July 28 - Off to Normandy

  Avranches, France
Wednesday, August 1, 2007

We picked up our rented car and thank goodness it was a Saturday and
the traffic was light so we had a relatively easy trip to the rue
periphique and then west through Rouen and Caen down to Avranches. It
was a very pleasant ride except for the numerous tolls. Oh well at
least here you can ee that your toll money is being put to good use.
The roads are fantastic with speed limits often of 130kph and traffic
moving at 140. I recall driving in the USA and paying tolls and then
feeling that you were driving along a road that had been recently
bombed. Another great feature is that every 5-10 km there is a roadside
stop with a clean bathroom and every 30km or so a full service station
with supermarket type store where you can get all manner of fresh food,
sandwiches etc.. Yeah its a bit pricey but the variety is fantastic and
the quality quite good. Arrived at "our" Chateau by the name of Bouceel
and it was wonderful. Met by the Comte and Comtesse Armand and Nicole
Régis de Roquefeuil - Cahuzac who were
delightful, charming and gracious and made us feel very welcome.
We wandered the grounds and met the geese as well as the donkeys who we named Fred and Ethel.
We looked at several of the other houses on the
grounds and I can't think of a nicer place to stay for our trip to
Normandy. We asked about visiting Mont St Michel and after getting
directions we headed off. We arrived at about 6PM and gazed in complete
awe at this monument to human determination and ability. Mont St Michel
is like something out of a fairly tale and although I was pleased with
our pictures they don't even begin to do it justice. We wrote our names
in the sand flats and were then ordered off the area by a powerful
voice that spoke several languages. We wondered if it was God but then
realized it was a loudspeaker. Seems the tide was coming in and we had
to move or face imminent death. So we walked through the tiny street for about 30 minutes then
returned t have dinner at a small restaurant overlooking the Mont. Food
was OK but not great. Supposed to be salt lamb - from sheep that grazed
on grass that grows on the salt flats. If I say that it was OK thats
being generous. Jordans was the best - she had pork filet. Then it was
back to the Mont for a nighttime tour. Most of the crowds had gone and
the lighting, sea winds and Latin chants made for a very surrealistic
experience. You could really imagine what it would have been like to
walk these halls 700 years ago. It was really awe inspiring. I lay on
the open air terrace to the west of the west nave and the wind swirled
around you as the spotlights lit up the spire of St Michael and it was
very moving.
It was a little much for Jordan - too high, too intense,
too closed in but she settled down and after lots of hugs and hand
holding we made our way down. Several more pictures of the Mont lit up
at night and then home to our very comfy beds.