After hearing much about the fabulous oysters, butter cookies, buckwheat crepes (galettes), salted caramel and rugged coast, we made time for Brittany. Coming from Maine, we know good seafood and we know rugged coastline but this was quite different. It also felt very British to us- it was the architecture, gardens, softer and cooler light, and mistier weather that made it so.
We made Cancale our homebase and our first sight was Mont St Michel. I had been hearing SO much about this place and how amazing it was. Objectively speaking, it IS amazing. The fact this barnacle-like town and monastery clings to this tiny bump in the middle of crazy-big tides is amazing. how did they build all that, so long ago, and dealing with the incoming tides that wash everything away in a moment?
However, all that respect to Mont St Michel aside, we were kind of underwhelmed. I think it was already familiar to us because of our friends' photos, books we had read, etc. and it was also SO crowded. AND, once we got to the monastery itself, it was closed for some sort of "evacuation drill". Annoying. So, we took some photos and left. Sorry, didn't give it much time and it was really one of those quick, superficial visits but hey, sometimes that has to happen.
Here is Dave, looking cute with our guidebook.
The majestic viewof Mont St Michel as we approaced.
A successful self-timer shot!
The crowds, oh the crowds.
Doesn't this look like a scene from Laurence of Arabia?
View from the (closed) monastery. At least we got to see some actual monks here.
Ladies banging the sand off of their shoes after taking advantage of the low tide and walking around the base of the town.
GPS says "make a U-turn" after getting to Mont St Michel.
A pretty windmill (working, grinding flour), close to Mont St Michel.
Another nice view of MStM..
Back at Cancale (nice town, liked it a lot).
The oyster vendors- view from our hotel room.
Some English-feeling garden walls.
Most of the bldgs were this same dark gray stone. Doesn't it remind you of some British TV show or movie set?
loved the pops of color with the dark stone.
And you would turn a corner, peak look between two houses and there was the sea again.
a view to the sea
The ubiquitous striped shirt. EVERYONE had one of these.
...even this couple had the poor sense to wear matching shirts to dinner. and you know, we saw this A LOT.
Junk in a shop
Loved this scene - people just sitting on the beach, shucking freshly purchases oysters from this cluster of blue-striped tents.
oyster beds, as seen from our hotel room.
At low tide we ventured to the oyster beds to check things out up close.
One night we had a DEE-LISHUS diner - galettes with fresh scallops ("last of the season") and cider, both very typical of the region.
and sweet crepes for dessert!
a very pretty cat with beautiful blue green eyes.
really pretty eyes, huh?
The cat above had the same color scheme as this bldg here. right? am i right?
Best (and only) place for WIFI in town.
We explored some back alleys and discovered some quaint garden spaces here and there.
I liked the Virgin Mary nook in the upper left.
Lobstahs, just like in Maine!
Picnic- very Normandy/Brittainy style
Oysters for dinnah!
BIG, HUGE tides - like 25 feet or so. Incredible to observe.
Oh, love the cat.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was underwhelmed by MSM. Or overwhelmed by the crowds. It is better from a distance. Or maybe I should spring for a hotel there and stay the night.