Spring in France and a fantastic “Cure Thermal” in Saint Amand les eaux

After a dark, rainy and cold winter, Spring has been spectacular! Lots of dry and sunny days has left Brittany and much of France with tall weeds and amazing growth of trees and shrubs. Preparing to be away for a month was challenging. An exciting chance for a cure in a hot spring took us to the department of Nord, almost to the Belguim border and close to the Atlantic ocean. Our French health insurance offers a subsidized treatment plan supervised by doctors at many spas in the country. Depending on your health needs, they meticulously design a 3 week treatment plan which will reduce your pain and dependance on pain medication. We chose St. Amand because our friend, Danielle, had experienced a cure there. She helped us in all the steps including suggestions for lodging. So 6 days a week, I spent my time almost always in the hot springs water. Various sessions of green clay therpy, hypnosis, aquagym, massage, and sinus treatments were included. It was very helpful in my overall health! Lots of people go every year****. Calla joined us for my final week and she and Tom spent 2 days in Brugges, Belgium sampling beer! They stayed in a barge hotel and one night in the center of town. We left St. Amand and took 4 days to return to Brittany. Photos include Amiens, many WWI and WWII military cemeteries, Lens Louvre museum, Matisse museum, Cambrai, old coal mine tour, La Piscine museun in Roubaix, Brugges, gourmet dinner in the country, Benedictine Distillery, and lovely coastal towns and the town of Ducey.