well, i'm off

this week has been such a flurry of activity... between work, doctors appts, finalizing places to stay, making lists, stopping the mail, checking-in with the cat sitter, approving colors for the house, and shopping for last-minute items - i cannot WAIT to board that plane tomorrow... oh, and because my credit card company sucks - an order i placed for euros was cancelled and now we won't have any on-hand when we get there... i know there are ATMs, but i was hoping to have some cash beforehand... c'est la vie...

for the past 2 days, i've been researching places to stay in the normandy and mont saint-michel area... i thought it would be cool to stay in a small chateau (some were dirt-cheap compared to a hotel) so i contacted about 20 of them... i heard back from a few and because we had waited so long to make arrangements, most places were booked unfortunately... but someone must have blessed-us with good luck because just this morning - 2 of the places that we really liked were available and will cost under $75/night (see pic of one of the kitchens)... that's crazy! though they are not the majestic and large chateaus that i had originally looked at - they are instead smaller type farmhouses in the country that will be just perfect... i think i'm more excited about this part of the trip, more than anything else, but know that will change... =)

here is a map that i created, showing our route in blue and noting the places where we will be staying... we fly into Paris on saturday, then it's off to Tours for a few days, then to La Rochelle on the west coast, and then up to Carnac, which is also on the coast... both are quaint, sea-side towns, and have lots to see and experience (medieval ruins, etc.)... from Carnac - we are headed to the north coast and will be staying between Mont Saint-Michelle and the Normandy beaches - both of which should be amazing... and then it's back to Paris for a few days... i'm tired already, but am looking forward to getting a lot of exercise and eating a lot of french bread and cheese (in moderation, of course)... and though some say it's not recommended - i will also be having some wine but will limit my intake and not have it every night...

i will try and post some pics, but can't promise anything... hope you have a great 2 weeks and i'll see you on the 29th... =)
 
happy thursday...