Déviation Mont. St. Michel


                        

When I got my rental car on Saturday...it was raining in torrents. The agent set the GPS on my car for my destination of Bayeux. Before I left the parking lot ...actually the curb in front on a busy street here in Cherbourg, France. Here is one of the few life-lessons I will offer for anyone driving in Europe....I know it holds true for France, Scotland and especially Ireland....if you can find room to park the car...on the street, road, sidewalk, between two grazing animals or between two buildings or a cobblestone street in a castle....if it fits and at least one other car can get around you....park it.

And I might add...learn to program the GPS unit on your rental car... Forget maps....nobody has maps at rental car agencies...you might as well ask for an 8-track player or a typewriter. 

              
                 (St. Malo, France)

I went to Bayaux, upon returning I set my GPS for Cherbourg...I made it. When I got back, before leaving the car, I thought I would program it for the next day's trip to St. Malo.
I tried for 45 minutes sitting there in the dark on the street. I even downloaded a couple YouTube videos on how to program the Fiat 500 GPS. No luck.

       
          (St. Malo Church)
The next morning....it was still torrential rains.....but before leaving the hotel I thought of one other YouTube possibility .... And somehow that video gave me the key to reprogramming the GPS. 

Anyway....GPS...learn it, use it, you're welcome.
I move on.

             

A couple years ago, I read the book "All the Light We Cannot See." It is set in St. Malo, France during WWII, that walled city hunkers down as the Allies try to bomb the Nazi's out of there.

                   

St Malo is a Medieval City surrounded by walls...it was 80 percent destroyed. I watched videos of the town recovering. I thought I would like to see the rebuilt city.

                

Here it is....rebuilt. Take note that there is a another part of the city of St. Malo that is much bigger than this walled, restored section....but here is where the tourists hang out...and the restoration was exceptional

                 

But what I enjoyed most was walking the stone walkway along the top of the walls and viewing the sea. It is a remarkable place.


         My other destination for the day was nearby at Mont St. Michel.
         Since the 8th century this has been a monastery.

               

It is built on an island a few hundred yards off shore. The tide sweeps in an out making it accessible on foot...until the tide is high. 


                       

Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and visited by 3 million people a year.

            

Clearly, I was not the first to have discovered it. On the mainland there is a massive parking lot. Then shuttles go along a road that is only for the shuttle buses and some of the work related people at the site.
The French hiways are wonderful...I drove for 150 miles on various 4 lane hiways. But they are not so great at marking their attractions with signage. The parking lot was very confusing... And when there were signs....they were in another language.
What gives?

            

These past couple days on the Northwest corner of France have been illuminating. There were several places that I wanted to see...with Cherbourg as a base. The Battle of Hastings and its Tapestry (which is really embroidery), WWII sacred sites which are meticulously maintained with fascinating historical analysis. The jaw-dropping places of St. Malo and especially Mont St-Michel. Tourism has happened to all of those sites...and if you think they are in out-of-the-way places....and maybe they are for Americans (save for the Normandy Beaches)....they are well known to European tourists who flock to them.

It rained steadily for two days but the sun broke through as I left St. Michel last night.

No problem...just pull off the road....make others go around you or shout or honk at you...who cares.....you'll probably never be back this way again anyway.

             

                 Peace,  Bob

                     





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