Marjorie goes to Paris and the Heart of France
a Rick Steves tour 2023
FRANCE 2023 PART 2
Welcome to the second part of my digital scrapbook documenting my trip to France in the summer of 2023.
I ran out of space on my first wixsite, so I'm hoping you never see this page! But if you're here, find a link to get back on track!
Day 7: Le Pelerinage
Day 8: Le Bocage
Day 9: Le Jour J
Day 10: Les Nympheas
Days 11+: Bon Voyage
Day 7
Le Pélérinage
Today we leave Amboise and begin our pélérinage, or pilgrimage to Mont St Michel. We all board the bus to begin our pilgrimage, refreshed from our free afternoon yesterday. Everyone is in good spirits and excited to move on. And a long bus ride means another chapter for Jean, Marie, and Dominique!
Dominique is off to school! She can start as young as two years old, as long as she's potty trained. School in France is mandatory for ages 6-18 (the last time I was in France it was only mandatory up to age 16; in 2020 they added two more required years!). In L'école (primary school), Dominique sits down every day for ninety minutes to eat lunch. The lunch is provided by the school; no sack lunches in France. And on Wednesday afternoons, no school at all! Next up is collège, which is not college but middle school. At the end of collège (age 15), students pretty much have to decide their career path and are placed into either a vocational high school or different baccalaureate paths. Our group votes that Dominique will choose a scientific baccalaureate and will go to university to study engineering.
We stop for a pause pipi (and an après-pipi cookie!) and continue to our lunch stop in Fougères. We'll be stopping in Brittany, a different région of France. Virginie teaches us about France's regions and regionalism. In the 1950s, France was divided into régions, and régions were divided into départements. Régions and départements have their own governments. In fact, in 2016 they reduced the number of régions because there were just too many politicians. Regionalism refers to the unique character of each region, and Virginie is happy to share what makes Brittany unique.
Earlier in our tour, we saw a lot of sandstone and limestone, but in Brittany we see mostly granite. Check out this charming house in Fougères:
Brittany has Celtic roots. The Romans pushed the Celts to the very edge of the continent, like the Atlantic coast of Brittany. They even have their own language in Brittany, called Breton. Hardly anyone speaks it, but it's trying to make a comeback. It's similar to other Celtic languages like Welsh or Cornish. Virginie passes out a cheat sheet, but mine will blow away later somewhere in Normandy (maybe someone else will pick it up and be inspired to learn Breton!). But the internet has saved the day, and I can share Virginie's handy Breton to French phrase guide.
Demat - Bonjour
Ur grampouezhenn gant chistr 'm bo - Je voudrais une crêpe avec du cidre
Mar plij - S'il vous plâit
Trugarez - Merci
Devezh mat - Bonne journée
Kenavo - Au revoir
To continue our discussion on regionalism, it's time to talk about food! This is our lunch stop after all. Both Brittany and neighboring Normandy get a lot of rain, so they don't grow grapes for wine. But they can grow apples, and from apples they make cider. We're done with the struggling soil that is barely good enough for goats, and we're onto literally greener pastures where happy cows can graze and we can get yummy cream, cheese and butter. But above all, Brittany is known for crêpes. Clever Virginie has already made reservations for our group at three different crêperies in Fougères. The specialty is a savory buckwheat crêpe called a galette, so I order une galette complète, stuffed with cheese, ham and egg.
After I finish my crêpe, I set out on the walk that Virginie had thoughtfully mapped out. A tiny uphill climb is rewarded with panoramic views, and then a downhill stroll through a park and through town back to the bus, where Virginie is waiting with salted butter caramels. I've escaped a downpour; I heard it while I was walking, but I was safely under a canopy of trees. I emerged from the trees to sparkling sidewalks and sunny skies. Brittany loves me!
Today:
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Fougères
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Mont St Michel
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a short list, but a great day (the best day?)
I found an interview with Virginie, and she says this stop in Fougères is her favorite part of all her tours!
I'm very proud of myself for figuring out how to embed this video in my scrapbook and cueing up the clip I want. But I could not figure out how to stop the video, so I recommend you push stop once Patrick starts talking :-)
Fougères has a castle, also made of granite
I got photos of my friends during lunch!
Michelle from Arizona
Dave and Janice from Minnesota, Julie from Australia
Kristina from Seattle
my walk in Fougères >
To Mont St Michel
Less than 2 hours pass as we drive between Fougères and Mont St Michel. Virginie hands out pieces of paper for us to give her a midpoint evaluation. It is an opportunity to ask questions or speak up if something needs improvement. I can't think of anything to say, because Virginie has answered questions I didn't even know I had and I'm having a great time, so I take a chance and write the first thing I've ever written in French.
I'm in the front of the bus, so I'm one of the first to see Mont St Michel. And it is glorious. Busdriver Peter pulls over as soon as he finds a good spot, and everyone sprints out to get a photo. Soon after we park the bus, grab our overnight bags (a brilliant idea; luggage would be annoying on the crowded and stair-filled island), and walk to the shuttle stop. The shuttle drops us off on the bridge to the island. I make 5 attempts to photograph the island after we get off the bus and every single one of them is obstructed by someone else's head or camera. Leave it to Virginie to know the best spot to take our photos.
We're wearing our whisper systems so Virginie can guide us through the crowds to our hotel rooms. It is really special to be able to sleep on the island. I think the island is special enough to enjoy even through the crowds, but as overnight guests we are part of a small group that gets to see her after dark and before dawn. Magical.
view from my (bath)room
We had several hours free to explore before dinner. I went back out on the bridge, through the mud, o'er the ramparts, up, down, and all around the island. I loved every step.
We ate dinner together as a group. I had a lot of fun sitting at a small table with Dean and Sharon from California. They were clearly loving their first Rick Steves Tour, and it was a joy to talk to them.
I stay awake just long enough after dinner to go out again and see the island after dark. I've seen beautiful, floodlit photos of the island at night, but we were warned that the floodlights have been replaced with blue and yellow lights to show solidarity with Ukraine. So my photo doesn't match others I've seen, but I think it catches the light of evening beautifully.
Yup, the best day
My midpoint evaluation:
Je suis contente.
J'aime les histoires.
Merci!
21 of the biggest smiles ever :-D
I think I've seen a lot of beautiful places, but Mont St Michel just might be the most beautiful. It was really hard to choose my favorite photos >
second highest tides in the world (after Canada's Bay of Fundy); there are only about 20 days a year where the island is completely surrounded by water
Virginie instilled in us a healthy fear of quicksand. The group above is taking a guided tour of the mudflats. I stepped very carefully to get my toes in the water. I kept the mud on my sandals for 2 days!
Pilgrims have been fed omelettes on Mont St Michel for centuries. Virginie shared the recipe from the most famous omelette house:
1. Beat eggs
2. Cook
And dessert = tarte Normande, a Normandy apple tart
