our first view of Mont. St. Michel

Our first view....from the bus...breathtaking and unbelievable.

700 steps

An early morning again. Up at 0500 to catch the train to Mont St. Michel. Much easier this time as it is just an overnight. We have packed in Neecie’s backpack on wheels and my duffle bag. The train leaves from Montparnasse station which is an easy Metro ride from our station at Denfert-Rochereau. The TGV station and track are easy to find and we are on our train by 0715 and leave promptly at 0730. We have a sheltered 4 person table and only the3 of us to share it so we spread out. We even have an electric plug to charge our computers! (I love these trains in Europe! They are wonderful!)

I have read about Mont St. Michel and I doubt that I will be able to go to the top. Too many stairs and an arduous climb but I am sure that I will find lots to do while Susie and Neecie explore.

The countryside we pass through reminds me of the Midwest...some flat fields and then gently rolling hills. The only thing that is missing is the corn fields.

June 12, Saturday--from Neece, Number 10

I’m trying to write a re-cap of our earlier travels and days where we were too busy to post anything, and I will return to that and post on here when I get the chance. But first, we are on the train returning to Paris from Mont St. Michel, so I will write about that visit first. What an awesome fairy-tale place. It’s on a small rocky island off the coast of Brittany and Normandy, near St. Malo of WW2 fame. Not needing to rob notice from any place near, it rises like something unearthly almost, into the sky with a church spire at its highest point and a gilded St. Michael standing in dominion over both the church and some devil--whether it is Lucifer or a sea monster, or if the two are blurred by time & preference into one creature. At any rate, Michael stands in dominion, not quite like an archangel, looking more like a chevalier (a knight). Beneath him and below him rests the church and the Abbey, and below that a village consisting of one Steep main street, and many back alleys, and steps everywhere! You’d think the place was designed by Stairmaster. Don’t know how many steps we climbed to get into the Abbey but it was a lot. (Katie said she’d read it was 700 or more.) We checked into our hotel and Katie and Ange crashed for a rest. Our hotel room was really charming, out the front door, up the street, up some steps, up another alley, a few more steps to a wooden door with a small window; it felt like we were entering a hobbit house. Being restless, I headed out for the Abbey, climbed more steps, explored the upper terrace outside the church, then the church, the beautiful cloister, refectory, down some steps to guests’ hall, a crypt or two, and emerged into the one essential nod to modernity: the Gift Shop. Did not see a monk anywhere so had a hard time believing there was a religious community there as the guide had said. I did discover that Vespers was at 6:30, so I resolved to return then. Back at the hobbit house, Katie and Sue were stirring and I told them about the steps. Katie was determined to go, so she swallowed half a Vicodin and set off with Susie, while I stayed behind to do some business with the hotel concierge, then followed trying to catch up. By the time I climbed the 700 steps a second time, my knees were hurting and I was wondering where the other half of the Vicodin was. Found K. and Ange, asked if they wanted to stay for Vespers and they agreed to that. The abbey worker who was shooing everyone out toward the exit path said we could stay but one of the monks would have to let us out the front way, back down the 700 steps to a locked gate. Vespers was awesome. There is indeed a religious community there of both men and women; about 6 men and 8 women sang Vespers. Rather than traditional monk stalls they had prayer rugs and small stools arranged around the altar. Other than their chant, the only sound was a hard rain beating on the church roof. Afterward, one of the women monks led us outside and down the wet stone steps in the rain to the gate that she unlocked and locked again. It felt very medieval and like we’d fallen into the set for The Name of the Rose.

After a short rest and a dry off in the room, we ventured out to eat. The tides had come in and we looked for a restaurant with an overlook. With an appetite engendered by 700 steps we ordered: mussels, fish soup, and a sampler plate of fruit of the sea (snails, mussel, oysters, shrimp, and langoustines). The mussels made me full but those were only the entrees. We then got the main plates: sea bass, scallops St. Jacques, and leg of lamb. All yummy. I passed on dessert but shared with Katie and Ange: Katie got apple sorbet with Calvados (apple brandy) which we did not like (the ruination of a good apple), and Ange got a Normandy apple pancake--delicious! And, of course, good rich coffee. We watched the tide roll out; that was almost (but not quite) as cool as the beautiful acappella chant at Vespers. Today we explored more, attended some museums and had the requisite omelette at the oldest restaurant on the island, La Mere Poullard. It was good, but overpriced, paying for history and reputation I guess, but in general a practice against my religion. Then we explored more on the ramparts, took another 700 pictures (one for each step) and caught the bus to Dol de Bretagne, where we caught this train to Paris. Just stopped in LeMans and now we have one hour until we arrive at Gare Montparnasse. Only 2 more nights in Paris and one day and then home. It’s been so lovely and, except for Switzerland, going to Mont St. Michel has been the loveliest of all. Bon nuit, mes amis.

Rainy day in Paris. Went to the Gard de Nord ( train station) to p/u Neecies' penpal, Genevieve, who came over from England and to reserve a trip tomorrow for me and Katie to Versailles... Neece will stay and visit with her friend then, from a cafe, watch people go by. Also made reservations for Friday for us all 3 to go to Mount San Michel on the coast for an overnight visit.

Katie and I walked home very slowly looking at things (food mostly) in the open air markets on the street by our apartment. I will definitely miss all the foods in Paris. Today I tried another "new" food (for me) Gorgonzola Cheese! It was good. We also had brie and gruyere cheese...it was all good!

