Day 9

Today was a long day. It is Wednesday, and every Wednesday all French children have the day off from school. They go to school until July and then take the required 6-8 week vacation with their parents. This in conjunction with the 2 week breaks they get for All Saints (October), Christmas, Winter, and Easter. As a teacher I think these breaks make sense and keep anyone from getting too stale on school. As in the US, private schools are getting popular, much to the distaste of many French folks.

Back to our day's journey. We are visiting Mont Sainte Michel. The monastery to which many people make pilgrimages, and it also becomes an island during high tide. It is 1.5 hours drive to the western most part of Normandy. This took us past rolling hills, more small villages and scenery that can be compared to HWY 280, south of San Francisco.

From a distance, Mont Sainte Michel is quite a sight to behold. There appears an ornate spire and church, that looks like a castle from fairy tales. We arrived during low tide and it was surrounded by a vast area of wet sand and small rivers. The tide was so far out that we couldn't even see the waves breaking. This is a sight where pilgrims cross the long wet beach on foot during low tide. One must be careful of quicksand and the tide rushing in as quickly as a galloping horse. Many have been caught off guard and been swept away to sea. All to pay homage to Sainte Michel. He who fought the devil, who took the form of a dragon. There are pictures and statues inside of the Sainte slaying the dragon. See, I told you it was a fairytale place.

Now for the reality of modern day. There were about 20 tour buses and parking lots full of cars on the side that said, "The sea does not cover this side today." The one main road inside the ramparts is narrow, steep and cobble stoned. It is packed with people and flanked on either side by tourist shops all the way up. This was a mellow day. On a busy day the crowd sweeps you off your feet and up the narrow alley. It is much more calm off the beaten path, on the walk on the outside of the island and through the gardens. Those monk must have had the strongest legs from walking up and down so many hills and stairs.

We had lunch at a fancy restaurant Le Mere Poulard. Here they specialize in omelets made of eggs that are beaten to a foamy froth to a distinct beat. We sat upstairs in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Luke ordered the deep fried cheese and I ordered the mussels as an appetizer. His was better than mine. As the main course he order a bacon and potato omelet and I got the lamb. My lamb was tasty and the fat had been cooked to a golden crunchy goodness. Luke's omelet was light and fluffy with a side of egg foam. For dessert we shared a sabayon; raspberries and strawberries in a custardy sauce, tasty. It was a nice stop in the middle of a busy and crowded day.

We finished the tour with a trek up hundreds of stairs, through crowds to the church at the top of the hill. Luke and I decided not to visit inside the church since they charged for viewing it. We meandered down the crowded ally, through some shops and down an ally no more than 18 inches wide (this was funny), and back to the miniest mini van.

On our way back to Ver sur Mer we dozed in the car and made a quick stop in the town of Bayeaux. Here we visited the cathedral (for free). It was huge and there were saints painted on the ceiling. We were able to go under the pulpit to the original Roman church. Very cool, small and dark. The town was preserved well and not bombed from the last war. There was a small river running through it, renaissance flags up and down the corridors, and we could have spent half a day shopping and people watching there.

We went to a shop that specialized in alcoholic beverages and foods. Jean Noel and Luke tried many kinds of ciders from sweet to very strong, like brandy. Luke bought one that would be hard to find in the states and then we headed home. For dinner we had white beans and duck, a specialty of the area. It was quite tasty and a good hardy meal at the end of a long day.