Here is trip update #3. Internet has been really spotty the last few days so this will be quick. We are writing from the Loire Valley. We got here yesterday after spending the morning at Mt. St. Michel. Even though it is very touristy, it was beautiful and we enjoyed all the walking. It was a little more crowded than we would have wanted. 

Our drive to the Loire Valley went smoothly other than trying to get gas. We got in to our hotel near Amboise and had a nice dinner in the shadow of the chateau. Our hotel is in an old chateau and the rooms are sort of quirky but cool. N has his own floor under our room and he loves having his own room and bathroom. 

We saw three chateaux today: Chevirney, Chaumond and Chenonceau. They are very different! Chervirney is sort of traditional, but they had a sense of humor – a hundred hunting dogs, they still live in the house and they had huge lego models all over the place. Chaumond is modern in many ways, with contemporary art sprinkled throughout the rooms and extremely cool biomimicry installations throughout the gardens. Chenonceau is the most famous chateau, but we got there so late that it was totally empty and we were basically touring it solo. That was very cool. Then we had a fancy dinner at a restaurant where Dad had his 9th birthday. Sadly, no baked Alaska. We also had a lovely crepe lunch – delicious and we were extremely hungry.

Also – big news – we got N's teacher! Her name is Slepitza. He has class with his friend Ayan. 

We have a million pics from today but because I couldn't upload the pics from the last post I am going to try to do those now. Tomorrow – Chambord and Blois and then PARIS!

Boy the dog from Amsterdam:

Omaha Beach/Normandy:

Bayeaux: