PortenBessin, France

PortenBessin, a town located in the region of Normandy, France. Among the many (understatement) places I visited on my trip to Europe, the French countryside (area in and around PortenBessin) resignated the most. It was not at all what I expected of France. Lush, rolling hills... stone cottages with open windows.. cobblestone streets.. and 15th century mansions/castles.

Throughout  my study abroad travels, we stayed at hostel-type locations in various towns. Pictured here is an 18th century farmhouse (formerly used for making cider, etc) that has been converted into a hostel. The host, Stella, opens her doors to various groups of students desiring to study abroad. Every morning we woke to clean, crisp air (which my hair loved by the way). There was no need for air conditioning. No busy streets, police sirens, or neighbors for miles away. It was perfect.


Stella's place (as we called it- you know come to think of it, I don't know the actual name of the hostel..) had been renovated on the inside. I was intrigued to find that the outside of the old farm had not been touched. It had so much charm and looked like something straight out of a magazine. Anyway, we slept 3 to a room (bunk-bed style) and each room had its own restroom-shower included. Super clean and super comfortable. There was also a 'lab' which she typically uses to teach French to students from UK, but it served as a computer lab for us. Although there was only one working computer, the grounds had a decent wi-fi connection.

One of the coolest things about Stella's place is that it was only about a 15 minute walk through the most adorable village (filled with quaint cottages) to the coast. Once you reach the coast, you are presented with a breathtaking view of Utah Beach- part of where WWII occurred. You can walk all the way up to the edge of the cliff overlooking the coast. Later in the evening, the tide is up and there seems to be no 'beach' below- just mild waves crashing on the rocks. However, if you go at the right time, you can scale down the side of the cliff by following a very steep, zig-zagging cliff all the way to the bottom which turns into a beach. The tide goes out a little over a hundred yards.. you can carefully, walk over the moss-covered rocks and get to the bottom of the ocean that is usually covered with water. Great place to find sea shells!

On your way back the long, steep trek up the side of the cliff, you might find adventurous cliff gliders-- search in google images.. WOW! I would NEVER do that, but it is amazing to watch..

Stella has one chef on staff to help prepare fresh meals for the guests. We stayed in Stella's place for 2 nights.
To give you an idea of authentic French cuisine, a list of our meals were as follows:

Saturday - late arrival
dinner
baguettes to snack on as appetizers
fresh baked fish with some kind of gravy & roasted whole golden potatoes

*While I am not a fan of seafood, I tried the fish (an act of respect for the chef) and it was... ok. Some people really liked it though.

Sunday- breakfast- croissants/baguettes, instant coffee, hot chocolate (unsweetened), orange juice, and/or water (all at room temp)
*The croissants in France were the absolute best I've ever had.

Lunch- eaten in town

Dinner- Baguette to snack on as appetizer (I have since temporarily boycotted baguettes)
            duck spaghetti (it looked like chicken legs over chicken noodle soup)
*Now, I wouldn't consider myself an extremely picky eater, but I do like to keep it rather simple. Duck was a stretch for me..although it had a decent flavor.

Monday- breakfast- you guessed it, baguettes... and a croissant!

 After breakfast we left Stella's hostel for the town of Bayeux. (post to come)


The daylight hours are fantastic- the sun rises around 4 am and sets around 11pm. Georgia is 6 hours behind France. Between the time difference and our 9 1/2 hour flight over, it took me about 4 days to get adjusted to their 'daytime'. After that, it was smooth sailing.