Travel Diaries: France 2022

  Although I'm now fully in the Autumn spirit, I wanted to share my favourite days from my Summer trip abroad as this was the first time I had been away on a holiday since 2019! From the 10th - 28th of July, I went to France with my family. We stayed in a little cottage in Landivy and visited a lot of places in and around Normandy.

 I had been so excited to head back to France again and revisit some of my favourite places - as well as visit some new places - and I wanted to share a few of my favourite days here on my blog.

Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët Bastille Night

I love Saint Hilaire's Bastille celebrations and firework display so I was very excited to be returning this year for all the festivities. The mayor of the town said that this year was the first proper fireworks display since the Covid-19 pandemic which meant that there was that little bit more excitement in the air and more people came to see it all. There was a little market set up in the town which I had a little look around before the show started. I got a sugar dusted waffle then found a nice spot to sit at in the public gardens where the display was going to take place. Saint Hilaire has such a lovely spot for their fireworks as their display takes place over a little pond. The fireworks go off in time to music and it all just felt so magical. Afterwards there was a show in the town square with singers up on a stage. So many people of all ages were dancing and singing and it all felt truly lovely to be a part of - especially considering it had been the first proper Bastille celebration in so long. It was such a great night.

Fougères

I visited the town of Fugères for the first time which combined two things I love about travelling - visiting new places and exploring old towns. There's a fortress and cobbled streets and lots of little places to explore and discover. I went on a walk around the gardens which was very beautiful and overlooked a castle. I also visited the castle and took the tour inside which was also fun. It was a lovely, warm, sunny day and I was loving taking in the sights and exploring the different parts of the town. 

Zoo De Champrépus

Of course I had to re-visit my favourite zoo once again! It turned out to be one of the hottest days of the trip (40°C !!) which actually isn't the best kind of weather to visit a zoo because a lot of the animals are also feeling the heat and lying down in shady parts. Nevertheless, it was still a brilliant day out and there were still lots of animals to see. I fed the little baby goats while they all tried to climb up to reach the food. There were lots of lemurs this year to be seen and there is a part in the zoo where you can walk through and walk right with the lemurs which was fun. There were penguins swimming in their enclosure which was something I hadn't seen before. I took my big camera and zoom lens and managed to get some great close-up shots of the animals. I definitely took far too many photos on this trip but there was just so much to see and the animals kept moving and I just wanted to capture it all😄. I always recommend a trip to the Zoo De Champrépus because I think it's such a great zoo with lota of animals and places to walk around.

Saint Malo

On of my favourite places to visit in France is the Saint Malo old town. I love this walled town and all the little streets to explore. I actually went there twice this year and even discovered new places on both occasions. I love all the touristy shops there and all the cafes. There was a Harry Potter shop which sold official merchandise which was brilliant. I went on a boat cruise and it was so sunny and warm that I worried about falling asleep and missing all the sights. I went early(ish) in the morning and stayed all day. You really can have a whole day here as there's so many little places to visit/do while here. We went on a ferris wheel which overlooked the old town and it was really cool to see the place from up high. We also walked around the ramparts which gives you nice sights overlooking the sea and the cobbled streets.

Mont-Saint-Michel

Another place we visited twice was Mont-Saint-Michel which is possibly my most favourite place in the world. We actually did Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel on the same day (both times) which meant we were out of the house by about eight in the morning and not returning home till after 12am. I'd do it all again though because I just love it so much. Going to Mont-Saint-Michel later in the day is what I prefer because it's much less busy. We parked at the car park and took the shuttle bus to the Mont. I visited a few shops and explored the little streets. We went to a little cafe for crepes and a drink. I've visited Mont-Saint-Michel in three different years now but this year was the first I'd ever went inside the actual Abbey before. In previous years I hadn't been too fussed because there was already so much to see from the outside but this year we all decided to go for it and do the night tour. I actually really enjoyed myself and found the history of the place so fascinating to hear about. Plus I got to see a part of the mont I'd never seen before. As it was later in the day, the tour also wasn't too busy. I watched the sunset from the top of the Abbey. At the end of the evening, we walked back to the car park as the queue for the bus was massive and we'd have missed the last bus anyway if we waited. This meant that on one of the days we did Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel, we'd walked almost 33,000 steps! It was well worth it for such a brilliant day.

Those were a few of my favourite days in France this year. Almost every day we got up early and did something to make the most of our time there and to make up for the lost years we could've had if we'd been able to travel. I also loved the days of going to little French markets and shopping in the supermarkets. Other days out included one to a theme park (Ange Michel) and a treetop adventure place (Forêt Adrénaline). I also enjoyed going for walks around Avranches playing boules at Insigny-Le-Buat. Overall, it was a brilliant holiday and I can't wait for the next adventure abroad!

Bye for now, xo