Day 20 – Mont Saint-Michel
Bird poop, an autobus, and Mont Saint-Michel
One time, Jen and I took our kids to France, and while in France, I decided that the best way to see all we wanted around Normandy was to rent a car. European cars are generally smaller than our American counterparts, and Jen is good about reading up on local signage and road rules. I requested a compact SUV – something about the size of our Honda Civic on our side of the pond.
However, we were issued a “mini autobus.” Our silver stead is an automatic (much to Jen’s disappointment) seats nine and is a hybrid diesel model; oh, and… it is huge! Last night while trying to find parking, I navigated Jen to an underground garage, as suggested by our Airbnb host, only to find that the ceilings were way too low for our mammoth machine… Jen had to slowly back out while I dragged my hand along the parking garage ceiling, feeling the gap between the van wax and wane. She did great – and backed us, turned us, and drove us the heck up out of there…
Tour buses to Mont-Saint-Michel cost a bundle, but we could rent a van for two days for a fraction of the cost and drive ourselves there! (by drive ourselves, I mean – Jen drove us…).
We woke the kids at 6:15 because we read that the light is best for photos early, and the crowds become overwhelming later in the day. The hour-and-a-half drive to the tidal island topped with the gravity-defying abbey was full of rolling hills of wheat and corn dotted with towering wind turbines. The fields of emerald corn stood out in sharp contrast to the yellowed bailed hay and wheat. The highway was edged with hedges of butterfly bushes ranging from white to lavender to deep purple.
Once off the highway, the abbey rose from the landscape like a magical castle. It seems sacrilegious to compare, but it is what we do. The whole island was equal parts dream, Disney, and Hogwarts. We were very happy for the early arrival. We easily found parking and jumped on a shuttle which drove us most of the way across the newly built (2014) pedestrian and shuttle bridge.
I can’t tell you more than what the photos will show you. It was stunning. Low tide allowed us to walk out onto the silted clay river bed to take photos; however, we were eager to slip behind the walls and climb up and into the abbey.
Maintaining her consistency, Kate had to go to the bathroom immediately upon entry. After rejoining our family, I missed the first of three bird poop incidents of the day. While sitting, Evan was assaulted with the excrement of a bird dropped so much, and from evidently such a height, he was left with a mark on his back and a pile on his shirt. To be clear, it was so special a New Yorker walked in behind us and said, “Oh, Shit! Well, that happened.” So we purchased a lovely new T-shirt for Evan.
We fairly ran to the top of the abbey via the ramparts. The paths and stairwells started filling with people, but we made our way easily. The only tickets we purchased were to tour the actual abbey. The views were lovely from the west Terrace, and the cloister demonstrated the skills of Gothic stone maisons. The entire walk-through with an audio guide took about an hour. During the tour, a second bird dropped a present for Jennifer, just skimming her glasses.
Once we exited the abbey, Addie, too, was graced with a bit of aviary liquid luck. We required beers and crepes. Luckily we found just the place with views out onto the bay.
Jen drove us safely back to Caen, where she returned the beloved Autobus to Budget rental and picked up more yogurt for tomorrow’s breakfast. Kate passed out on the sofa before dinner, and Evan is beside me in bed with the lights fully on and techno music pounding outside, snoring gently. We scouted a Robert Doisneau photo exhibit we will check out tomorrow before we catch a train to Paris!
