Hot, hot, hot

Weekend  trip n°1 near Caen 

So it's been almost 90 degrees here for the past week or so, super humid as well. Us Normands are certainly not used to this heat.                                                                                                                   We've been opting for shade where we can find it unlike some of our friends rushing to the beach. 

This place is very near Caen, about a 15 minute drive. These were limestone quarries and then many years later used to grow mushrooms. You could just feel the cool air pouring out of them. There must have been a temperature change of like 20 degrees. 

Also on this walk is the old Church in the village of Thaon dating from the between the 6th and 7th century.  Mom we visited this when you were here, many years ago, Seb was probably like 7. I remember we all were wearing winter hats:)

Ha! I found the photos.                                                                                                                                Thank you who? Thank you my blog. It was October 2012. And funny enough, I was right, Seb was 7 years old. We're standing right in front of the same church pictured above.

Winter hats in October !!!!

Back to 2023.... 

Weekend day trip n°2

The house below is not far from Chenedouit.                                                                                                  It's listed as someone's "vacation home, but looks empty and overgrown. It's right on a river and used to have a functioning waterwheel.

This picnic table was in the back yard. 

Made of granite, reminded me of a tomb and not some inviting place I'd want to eat. 

I'd go bonkers personally if I had to listen to the rushing water day in and day out but it was nice and soothing for the short bit of time we were there. Sounds nice until you actually live there.

Their BBQ in their back yard and a shot of the river which ran next to the house as well as a shot of Stephane on the not so secure looking bridge. 

I assume these people had to drive their car to the other side of the river and then take the small footbridge with all of their stuff to get to their house. The only other way in from the same side of the river as their house is a 45 minute hike in from the road. 

Before you reached the above mentioned house, there was a church. That was the original reason for our visit. Only a 5 minute drive from Chenedouit and then a good 30-40 minute walk in from the road. It's in the middle of the woods and apparently there was a village here as well (hence the shots below of the well and one shot of crumbling walls from at least one farm.)

It was so remote, I could never in a million years imagine living here. Just to get to the road a 40 minute walk, pretty hilly and steep in parts, and then you're still a good 10 minute drive to the closest little town. 

All the shots which follow are on the path to get to the church and waterwheel house. It was really beautiful and green. Really remote. The name of the town is Saint Aubert sur Orne. 

The path starting off from the road....

The red, yellow and white marks on the tree are for hikers to mark the trail.                                                    I love all the carvings in the tree. 

Here are the remains of the church, built in the 800's. 

According to my research, this little hamlet was inhabited up until the 1940's...CRAZY.

And all just 5 minutes from Chenedouit. A very cool discovery.