Friday 26 December
After an indulgent day yesterday we have an early start to a long day of excursions. We head off around the coast road towards Mont St Michel, driving through some fabulous villages huddled along this rough coastline. Pointe du Grouin looks particularly interesting so we stop for a discovery walk out to the point. Sea Rescue is appropriately based here. The headland is surrounded by craggy islands & rocky outcrops, with a surging choppy sea swirling every way. Although a clear sunny day, the air temperature is hovering between 0 & 3 deg and the wind chill is extreme. Even Steve has 3 layers & his jacket zipped right up, but still commenting on the cold. Everyone is freezing, however it is so exhilarating exploring some of the walkways & watching the water while listening to those fabulous seagulls!
Although reluctant to leave, we are oh so grateful to reach the haven of warmth & shelter from the freezing wind to resume our journey. Next stop Mont St Michel. Having been totally spoiled with no crowds anywhere we have visited so far, we are given a rude awakening at Mont St Michel. Having expected it to be popular, we are unprepared for the masses of people. The long walk from the extensive car park to the Mont is absolutely freezing – buffeted by cold winds in all directions straight off the water. We jostle our way up the narrow pathways, people everywhere – a lot with dogs (it is France) & lots of strollers. The walkway is crowded, narrow & surrounded on each side by tacky souvenir shops. We struggle our way up toward the cathedral, finally reaching the steep stairs to the entry. The wind is freezing. It goes through my mind to wonder what it must be like to be there in the middle of winter, only to immediately realise that it actually is the middle of winter and yes, it is freezing. The abbey/cathedral is huge & a rabbit warren. We wander through with the rest of hordes up and down stairs, eventually stumbling on a chapel where some monks & nuns are singing mass. It is stunningly beautiful & we sit and listen in awe.
On leaving the Mont we realise that the crowds have only just started to arrive – we walk past a huge row of coaches. The air temperature hasn’t improved – it is still bitterly bitterly cold. Our next stop is Bayeaux to see the famous tapestry. Rose is not travelling well – complaining of car sickness & looking like death. The tapestry is fabulous – we had expected to be here for a quick 15 minute look, but all were enthralled with the story & the workmanship. At 70m in length, it is quite overwhelming. Following the tapestry we had the obligatory visit to the cathedral – once again from the 1100’s, huge & imposing.
Our last stop for the day is the D-Day landing area at Omaha Beach and the American War Cemetery. Unfortunately the cemetery was due to close at 5pm leaving us with just 25 minutes to see the vast area with approx. 12,000 graves. As with all war cemeteries, the row upon row of crosses shows the total futility of war. So many young lives ended and countless people’s lives shattered as a result. Unfortunately we are only able to spend 10 minutes in the huge information & display area before closing.
We head back to the car – now after 5pm, extremely cold and the day drawing to a close. We have a 2 hour trip back home & program Tommy to get us back as quickly as possible. Unfortunately Tommy decides that the most direct way is not on the motorway, but through a maze of backroads meandering through a multitude of tiny villages, which would be really fascinating if we weren’t tired, cold, hungry & with a car-sick child in the back seat and rapidly fading daylight.
Eventually we make it home, and immediately head out to our favourite creperie for warmth & food before thankfully retiring.
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