France Day 10

In the morning we had breakfast at the main location of our hotel, then came a tour of the abbey. We hiked all the way up the Mont and talked about its history. We saw a little snail, which made me a little hungry (escargot is GOOD!)

The view from the top:

At 9:30, the doors to the abbey opened. As we were waiting, the crowds began to build behind us. It was easy to see why Rick Steves recommends going very early or very late-it was a fiasco-and it was almost the off-season. Mont St. Michel is one of those must-see attractions in France, so the tourists come in droves, as we clearly saw that morning.

So, essentially, the abbey has four chapels-north, south, east, and west. In the center is the top of the rock, which you can see when that part of the abbey is open. The lit area is right above the top of the rock on which the abbey is perched.

It was really interesting to see the rock that the Archangel Michael pointed out to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708. The man below the angel is St. Aubert.

We saw the terrace where the original church extended and the kitchens and dining rooms for the monks, along with the large room they used to copy and write the illuminated manuscripts. In this room was the only fireplace they could use besides those in the kitchens and the ones lit for visiting royalty.

The average lifespan for the monks was 35 years. Not surprising considering the environment, living conditions, and hardships the monks endured.

Our guide at the abbey explaining some of the architectural details.

A Little History of the Mont St. Michel

After it was built, the Mont soon became a major focus of pilgrimage. In the 10th century, the Benedictines settled the abbey, while a village grew up below its walls. By the 14th century it extended as far as the foot of the rock. An impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years War, Mont St. Michel is also an example of military architecture. Its ramparts and fortifications resisted all the English assaults and, as a result, the Mont became a symbol of French national identity.

Following the dissolution of the religious community during the Revolution through 1863, the abbey was used as a prison. This was the sled-style lift they used to bring supplies into the abbey while it was a prison. The prisoners would walk in a hamster wheel to move the food and supplies up the concrete ramp.

Classified as a historic monument in 1874, it underwent major restoration work. Since then, work has gone on regularly all over the site. The result is that visitors can now experience the splendor of the abbey that the people of the Middle Ages regarded as a representation of the heavenly Jerusalem on the earth, an image of Paradise. As a tourist experience, it is one you will not forget. Even the simplest parts of the abbey are beautiful. This is the monks' cloister with a beautiful little garden.

The engravings above the columns were intricate and beautiful-and all were different.

Saint Michael

Saint Michael, head of the heavenly militia, was of great importance to Medieval religious sensibility. In the New Testament, Saint Michael appears in the Book of Revelation. He fights and defeats a dragon, the symbol of the devil. This is a replica of the statue on top of the abbey. Saint Michael is standing on the dragon's head.

To Medieval man living in expectation and fear of the hereafter, Saint Michael was the one who led the away the dead and put their souls in the balance on the day of the last judgement. The worship of Saint Michael appeared in the west in the late 5th century with the building of the first sanctuary in Italy in 492. Around the year 1000, churches and chapels dedicated to the Saint sprang up all over Europe, often on the top of hills or mountains. After the Hundred Years War, devotion to Saint Michael took on a special dimension because of the resistance of the Mont against the English. Finally, this worship expanded even more with the Counter-Reformation, for in the eyes of the church, it was only the war-like angel who could fight against the Protestant heresy. In Christian iconography, Saint Michael is often depicted holding a sword and a set of scales. Popular traditions and cults have made Saint Michael the patron saint of knights and of all guilds associated with arms and scales (including police). The statue that stands on top of the belfry has the traditional attributes of the archangel. It was made in 1897 by sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet to crown the 105-foot steeple. The statue was restored in 1987.

Our tour of the abbey lasted about two hours and then we walked down into the village surrounding the abbey and did a little souvenir shopping. We were back on the bus by 11:30. Here's our beautiful bus:

Our destination that day was Bayeux (bay-oo), but we stopped in a little town along the way for-surprise-crepes! Well, galettes, but potayto, potato. I had cheese and onion on mine, which the waiter informed me was the traditional order of the region. Good ordering on my part! Nick's had butter and 2 sausages. They were horse meat sausages, but Nick said, "They tasted damn good." There was a market in the town, but it was pouring rain, so we didn't go to it. We tired to go to the pharmacy (drugstore), but all French stores close for up to three hours in the afternoon for the big meal-lunch-so it was closed by the time we were done with lunch. So we got a chocolate eclair instead, which was almost as good as cold meds for me!

Back on the bus, we headed to Bayeux. When we got to our hotel, the Hotel D'Argouges, we had a very pleasant surprise. It's an 18th century chateau that includes a main house, were we stayed, and a few surrounding houses/buildings, which were the family compound of the Argouges family.

This is the courtyard facing out onto the main road:

And here are a few interior shots, including the dining area where we had our breakfast every morning:

The Duke D'Argouges was run out of the house during the Revolution, but, as part of the aristocracy, he was lucky to have survived it at all. Our room was very nice; it was on the top floor overlooking the garden. There was rich gold flowered wallpaper on the walls and huge wooden posts held together by wooden pegs spaced throughout the room.