The time is now going too fast and soon our trip will be over, but we will have the pictures, our diaries and this blog to help us to remember it all. Well, off to p/u Genevieve from her hotel and out for crepes for supper. Au revoir for now, mon amis.

Normandie Taps

on its side.... but very moving.....the people of Europe have not forgotten..they remember all the help they received...from all the countries, not just America.

http://www.facebook.com/video/editvideo.php?v=405659443953

Some photos of Arles and the Pompidou Center

back in Paris

These are the keys to our apartment and there is a spiral staircase with 37 steps before we can use them on our door. (The larger key actually is for the armoire in the bedroom but I like the looks of them together.)

We slept late because we were tired out from hauling the suitcases through the train station, the metro and up and down all the stairs. Susie/Ange and Neecie had to do most of the work of carrying those cases up those 37 stairs and they had such an energetic morning with their bike ride that bedtime could hardly wait.

But that was yesterday...today we spent a lazy morning doing laundry and eating bread and jam and coffee. Strolled over to the Montparnase Cimeterie and paid our respects to Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sarte, Jean Seeburg and Constantin Brancusi, the sculptor.   Took the Metro down to the old Jewish section to show Susie what it is like. Forgot that today is the Jewish sabbath so the place we wanted to eat was closed, then walked to the Jewish Museum and it too was closed and then walked to the Picasso museum and .....yes, it was closed also. We did get to eat in the Jewish quarter...at an Eastern European shop and shared a lunch of pastrami sandwich, potato latke and a small aubergine and roasted pepper pizza. Ummm Delicious!

Rather than go home we went on to the Pompidou Center...that is a fantastic building.  All the electrical, plumbing and supports are visible on the outside of the building..it looks as if it was turned inside out! We toured the modern art museum located inside but I think what I will remember is the view from the top overlooking Paris and the patio areas below.  The grounds seem as if they are a meeting place for young people to sit on the bricks (!) and are entertained by musicians, mimes and all sorts of entertainers.  We sat in a sidewalk cafe and had a beer...so good after such a hot day and a hot walk.  Amstel (no alcohol) is darn good.
Home on the Metro, stop at Monoprix for groceries and then home again.  Bread and cheese for supper....that sounds as if we didn't have a lot but it is so satisfying, so good!
Katie

photos

I thought the comments that I made about the photos would show but they didn't. The first is the 3 of us on a road above Sembrancher with the village spread out below. The second photo is of our cousin Rene-Marc who, along with his brother Dodo, squired us around Valais. It is raining today in Paris so maybe I will be able to get more photos and an update to the blog done. Still one week to go here....doesn't seem long enough.

Correction...

The Yellow House was bombed and destroyed in 1944 not 1844...typo. That's what you get for typing when you are very tired.

We slept late this AM...didn't get up until after 08-0830. Neecie was a sweetie and ran out and got coffee so that we could have a leisurely petit Petit déjeuner (breakfast) of bread, jam, fruit and coffee. Have to do laundry before we can do much else (clean undies required for Paris). Looking at the Ribordy book with its photos of Sembrancher and places that we have visited. I love thinking about Switzerland and picturing it in my mind's eye....it is so beautiful.

Our day is not planned as yet. Hope to meet up with Larry and Jennifer but if not we will take Susie to the old Jewish section for falafel and schwarma.

Sunny and clear blue skies here..life is good.

Back in Paris

We arrived back in Paris this evening around 7:30. The TGV train from Avignon made the trip in less than 3 hours (465 miles). If it hasn't been said here before I have to say that the train system in Europe is absolutely wonderful! Fast clean trains, smooth rides, tables between the seats so you can share a lunch or a game or spread out your work...and relatively inexpensive too.

We spent 2 nights in Avignon and toured the Palace of the Popes and walked and walked around the old walled city. Then we took the local train to Arles in Provence where Van Gogh spent the last 2 Years of his life. It is also an old city with a Roman ampitheatre and Antique Theater (outdoor) stadium. Both of those ancient venues are used even today. There are bull fights in the coliseum and music performances in the stadium. Arles is a quiet country town with lots to see. We followed the trail of Vincent using a book on his life and paintings that was a map of all the places where he did his famous paintings. Last night we ate at the "Night Cafe" which is still recognizable today. The "Yellow House" was destroyed by bombs in 1844 but the bridge and adjoining houses remain there as they were in his time. Today Susie and Neecie rented bicycles and rode out to find the bridge on the canal but were not successful. They had a good time manuvering through narrow streets and over the cobblestones although Sue later took a spill on a gravel road. They successfully navigated the round-a-bout even though they had to go around twice to find the right exit. I walked through the residential parts of the city to the old wall and ramparts and visited the Cimeterie. I love to walk and watch the people of the city going about their regular daily lives away from the tourist routes. The building are fascinating with gaily painted shutters; blue, magenta, red, green, and flowers cascading from the window boxes. I liked Arles better than Avignon...quieter, less rushed and busy.

We came back to Paris with 2 more suitcases than when we left but we blame that on the fact that the handle broke on our biggest and made it difficult to carry with all our many treasures. Of course if you have 2 new suitcases what should you do but fill them up? and that is what we tried to do finding lots of interesting and pretty gifts, for ourselves and for others.

We ate on the train home...aubergine caviar, anchovy dip, smoked salmon, creamy cheese, carrots, pears and apricots and always the wonderful crusty bread of this country. YUM YUM

Tomorrow we hope to meet up with our nephew and his family and then.....more adventures! (After we do our laundry of course)

Katie