mont St. Michel- an old monastery which then became a fortress which then became a prison! Today, it is the 2nd major tourist attraction in France!!

There are over 600 steps to the top... if you were curious and yes! We walked them all....

Mont St. Michel sits on an island in the sea. The tides and currents are very strong here. When we arrived, the tide was out: you can see all of the salt marshes and mud flats. As we left around 3-4 hours later, the tide was back in and all the way up to the walkway and main gate of the place.

This is St. Malo, France; a tiny peninsula town on the coast of Brittany. They are famous for their privateers during the Age of Exploration. Most of the people who lived in St. Malo would have been called millionaires and billionaires by our monetary standards today. They value their own city more than either the Brittany region or France.

Once again, everything is tidal here. When we arrived, the tide was out. Many of our group went to down to the beach to explore and put their feet in the North Atlantic. By the time we left, the tide was back in.

A storm was rolling in, creating the beautiful colors in the sky and in the water. The town was a favorite with the students and adults. :)

Such yummy treats to choose from here: Salt water taffy, Macaroon and Meringue cookies, Gelato, real, freshly caught seafood!! Yum Yum!