We had a double bed with a great down comforter and a single bed in the main room. This connects to a bathroom and a water closet (toilet room) and a separate study. Nick took a bath almost immediately in the great tub.

At this point, we were supposed to go see the tapestry from the Battle of Hastings in 1066, however, I was exhausted and really feeling awful, so I stayed in the room and read. Nick did go, so here's his recap of the afternoon's events:

The walk to the museum was about 15 minutes.

We walked by the old mill with an automated dam, which I took a picture of.

When you enter the museum, the courtyard contained a replica of a Viking ship-a similar style to the ships William the Bastard (later Conqueror) used to invade England.

Here's the man himself, William the Conqueror:

The museum was warm and very crowded. Everything is automated, so a "guide" speaks to you from a box around your neck that goes chapter by chapter and covers the longest and largest tapestry in the world, which explains the events leading up to and the Battle of Hastings.

It was like a window into the past where you got to truly see a firsthand account of the events of the day.

You got to follow Harold's misadventures in his quest to inform William that William was chosen as the new king by the currently dying one. Harold was the messenger, but the tapestry showed scenes like Harold's men dying in the quicksand at Mont St. Michel. His retinue was also captured by the Count of Piccardy who thought they were trespassing. Harold was released, he gets to William and famously swears on holy relics that will respect King Edward's decision and that William shall be king, which means Harold will forego his right to the throne of England. Harold then returns to England, everyone's in a frenzy and then the king dies and Harold and the Saxons immediately seize the throne.

Here's a bulleted list of the rest of the events woven into the tapestry:

-William finds out-declares war to teach Harold a lesson

-Mass production of Norman ships

-Leading with horses and men and sailing to England

-Arrival-burning of farms, people flee, set up of temporary city to prepare for war

-Harold hears about Norman invaders, defeats Viking army in north and heads south to fight William

-Battle: Norman horsemen attack Harold's foot soldiers-block of spears-horses can't get in, so arrows are fired into the blocks

-Mangled bodies, broken swords-Harold retreats to fortified ditch to regroup his men

-Normans attack ditch, but are defeated

-Rumors spread that William is killed

-William takes off helmet and rallies men by showing them he's still alive

-2nd assault-Harold's men slaughtered and an arrow from Heaven comes and strikes Harold in the head, killing him-retribution for swearing on holy relics then going back on his word (look closely to see the arrow in Harold's head)

-Strip bodies of armor

-Normans chase Saxons, take London, and build Tower of London-a fortress to intimidate Saxons-one of many

-William returns to France as William the Conqueror and returns to Normandy to rule both it and England

Nick also visited the cathedral the tapestry used to hang in.

Then Nick did something wonderful. He went to the pharmacy and got me some Actifed. Or, as I like to call it, Amazing-fed. I took one and then we headed off to a group dinner.

Dinner started with a white wine, which was good, but made me pretty loopy as an addition to the cold meds. We sat next to Sandy and Ed, which was fun. Sandy is the older version of my Aunt Kathy. They're from Bellevue and we love them. Anyway, first course for us was a smoked duck and gizzard salad. It was too much gizzard for me, but Nick loved it. The second course was pork tenderloin with a mushroom sauce and baked potato with some delicious cheese. It was all very good. The best part of the meal, however, was dessert: a fruit mousse cake with a fruit coulis (sauce). It was SO good! Everyone else at our table had taken a few bites and Nick was already finished. He loved it (clearly), but I have my suspicions as to whether or not he even tasted it.

We window shopped a bit on our way home, but we are still too intimidated to shop in France! It's a different experience apparently. We came back to the room and I took my night time cold pill, which really knocked me out. Finally, a night of good sleep! Tomorrow: D-Day beaches.

France Day 9

Mont St. Michel

We were on the bus very early this morning as we had a long bus ride to Mont St. Michel. It ended up being over 5 hours with many stops along the way. I took two Dramamine right away to curb the motion sickness and Karen gave me an herbal remedy for my severe cold. The combination of the two knocked me out for most the of the bus ride. Thank goodness!

So, French rest stops are NICE! They all have bakeries with fresh baguettes and pain au chocolat.

You can get café and chocolate chaud too. That's one of the many things about France that America could definitely stand to embrace! Arnaud told us that the reason the rest stops are so nice is because they compete with one another for business. With so many of them dotting the highway, each must work hard to maintain their regulars from the French commuters, just like the boulangeries in Paris. I wish we had just one boulangerie here!

After our rest stop excursion, we later stopped in Fougeres (foo-zhay) for galettes, which are buckwheat crepes-a little different than the galettes I make. I had mine with emmental (cheese), bacon, and an egg at the Duchesse Anne Creperie.

Apparently the French don't believe in fully cooked eggs because mine was sunny side up and the white was still pretty transparent. It was still very good and was a nice, warm meal for me, which only contributed to my meds-induced exhaustion. Then we had a chocolate crepe for dessert. Oh yum. I'm really going to miss French food when we get home (true statement-Nick and I talk about it all the time now that we're back in the states).

