Saint-Malo to Chartres to Roissy-en-France - Friday, 30 June

A 4-0 win for Taillon. Let’s go Bucs!

We left St.-Malo about 8:15 this morning and headed back to the Paris area. It was drizzling and by the time we got to Chartres, a steady rain.

We had about an hour for lunch and so took Rick Steves' advice and headed to la Picoterie for a quick bite to eat. All of us opted for a bowl of onion soup, that really hit the spot.

Then about a half block walk to the cathedral where we were to meet at 2:00. OMG, Miss Harris (my incredible art history professor from Wilson) was right! If you only see one cathedral in the world. see Chartres. Not only is the outside impressive, but the stained glass windows inside are just breathtaking. Each portal is adorned with massive sculptures, but because of the rain, we really didn’t have an opportunity to study them. 

Christina met us and we began our guided tour. She was such a good guide and passionate about the cathedral, actually the 5th cathedral in this spot.

The long knave brought ones eyes to the high altar and the Assumption group of the 18th century. 

The labyrinth in the floor provides a place of meditation as modern day pilgrims trace its 276 steps. Christina informed us that is the number of days of a pregnancy, a birth or rebirth allusion.

She also demonstrated the purpose of flying buttresses by using humans. Yay, Barbara for volunteering. 

As we walked around the choir, it was evident that much of the knave had been cleaned. What a difference in the brightness of the stone. The arrival of the 3 Kings is one of the scenes depicted. 

And then there is stained glass - 176 windows, almost 90% original. You just can’t describe the vibrancy of the blues. The Blue Virgin is the most famous, with the rose windows coming in close behind. 

Reluctant to leave before we took photos of every window, we headed back to the coach and headed off to the Novotel in Roissy en France. What was supposed to take and hour and half really ended up taking 3 and a half hours due to Paris traffic.

We checked in and talked about where we wanted to go for dinner. We took Christophe’s advice and headed just down the street to the La Brasserie du Terroir. I had some excellent escargots and okay duck. 

As we were leaving, the heavens opened and we hustled back up the hill to the hotel, arriving absolutely drenched. A quick change of clothes and back down to the lobby to print boarding passes.

Will have some negotiating to do at the airport since both Barbara’s and my seat were changed.

Time for rearranging the suitcases to keep under the weight. At least we have until 11:30 in the morning to get it done.

St.-Malo to Mont St. Michel to Cancale - Thursday, 29 Juen

Yay, another win over the Rays last night. 6-2. Nova back on track!

So yet another bucket list item gets to be checked today. The day looked a bit threatening as we drove from hour hotel, bright and early to beat crowds, to Mont St. Michel. The large abbey on its island looks quite formidable as we approached it from St.-Malo. 

After a stop to use facilities we boarded a shuttle that took us to the beginning of  a bridge that would lead to the abbey. Inside the gates of the little village at the foot of the abbey we met our guide, Helen. She was a charming lady who seemed to know everyone inside the gates. We then began the tour and all of its 365 steps to the top terrace. It really wasn’t as bad as I had imagined as the steps were spread out and our pacing was not hurried. 

We first came upon the famous La Mère Poulard Restaurant where Mrs. Poullard developed her famous omelet for visitors. 

Again, there were so many photo ops and vistas that it was hard not to go overboard with snapping pictures.

We made it to the top and then began the tour of the abbey itself.  There are many chapels, the refectory, and statues. It was all worth the climb and a morning that we won’t forget. 

We were so glad the clouds cleared - must have been Peter’s weather app as it would have been quite treacherous to descend on the slippery stone steps.

Back to the shuttle and then to lunch at Relais St. Michel. Earle had one of the omelets and I opted for salmon followed by an apple pie. 

Since the weather was good and we had some time, Christophe decided that a stop at German Ossuary at Huisnes-sur-Me would be interesting. It is really a mausoleum witht the bones of about 12,000 German war dead.  I did some looking through the index to the graves and found a Gerhard Stohr. Not sure if he were a relative, but will do some research.

By the time we were leaving the clouds were starting to form and then a very heavy rain followed just as we were about to approach Cancale, another picturesque fishing village. The draw here is the incredible oyster market and view of the oyster beds. Christophe had arranged for oyster tasting and had even brought some wine. However, it was really miserable and nearly impossible to eat, drink and hold an umbrella. We shortened the stop, although by the time we were ready to leave the sun was shining. It’s a shame we hadn’t arrived there about 20 minutes later. 

Back to St.-Malo and time for a drink in the courtyard of the hotel before heading off to dinner. We took some advice of others in the group and headed to Le Bouche a Oreille. It was a fabulous dinner of chicken liver pate, mussels and fries, ice cream for me and a crepe for Earle!

Back to the hotel to pack for our departure tomorrow!

Saint-Malo - Wednesday, 28 June

In an uncharacteristic way, Rivero lost the game last night agains the Rays. Tied 2-2 going into the 9th and he gave up 2 runs. :-(

Breakfast was ok at this hotel. Would have preferred the eggs a bit more done and less runny, but that seems to be the French style.

We took a coach to the gate of the old city of St.-Malo where we were met by Peter, our guide for the day. He was certainly a character and his English was marked with a very prominent Welsh accent. He was originally from Cardiff, but had lived in Dinan, France for about 35 years. It was quite fitting since Malo was also from Wales.

We started our walk among the old streets and he pointed out just a few places from “The Book.” He explained the microclimate of the area that allows palm trees to grow at such a northerly lattitude. We entered a shipowner adn corsair mansion. La Demeure de Corsaire,  that dated from the 18th Century where he explained the concept of privateer vs. pirate. He was a very good storyteller and we enjoyed his tales. The chest is one that would hold all the ship’s documents. The cloth was a paisley one that was stamped with its pattern.

It was a great walking tour where we saw quaint streets, buildings from the 1600s and even a cute little toddler who wanted to say hello when we stopped to look at his house. The sewer covers played a very special role in “the book” as they were used to count where to turn on a given street. 

There are a number of forts that served to provide for defense. The two most prominent are the Fort National and Grand Bé Island that is the location for the grave of Chateaubriand. The cloudy weather gave added to the typical Brittany experience. 

We ended the walk at Creperie Le Tourne Pierre where we had a gallette with ham, mushrooms, and cheese and a crepe with either chocolate or caramel, and some delicious cider.

 

With Peter as our guide we then set off on coach for the optional tour to Dinan. The weather had cleared, thanks to Peter’s iPhone app, and it really was a lovely afternoon. Before we got to Dinan, we stopped at yet another very quaint village - Saint-Suliac. This was an old fishing village with a extremely old homes. It is on the estuary of the La Rance river. The church is dark, but filled with very different stained glass windows and carvings. The men in the one window all were modeled after real people from the town.

And then it was on to Dinan, a medieval city that  dates back to the 10th century. The city is walled and the streets are cobblestoned. We happened upon a flea market as Peter was guiding us through the streets. Lots of interesting items, but the ones we liked were too bulky to bring back home. 

The Place Du Guesclin is dominated by the statue of Bertrand du Guesclin on horseback by Frémiet. The horse, according to Peter, is the star of the sculpture as Frémiet was known for his animal pieces. 

Back to the hotel and then dinner at Brasserie du Sillon where we had a monk fish with fava beans and then splurged for profiteroles!