Summer in Coutances, France

Our adventures in France continued in Coutances, a small town in Normandy. We arrived at our host's chateau, Le Castel, and met our fellow WorkAway(er) from Germany.

Lucky for us our host had a car for us to use, a Fiat 500 convertible! We definitely took advantage and took lots of day trips. 

Our first stop off was to explore the small town of Coutances. Walking up to the town center we were stunned to see an enormous cathedral towering over us.

It was as magnificent as Notre Dame - without the long lines. We walked through the cathedral, in awe that something so amazing, and beautiful, and big was built in such a small village.

We learned from our host that many times churches and cathedrals were built before anyone knew if the town would become a bustling metropolis or a small village.

Luckily for the small villages, it creates a magical vibe as you walk through town.

A few days later we found that there would be a festival in a nearby village. We loaded up in our tiny Fiat and made our way to the festivities.

We arrived just in time to see the tractor parade.

Collin and I heard music playing and realized that it was a familiar country western song. We made our way over to the stage and saw a mixture of people performing a line dance. Little did we know, the French love to line dance!

We made our way to the end of the village and noticed a hill rising in front of us.

Wanting to get the best view of town we made our way up the steps to the top.

Collin found a spot that fit him perfectly. 

I loved Coutances because the weather was never too hot. I even got to wear a sweater in June!

Our host told us about a nearby castle that we could visit and one grey, gloomy day we decided to check it out.

I'll never get tired of visiting castles. They exude history, charm and ghosts of the past.

This particular castle was set on a moat and had amazing vantage points of the grounds below. 

Having had our fill of castles for the day, we drove down to the nearby beach to enjoy the chilly weather.

I would highly suggest anyone visiting France to make their way out of Paris for a tour of the countryside. It is as quaint and beautiful as you would have imagined.