travel France – Kiwis Do Fly

Mont Saint-Michel

Published on December 1, 2019April 2, 2022 by kiwisdofly2Leave a comment

0600 the alarm goes off. We are staying at Saint Malo which is 50 minute drive to Mont Saint-Michel. High tide is at 0833 and the advice is to get there 2 hours before high tide so that you can see the tide rushing in. I am so fascinated by the 15 metre tidal range. They say the water comes in at 30km per hour, as fast as a racehorse. We are at the end of the spring tides so we want to go today to see it as high as we can. So we choose the morning tide as, being winter, the afternoon highs are in the dark. We intend to get there about an hour before high tide and see what we can see.

Navigating with Google Maps again, we find our way out of Saint Malo, and get to St Michel about 0730. Oh woops……. Its still dark – like really dark! We came to a barrier arm which needed a code or credit card to go through, its pitch dark and we don’t really know what to do. We reverse back out and find there are many many car parks. Only 2 other cars, not many other silly buggers here in the dark! We didn’t realise that the whole of the town/village was actually out on the “Mount” we really thought there was a village on the mainland before the access to the mount. But NO, there is a hotel and a restaurant and this car park – this HUGE car park, numbered 1 – 14. Google says it is still 3.5 km to our destination of the tourist office. We start walking and can see the majestic Mount lit up in the distance, but we are actually heading the wrong way, we are just heading to the far end of the furthest car park! We re assess and follow some lights to the road and make our way. We do get to the causeway and by now it is getting light, we make it onto the bridge right on high tide, so we don’t get to see the racehorse rushing in. We never would have though as we mis-calculated the darkness.

Yesterday the water was meeting in the middle

She is a beautiful site! We have had rain this morning and it is overcast, hence so dark so late, but still……WOW!! The end of the causeway was closed yesterday so we really are seeing her at her highest. A construction worker shows us the way in up a ramp, as the entrance was blocked by water, this is so cool! Legend says that the archangel Michael appeared to Aubert of Avranches in 708 and instructed him to build a church here. 1300 years ago! Then she was seized by Vikings, then, in the 10^th century, the Benedictine Monks settled here and expanded the church. The English tried to capture her during the 100 years war and the abbey was closed in the 17th century and used as a prison until 1863, she has seen so much! But now she can rest as she has been declared a Historic Monument, since 1874.

We stayed on the Mount for about 2 hours, wandered around all the streets, went up and down many stairs, took many many photos but I feel they do not do her justice! This is a spectacular place and we are so thankful we got here!

We may not have seen the tide racing in, but in the 2 hours we were there we saw the evidence of the tide receding, it is quite a site to see

A Trip to Brittany – or was it Normandy?

Published on December 1, 2019 by kiwisdofly24 Comments

I have just finished a book called “All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. Actually I didn’t read it as such, I had it read to me via Audible. I love reading on my Kindle, which is the perfect thing for traveling as you only take one small device and carry a whole library, but I also love using Audible when you need to be doing other things at the same time. So I have been raking leaves, mowing lawns, cooking etc listening to this wonderful story. It is set in France during WWII, about a blind girl who survives the bombing of her village of Saint Malo. So taken with this book, I wanted to see where Saint Malo was. It is on the coast of Brittany, only 4 hours drive from where we are staying. It is in the same area as another place we were advised to visit if possible, Mont Saint Michel. Great opportunity for an adventure, lets go.

We walked the 3 kms to the walled city from our Hotel. Beautiful walk along the beach just as the sun is starting to go down. The mandatory “beer on the beach” on the way. We are so taken with the huge houses built all along the waterfront. The beach is really deep and there is a wall which must be 3 metres high going up to the footpath. Infront of the wall in one area are tree trunks set in concrete, about the same height as the wall – interesting. So many people are out, its windy and only 9 deg but so gorgeous. Surfers are out, just crazy!

We get to the old town and walk around part of the wall and explored as much as we could as it was dark by now. We will come back tomorrow and find the street which features in my book tomorrow. As we leave the old town we go to walk along the edge of the path but the water is splashing up a bit. Ok cool, don’t want to get wet so we will walk on the other side. As we get further along the waves and splashing up higher and higher. There is quite a crowd forming and the water is washing right across the road, the drains and gutters of the road can only just handle it. We keep walking and it really is getting bigger and bigger, as the wave comes up to the wall, the water flies right up in the air, sometimes up to 10m, it then goes back out and crashes into the next one coming up. Now we understand the reason for all the tree trunks! We meet a lovely Moroccan family twice as we made our way home, stopping to chat and compare our amazement of what we are seeing. There were so many people out, all in awe of the show. The road is getting covered with seaweed! We half expect to see a fish flapping around. We wonder how on earth did they build this wall in the first place with this tidal flow. There is a restaurant which is right on the wall and looking through from the road side we see the water foaming right up the windows! Wow how do they not break! This is quite amazing.

Well, we think our night will not get better than that! But wait – there’s more! We arrive back at our Hotel and they have 1 other couple at the bar so we order a drink. The couple happen to be related to the owner and are there on business for the night. 6 in the bar, 2 owners and 4 guests, and the bar gets closed to public – never been in a “lock-in” before! We have another drink. Then food arrives! Prawns, langoustines, fish, spring rolls, chips, and 6 plates! We are being included in with the family – this is amazing, such wonderful people. It didn’t matter that none of us were truly fluent in each others language, we still had a great laugh and a really fun night. We finally went up to bed thinking – did that really happen?

An interesting fact came out about Saint Malo that night, they have conflict over their province. Some say it is in Brittany and some say it is in Normandy, and some say it is neither, in fact some say it is not even France – it is Saint Malo….full stop. So funny, What a great night!

It was a different sight here last night!