Fougeres also has a medieval fortress/chateau that is one of the biggest castles in France.

This stronghold was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defense system of the Duchy of Brittany against the French. The town of Fougeres was also involved in the rebellion against the French Revolution in 1793.

The stronghold is surrounded by a damming mechanism that Nick thought was cool. It's very old and imposing as it sits on its rocky mount watching over the city. I just wish we had had time to check it out. As it was, we just walked around it and took some pictures.

We also took a few of the Church of Sainte-Sulpice, which is just across from the fortress.

It was beautiful, but also very cold and damp. The interior had an old smell, but it wasn't unpleasant. You just felt very much that this place has a history that goes far beyond the short human life span.

From Fougeres we ended up in Cancale, which is a seaside city that is all about the oyster.

Cancale is on the coast east of Saint-Malo. It's a very picturesque fishing village with a reputation of being the oyster capital of Brittany.
History has it that Louis XIV (better known as the Sun King) had his oysters brought to Versailles from Cancale. So we partook in the tradition of the town, the popularity of which can clearly be seen in this pile of shells on the beach!
Because I was sick (and totally grossed out by the oysters), I opted out of this one. Nick was our representative for this experience, in other words!

A few other people opted out, but we did learn a lot about oysters. Arnaud taught us how to shuck them and detach the muscle from the shell.

Some of the older women were concerned that the oysters would be "hurt." Arnaud calmed this fear by telling us that their pain would be short-lived since the next step is chewing and swallowing. We learned the difference between a deep oyster, which you can eat with lemon, and a flat oyster, which has a stronger flavor. Eating a flat oyster with lemon is a major faux pas, according to Arnaud.

I got some good shots of Nick eating his oysters, which should be chewed, not swallowed whole. Everyone started with the deep oyster:
Jared, our unofficial group photographer, at work:

Here we go:

Hmm, this isn't too bad.

He liked the flat oyster best and was impressed overall with the flavor.

When you're told how to truly enjoy a specific kind of food or drink, it really changes the experience, as we've now learned with oysters and wine. Nick was pretty scared to try the oysters in the first place. Enjoyable or not, I was still glad to have my sick excuse! Nick says he'll eat them again. We've really tried a lot of new things on this trip that have impressed us both, including this alcoholic cider, for which Normandy is famous.
From Cancale, we drove to Mont St. Michel-the mount of Saint Michael. Saint Michael's patronage includes police officers and Nick has a pendant with the image of the Archangel that he wears all the time. Any bit of protection he can get while on duty makes us both feel much better. The story of Mont St. Michel is very interesting. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 in a dream and instructed him to build a church on the rocky island. Aubert ignored the angel's instruction, until the third dream in which Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger. Since then, the church has been expanded, parts have collapsed or been destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the abbey has been fought over by Brittany and Normandy, but one thing hasn't changed: the pilgrims still come here on pilgrimages for many reasons and have for centuries.
Here is our first view of the Mont:
We got out of the bus and walked up to this spot with our group so we could get a few pictures.
The Mont St. Michel is perched on a huge rock, which used to be an island off the coast of Brittany and Normandy. The causeway built for cars has caused a build-up of sand and silt, so the island is only an island for two weeks a month. Only about 22 inhabitants live there, along with 13 or so monks and nuns. There are a couple of hotels, some restaurants, and lots of souvenir shops.
We stayed in a hotel on the Mont St. Michel called Auberge Saint-Pierre, so we came in at about 6pm, when all the tourists were leaving. The hotel has a main location and then rooms scattered all over the Mont. Ours was overlooking the cemetery on a long hike up many stairs. The room itself was large with a double and a single bed, along with a pull-out in the wall. We had a terrace overlooking the sea:
And the cemetery.
As the sun was going down, Nick was able to get a shot of the shadow of the Mont on the sea.
Dinner was via voucher for one of two restaurants. Our meal started with fish soup for me and a huge pot of mussels for Nick, both of which were great. The second course was an apple sorbet with the alcoholic cider for which Normandy is famous. It was like a root beer float with beer. The main course was roasted lamb. This was a little tough and stringy for both of our tastes. The next course was the cheese course. Then came dessert, which was forgettable in the grand scheme of amazing food we had while in France. After dinner we walked around the ramparts and got a few shots of the church lit up at night.
We also took a couple of photos of the town at night, which was beautiful. The streets are cobblestone and very narrow, which makes the overall atmosphere of the Mont very medieval, which we loved.

Although it was a lovely night, at this point, I felt like garbage and was more than ready to go back to the room. The herbal remedy I was taking hadn't done a darn thing. Nick was much more excited than I was. Saint Michael is his saint. I felt bad for not being more interested, but I felt so yucky. We went to bed after the ramparts, but I spent a lot of the night coughing. Tomorrow is our tour of the abbey, so that was definitely something I was looking forward to.