0
0
When I was planning our recent trip to Normandy, my husband mentioned wanting to see Mont St. Michel. I’d never heard of it, but believe me: when this tolerant man–whom I drag around Europe according to personal whim–puts in a travel request, I make it happen.
Wanting to stay on the island itself, I chose Le Mouton Blanc, one of the very few hotels situated directly on the island.
Once we figured out the parking situation (you can’t drive up to the island), we grabbed our bags and headed, through pouring rain, to the little shuttle station adjoining the parking lot. Well. Despite the driver seeing us coming, he pulled away and left us. In the rain. It was awesome.
We sat under a partial overhang until a shuttle appeared about 20 minutes later. As we approached the abbey from the road, our bus slowed down and then came to a stop. Some folks stepped off the bus to take a picture, then stepped back on. When the bus did not move, we all realized that he’d brought us as far as he was going to bring us.
Suitcases in tow, we all began the trek to the abbey. And by trek, I mean schlepping suitcases over a boardwalk and up the cobblestoned hill toward the abbey.
Once we arrived at the hotel, it was pretty much worth it. Nestled in a crooked, cobblestoned alley, Le Mouton Blanc is filled with all the charm of Europe: 14th Century stone, exposed beams…pure historic charm. Our room, though small, fit both a double and two single beds. Most importantly, it had a bathtub.
Hungry from our rainy journey, we decided to stay at the hotel restaurant for dinner. Our fare:
We all enjoyed a good night’s rest in the hotel. In the morning, we could not find a local cafe with croissants, so we ended up returning to the hotel to eat an overpriced breakfast buffet. Not bad, just overpriced. While looking for a cafe, we learned how a car-less island laundry service operates.
We were thrilled to see the sun peeking out as we began to explore the island, even if it was windy as hell. A few pics:
For the first in a series of photos of Normandy, click here!
What did you think of the omelette? Hehe
(Apparently that fluffy method the local custom.)
Great story. Thanks.
I preferred the omelettes I had in other regions of France!