Mont-Saint-Michel and Vitré

Friday, July 12, 2024

We checked out of our tiny room in Bayeux and headed again into the French countryside. Oh, wait. Before that we were eating the submarine shaped dealies at breakfast and turned one over. It looked like a shell! Apparently, they are madeleines! Madeleines are delicious. We just bought a little bag of them at a gift shop.

So, off into the countryside we went to see Mont-Saint-Michel. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in France. The schedule was to leave at 8am to try to get there by 10am when it opens. The later in the morning you arrive, the longer the lines and the more crowded it is (apparently). Everyone was there at least by 7:50, but the bus was locked. The driver had opened the bottom and loaded bags, but the bus itself was locked. When we could get in, we hustled, but we pulled away at 8:08. Oh no! I hope it will be okay – said the people in charge. Well, people in charge (and I am not one of them and I am not actually meaning to bash them in any way!!!!) but why don’t you just say wheels up at 7:45, knowing it is impossible for 50 people to load a bus in less than a minute – space:time continuum and all.

I have always wanted to see Mont-Saint-Michel. The pictures of it look just magical. When we first saw it in the distance, it was so exciting. As we got closer, it was on the side of the bus OH! BUS UPDATE!

Keith asked the two men who had single seats if they would mind sitting together, so he and I could sit together. They readily agreed, although neither of them were happy about it. Our bus is sort of on the small side – the seats are small and it is hard for men to sit straight and fit their knees in the space. It will NOT be terribly comfortable for them to sit together. Keith got on the bus before me. When I came in the front door (weird), people started telling me that Keith was in the back and I should go there. I said, no, no, he is just getting our stuff from the shelf above our old seats. Then I see Keith waving me back. Huh? I go back and apparently a couple didn’t like how loud the back was (all that laughing) and just moved up to the front and took two other people’s seats. When the people who had been sitting there (the conductor…um…) asked where they had been sitting, they were unsure. Um….People started shifting and figuring and thought to just send Keith and I back to the back (where we belong) and so we are back in the back and all is well.

Other side note: I was walking to dinner with our friend, Bruce, last night and he said he will have to figure out how to get back into the band next trip, because he is a trombone player filling in for an ailing baritone player. He said he could have gotten the bass trombone spot this trip and then held it, but he doesn’t have a bass trombone. I said, “We do.” His head swiveled so fast! If Alexander decides to start playing again after a 12 or so year break, Bruce will be disappointed.

Back to the beautiful Mont-Saint-Michel. We got on the shuttle (you can walk 35 minutes or free shuttle 20 minutes. You walk on the road, past the prairie. Why? The shuttle people are going to get ahead of you and they are sitting – or standing. I like sitting or standing). It was a trolley like bus – it drove us there, then the driver got out and walked to the other end and drove back from that end. Cool.

Off the trolley bus, every one of us crammed the railing and took pictures – all surely wishing the others would get out of the way.

The people interested in going up through the “town” to get to the base of the abbey to buy a ticket to climb 250 steps up to the abbey and 150 steps in the abbey set off with our guide. I was not interested. I know I cannot walk up steps. I stayed with Stacey, who did not think this climb would enhance her trip (agreed) and Keith and Dan set out. Stacy and I wandered and looked in a few shops. We found the cutest children’s books – The History of Normandy was in English! – so we each got it. We are always interested in learning. I picked out 3 different versions of tapestry purses with Klimt designs, but managed not to buy any.

We walked all around and enjoyed it all. We heard singing and went into the church where people were taking communion. The acoustics were echo-y and the small number of people singing filled the space.

Keith and Dan kept sending us pictures and it was fun.

Trying to meet back up with them was hilarious.

K: I’m at gift shop #2 – entrance/exit of the abbey. I lost Dan back somewhere.
B: We can come up. Is it near the entrance to the abbey steps?
…..waiting…..waiting…..
K: Exiting the gift shop, gardens in back of abbey. Dan with me.
B: We don’t know where you exited. Compared to the entrance we came in. Up? Down? A little help?
…..I got a picture of sardines…
K: Sardines
B: That’s helpful
K: We’re outside the backside now
B: That’s hilariously unhelpful
K: Going back up steps now. I think we’ll come out there
And then they came out of a gift shop near us. Dan had a puzzle. I assume that is where he was when he was gone.

We traveled a few hours to Vitré. What a charming town. It is not ALL yellow beige like it seems everywhere in Normandie is. It is rocksy and looks older than Bayeux. We toured the castle. And cathedral.

The band got organized to play in front of the castle. The concert was scheduled for 6pm and rain was forecast for 7pm (45% chance. There were clouds coming in, but it didn’t look bad. Dick joked that they would play until they couldn’t, then take a break and come back after the rain. While they were doing sound checks and whatever, I walked around the old town and looked in shops. I considered getting a dish towel – I have about cornered the market on vacation dish towels – and then found a little hat. It was with baseball type hat, but without a bill. I have been having a theory that maybe I look so bad in hats because I pick hats that are too big. This was little. I plopped it on my head and was DELIGHTED. I looked so cute. I tried on blue and black and rust colors. I tried to remember what color my winter jacket is. Is it a winter hat? No? Do I have a winter jacket? I couldn’t remember. I had a brown one once…it was so hard. The man in the shop spoke a lot of French to me and I had to say sorry, no French. He said blah blah English. I wore the hat to the front of the store, hoping to see someone I knew passing by and I did! It was Christopher. I said, “Little hat! Yes or No?” He stopped. He looked. He tipped his head to the side. “You can do better.” I went and put it back and continued my stroll. He texted that I should try a beret. I thought about making myself a hat.

They started ten minutes early. There were a few sprinkles. Considering the weather, there was a pretty good little crowd. It started to actually rain, lightly, during the fourth piece. I had gotten my raincoat and our umbrellas. I gave an umbrella to Mary, then went over and stood behind a local audience member (I actually confirmed with the ladies I was with that this woman was not part of our group. There seem to be a lot of traveling companions this time) with my umbrella over her. Keith wasn’t far in front of us and he said he watched her get confused as to why she was no longer getting wet. She eventually looked back at me, smiled, and said something in French. Oui! They pulled up Tico Tico for Keith to play and he started it off and just about then it really started to rain. Not windy rainy storm rain, but a solid soaking rain. His song is 5 minutes long and by the end, he and everyone else was SOAKED. Jack, the conductor, mimed a slice across the throat and yelled Merci! and it was over. The crowd quickly disbursed. The band packed up – any help with umbrellas was pushed off with repeats of “I’m already soaked, so it doesn’t matter.”

As Keith and I walked back to the hotel, I showed him my hat. I plopped it on and he smiled, “It’s so cute!” So I got a new hat. I brought it back to the room and put it on. I looked in the mirror and I looked like an enlisted man pirate. DARN!!!

We dried up and eventually gathered for our late dinner together. First course was duck breast and salad. Everyone thought it was a bit weird, but no one guessed it was duck. Next were pork medallions in cream sauce, salad, and the best French fries. Desert was delicious! So light. So crispy. So fabulous. I could easily have eaten a second.