A bit on the slow side the next day but still able to get on bikes and explore. As we head out we check the information sign and while we are figuring out which way to go a lovely old French Monsieur stopped to see if we needed help. No English! He understood we were from Nouvelle Zealnde and when he saw the world cup shirt Chris had on he did an imitation of the haka! This made us all laugh and he seemed delighted! He pointed to the fort as if to say we should go there, up the Avenue John Kennedy. We said we would then we all shook hands and he headed off, but not before saying “vive le Rugby” – long live rugby!! friend for life! We have had some amazing interactions with some beautiful French people!

We found the Fort de la pointe de la Varde, so many remnants of the German defences during the war, it was so much top of my mind from reading my book. The book was so well written, I could picture this place in 1944.

Back into the old town and we found the address from my book – 4 Rue Vauborel! WOW. We walked right round the walls and around the outside. It was low tide now so we walked out to the Grand-Be. We knew That Mont Saint-Michel had a huge tidal range and should have known it would be similar down the coast at Saint Malo. 13.36m here, but unless you see it, it is hard to picture.

When in France……Eat Crepes!!

Alarm is set for 0600 tomorrow – we are off to Mont Saint-Michel in the morning!

A Day in the Dordogne

Published on November 23, 2019November 26, 2019 by kiwisdofly22 Comments

So I am sitting here at the Gare or train station at Lebourne. I am 1.5 hours from home. I have just spent 2 nights with a dear friend Tricia and her husband Berjen, at their “home away from home” in Beaumont de Perigord. It is fascinating being here with lots of people around speaking French, people watching…… but I can’t eavesdrop on any conversations, it’s a true reminder that I am in fact, in France!

Just had a very interesting encounter with a young woman who was sitting beside me at the station, she was talking on her phone. When she hung up she jumped up and down and was clearly excited and started talking to me, telling me her obviously great news and all I could do was smile and say “I am sorry, I don’t speak French”. She didn’t get put off by my non-responsive response and explained some more, so, not to disappoint I said “yaaaa! So cool!!! ” she said “oui” then hugged me! Then offered me a cookie and then Bounced off – quite bizarre, but I feel very honoured to have been part of it! So cute!

Tricia and I, we met through a wonderful mutual friend, Karen, in 1992

The Dordogne is a beautiful area. The afternoon I arrived I went for a walk around the village of Beaumont. I don’t think I will ever tire of these beautiful villages with buildings dating back hundreds of years. The narrow streets and cobblestones, the ornate shutters on every window, the solid wooden doors with iron work or carvings, massive door handles and locks or tiny doors for the smaller people of the time. A lot of the villages in this region are Bastide villages, they all have a covered in central place in the square where villagers meet to socialise, dates back to medieval times 13^th and 14^th century, it’s so lovely.

Such a pretty village, Beaumont du Perigord

The next day Tricia took me for a tour around the area, oh WOW, such a beautiful part of the world. A lot hillier than where we are staying further north. Each village we went to was amazing and had its own special magic.

First was Cadouin. A huge Abbey right in the middle of town. How and why they built the churches and Abbeys this size for the amount of people around is staggering. Impressive door-way, as they often are, sure makes a statement. We went inside and felt the peace. The floor in parts was pushed up as if an earthquake, this building would have seen a thing or two in its 900 years life!!!!!

Next, Le Bugue, great little village on the river Vezere which comes off the Dordogne. There was a market just closing up in the square by the river when we arrived. Fresh fish, veg, cheese, meat, bread – oh boy! The French really know how to do their markets. You could go to a market every day of the week if you travelled just a few kilometres, there is always somewhere having a market – its great! Another really cute place. Tricia said each time we moved to the next one, “oh you will like the next one its beautiful” I was quietly thinking to myself that it doesn’t get any better than this!

Our next place, Les Eyzies, was something else, so different from anything I have seen so far, the terrain and rock formations were indescribable. This was an area of the Troglodyte, the people before people! How amazing is that. In March 1868, a geologist discovered the first five skeletons of Cro-Magnons, the earliest known examples of Homo sapiens. People would build houses into the rocks, and that was their homes. We walked along a small road as far as we could to see the rocks right up close. They are all different colours and completely over hanging the homes beneath, it’s a wonder they never fall down.

And then the jewel in the crown of our day, Beynac, with more of the quaint stone houses, shutters, iron railings, beautiful lamps, but this village is built as if a fortress, extending back and up a slope, up up up she goes to an awesome castle! We find the track and head up on foot. This would have been the main road up to the castle back in the day, narrow, winding and rough cobbles. Many houses on each side of the road, all so cute and very well maintained. Tricia said that these are mostly holiday rentals now days and being the off season would mostly be empty. We certainly felt that we had the place to ourselves! The view from up the top is outstanding. I can see 3 other chateaux, the beautiful Dordogne river winding past, green padlocks and the beautiful church belonging to the Castle. We look inside the castle, wow, you can just imagine the Knights coming in in their armour after battle. The kitchen table had slots at each end for them to put their swords safely into while having a meal, amazing!

Last village for the day, Belves. We have come here to see where Tricia and Berjen used to come for holidays. Another village built onto a hill, so stunning to see, impressive Abbey at one end overlooking and protecting, even if just spiritually, the whole village (see to photo) Signs saying XIc ,11th century throughout the village. I am in awe of the age and the fact that this was right here 100’s of years ago, it never ceases to amaze me! It’s been an incredible day, thank you Tricia!

What a trip, a great catch up with an old friend, as well as the stunning Dordogne! There was so much fun and laughter of old times and new, many bottles of wine and loads of cheese, olives and pizza – yes pizza! The sun came out to show the place off at its best. AND I didn’t miss the train, or even get on the wrong train! Arrrrr, I DO love France!