Mont Saint-Michel: An Island Monastery, a Chateau, and The Count
Our Parisian adventure had concluded, but the journey out of the city provided a brief epilogue to our tale. Everybody had their luggage ready and the car was packed as Julie's parents checked out of the hotel. However, the directions to our next destination, Mont Saint-Michel, went missing. Before the internet, people used maps; however, sometime between the inception of the information superhighway and present day - people used MapQuest. Julie and I waited in the car as the other half of our party frantically looked for a printout of MapQuest directions.
Approximately, a half-hour passed before the four of us were all seated in the car and ready to depart. Unfortunately, our directions were, 50240 Vergoncey - indeed, a destination; yet only specific enough to narrow our search to the small French commune with a population of 209. With little desire to spend any more time waiting than we already had, a second address reconnaissance mission proved successful - we were on our way to Château de Boucéel.
Dry island surroundings
Walking around
Rare picture of us
Driving out of Paris was predominantly uneventful, although, I was pleased to have successfully navigated through the 12-spoke traffic circle that surrounds the Arc de Triomphe. Upon our arrival to Vergoncey, we were greeted by the heir and owner of the Chateau, a real-life Count. Unfortunately, bad news was brought to our attention, a scheduling error occurred and the reservations did not match the books. To clarify, we told the Count that the four of us had four bags and drove four long hours from Paris. As he pondered our dilemma, he donned his cape on and proceeded to count four bats for unknown reasons (may or may not have happened). Regardless, the scheduling snafu was quickly amended and we were led to our rooms; each with a unique interior design.
Once settled, we returned to the car and drove to Mont Saint-Michel, a small island famous for its monastery. This is the first attraction visited where we were required to read a tide chart before our arrival. Depending on time of year and day, the island may or may not be accessible due to high tides that rise above the access bridge. With the lengthy drive, we missed high tide and arrived at the "height" of low tide. This isn't the first island monastery Julie and I have visited (see: Skellig Michael), however, it was the first island we could walk around. Following our circumvention of the island, we started the ascent up the 350 stairs to the Abbey.
So many stairs...finally at the top
Enjoying the view after all those stairs
Entering monastery
When we reached the top, we purchased tickets and continued to start our self-guided tour. Before entering, we took the time to enjoy the panoramic views atop the landing outside the monastery's facade. With our casual pace, the walk though took about an hour; and given our late afternoon arrival, the shops and restaurants were dialing down for the evening. Following a long day of travel combined with the tour of Mont Saint-Michel, the four of us welcomed the early closure. On our way out, we stopped for dinner at La Ferme Saint Michel, where everybody enjoyed their meals; however, there was more cervical vertebrae in my lamb neck than expected.
Courtyard atop Mont Saint-Michel
Grand hall
View from inside small chapel
On the drive back to our temporary home, we stopped along the way to take pictures of the island from a distance. At the chateau, there was enough daylight remaining for us to explore the grounds - our mission - find the donkeys. We made our way around the pond, passed the small stone chapel to the fields opposite the chateau. There wasn't much searching required, the donkeys came to us when we reached the perimeter of their fenced enclosure. Later, we returned to our respective rooms as night fell.
Au revoir Mont Saint-Michel
The Chateau
During the day's waning hours, Julie and I briefly discussed the unique ubiquitous pattern within our quarters. I suppose, each room at Château de Boucéel has its charm. Ours had the touch of vintage interior designer's flare - when one finds a fabric they like, they use it for everything. In that, the wall paper matched our bed comforter, which matched the pillow cases, which matched the table runners, which matched the curtains, which matched a throw rug...and so forth. To my knowledge, the only other room in existence with so much of a single fabric could only be a room with padded walls. Despite the almost kaleidoscopic stimuli of the room, our stay was very pleasant - we even dined with the Count the morning of our departure.
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