(to climb)
Lovely listening to the rain whilst in bed, but I read too much and didn't sleep well, at least it meant I was up early to plan my day off - Mont St Michel it was.... first bus at 9:45. So I got myself organized and was out the house just before 9am, allowing for getting lost time on the bike into town. Made it into town, stopped checked a map, this way, follow the canal... just thinking how I'd better be on the right track, I only had time for one attempt... thankfully checked another map and I had quite predictably gone the wrong way! It was by now approaching 9:30 & I was loosing hope of making the bus. Somehow made it to the train/bus station - couldn't find a bike station for a while.... then couldn't find the bus... contemplated asking in the train station but amazingly caught the glimpse of a while bus out of the corner of my eye... ran to it, to cooly see a huge queue. Yes, I'd made it. Queued like a true englishman for a while, realizing everyone (who obviously hadn't needed to run) already had tickets... now my online research told me I could pay on the bus.... I'd only uttered 'je n'ai....' before being told, "TICKET OFFICE" and pointed.... well I'd decided to wait until she told me in the hope they'd wait for me.... at least they did! Well Mont St Michel is lovely, beautiful and the walk along the canal towards it was pretty amazing, it looks just like a magic castle. They've built a huge new barage which they use twice a day to control tides and I think minimize erosion from vegetation...? It was quite a long walk but very nice, approaching the foot of the mount was confusing and crowded, thankfully hearing some English....'d been warned it was very touristy..... it was VERY touristy. Crowed narrow streets selling rubbish, I made my way up to the abbey, (feeling very sorry for the man in front with a buggy, and slow, ignorant walkers in front) anyway, the abbey... I was in two minds to pay for it... I'd decided I would when I noticed it was actually free, as I'm under 25 and still an EU citizen - super. The Abbey was stunning, very glad I saw it.... I walked into the grand hall just at the right time, the monks and nuns were singing, in an eerily beautiful tone. It was a strange parallel to my book, the main character spent the first few years of his life in an Abbey as he was born to an Irish girl outside of marriage... slightly strange. Very calm, cool place - I imagine it has a beautiful atmosphere in the evening time without all of the tourists. Time for lunch, obviously very expensive, 6.50, so not extortionate for a sandwich compared to a bottle of coke say, 4.50!!! Thankfully I found the water fountain instead... After a little wander around the walls I escaped onto the beach.... listening to warnings of uneven surfaces, quicksand etc I followed the walked routes... still managing to spectacularly fall within minutes (whole left side covered in the grey-green mud-sand...). It was a bit disgusting, the stagnant looking water and sometimes orangey patches but it was good fun squelching through and wading in the shallow warm waters. Climbed onto a rock and read for a good while before finally heading back and setting off towards the bus. Disappointed in the queuing for the water taps to wash - its true I love to queue.... properly though. Took a photo for an English couple. It was lovely to hear English people,you could honestly pick them out as the large ones.... oh dear... the conversations I overheard were, 'it reminds me of that painter chap, I can't remember who...' 'but Mum you want to make me sad'... and 'FOOD'... Maybe its best I don't understand French, maybe the reality of what they're saying won't live up to the beautiful sound and mystery. Just wandering along when a guy in front of me, possibly called Alexander turned around... "bonjour." "Bonjour" I replied..." "Je m'apelle ?Alexander?" "Je m'appelle Sarah. Je suis anglaise." - As I said I always get that straight in there! "So you speak English?". Alex had decided he had to speak to me and wasn't sure how it might have gone in french... he's from somewhere south in the states doing some project here for a few months with a group of people. It was so nice to speak in English. So nice. Nice chat on the way back to the 'parking lott', I even got invited to 'caravan-along' to a beach with the group of them... but it was time to catch my bus home! I've started to notice that that guy and also a lot of french woman do this thing where they inhale very dramatically, often before they speak but sometimes just randomly, its very bizarre... but obviously normal here - no one else flinches! Everyone but me fell asleep on the coach, how unusual. I sat in the bus station to finish my book, very sad. Made it home cycling with only one extra loop of the main square... its hard to remember which way up the canal is up!! Phoebe had been sick again... quiet evening, updating my blog, early night ready for the market tomorrow...
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