New Year's Weekened 2006-2007 B-, Nigel and I spent the New Year's in France enjoying fine food and relative quiet - away from the madness of Holland.

The harbor at Honfleur, Normandy. Honfleur is the best preserved old port in Normandy though it lacks a beach. An accumulation of silt from the Seine pushes it ever further from the sea. The picturesque village inspired painters such as Boudin, Monet and Cézanne. Why Chickens? The slate-fronted buildings seem destined to topple. Not sure what to make of this one. It seems a bit, uhm, unbalanced. Part of the "Lieutenance," whichdates back to 1608. Porte St-Malo to the citadel of Dinan, Brittany where we stayed. Dinan is a perfectly preserved medieval town and overlooked by most tourists. The sloping Rue du Jerzual is perhaps the most picturesque in France. Dinan is so perfect that it seemed unreal, like being on a movie set. The viaduct over the river Rance frames the 13th century quay. The quay below the Porte du Jerzual. Overlooking the river from the ramparts. Looking back into the walled city, we see a bit more "modern" architecture. The St-Sauveur church. Ruins of the old wall. The castle of St. Malo, the most visited city in Brittany. Grand-Bé island, home Chateaubriand's tomb. Once a pirate outpost, St. Malo is now a good place to sample fresh seafood. Outside the citadel St. Malo is a lovely resort town. The romantic ruins of the Abbaye de Beauport. It's roofless chapterhouse is overrun with wildflowers, shrubs and trees. Behind the abbey are salt meadows used for raising sheep. Salt meadows and pony with sea. The Cathédrale de St-Trugdual in Tréguier where we stopped for lunch. And to view the tomb of St Yves, patron saint of lawyers (for B- of course). Mont-St-Michel, the famous medieval abbey dating back to the 8th century. A little scrambling on the backside of the mountain revealed this little church. On our way home we stopped in Étretat, Normandy for a look at it's famous cl...