I understand that it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I assure you that this delay is a result of 100% laziness on my part. It’s not like there wasn’t anything interesting that happened—but I had lost my sense of wit and didn’t feel like expressing what’s been happening without it. Although it may still be gone, I assure you this entry will be much more interesting than if I had written it a couple of weeks ago. You can thank me later.
So, I have been back in school for two weeks now after my trip to Carnac and Mt. St. Michel. It was a really remarkable trip—one of the best ever—and it has made my return to this great city quite interesting. I am much closer to my travel buddies (Amy and Amanda) and also to people around me. I think it put me in a good mood—which Esther (the girl who lives with me), is very thankful for. No more sassy Trevor.
We started our trip on a Tuesday morning, very early. We had only purchased our tickets to Rennes and back, and thought we’d leave the details to the trip up to the fate of the train system. Turned out that this was by far the best way to travel—to find a port city and just go from there.
On the train, we decided that I was going to cut my trip short early because I had an unprecedented amount of homework to do and a party to catch on Friday night. So, we made a list of priorities—starting with the stuff I wanted to do because I would be returning Friday whereas Amy and Amanda would be returning on Sunday. On the train, we made the decision that we would go to Carnac, then travel to Mt. Saint Michel, where I would leave on Friday morning and they would continue onto the Normandy beaches. Sorry to say it, but WWII stuff takes backseat to my gigantic Catholic castle.
So, after our four-hour train to Rennes, we purchased all our tickets for the remainder of our trip and hopped on a train to Auray. From there—a 45 minute bus ride to Carnac. Carnac is a small village that is often visited for the sea because it has a really nice port considering many of the Northern beaches are mucked up with tons of gray sand away from land—which makes it difficult to own boats. Beyond that, however, Carnac is one of the oldest Megaliths sites in the world. Gigantic rock formations that pre-date Stonehenge line the streets of Carnac for miles and miles.
We arrived at around 4 in the afternoon after a day on the trains. We found a store to buy chips and salsa and we sat and watched the sunset at the rocks. It wasn’t too cold at that point and it was nice to just sit and relax since none of us were sitting together on the train. Afterwards, Amy was feeling kind of ill so she returned to the hotel while Amanda and I ate at a nice little Italian restaurant. It was warm and cozy and there was this really scraggly dog that was walking to all the tables and visiting the guests. The food was great, the company was great, and it was a nice evening.
SALSA: Amy was incredulous
Megaliths at sunset
Peek-a-boo
Amy was feeling better after dinner, so she met up with us for Crepes. Crepes are the specialty of the north and, much to the dismay of Amanda, I wasn’t really looking to try them as a formal meal—only desert. So we went, Amanda ordered a crepe with Chantilly, caramel, apples, whipped cream, etc. Amy had the house specialty—sugar, butter, and caramel. I had the dark chocolate with vanilla ban ice cream. What can I say—I’m a classic kind of guy.
Amanda with her Chantilly madness
I'm a chocolate monster
We went to bed early that evening in a bed that was firmer than the floor for some reason (consult the video on Facebook), but in a hotel room that was the best room we’ve been in since we got to France. It was big, private LARGE bathroom that even had a footbath because it was close to the sea. It wasn’t too pricey either—which is nice because it’s generally an expensive area.
The next morning we got up early, threw our bags on our backs, and began what would be one of the longest hikes any of us had ever taken. We walked about 15-18 kilometers that day along side the Megaliths, up and down hills, through paths. It was so beautiful outside and the downtown area was quite charming because all the buildings are old and quite homogenous. It was a wonderful day filled with walking, reflecting, great Pizza, and of course—another train.
Charming little pathway
Church on the hill
Beautiful field we spent some time in
The church on the hill, again
We were pretty alone out there...
Awesome shot of the tree and the sun!
The travelers smile for a Kodak moment
This time, going back to Rennes, we had about five minutes between connecting trains. So, we sprinted over to the monitor to see where our train was departing, then sprinted and barely made the train. Naturally, all the good seats were taken so we sat separately again. However, in one hour time, we arrived in Pontorson—a city just outside Mont Saint Michel. It was dark, we were tired and hungry, so we found a cheap hotel, put our stuff down and went looking for food.
We were fortunate to find a menu that was relatively inexpensive with what appeared to have decent entrées. Unfortunately, it was also half restaurant, half porn shop. We thought this unusual until we figured out the only thing to do in Pontorson was to go to strip joints. So, back to the hotel we went after dinner to play Hangman and MASH until we were tired enough to go to sleep. Early in the morning, we took the bus to Mont Saint Michel, which was quite empty. It made me kind of enthusiastic—thinking that we might be alone in this gigantic, 10th century building. However, on arrival, our luck changed as we saw MOBS of people trying to get in. This is how the rest of the day would work itself out.
Those little white things in the front are sheep
We went through the Abbey, it was nice.
The Abbey, from outside
The hallways are still roaming with a couple remaining monks
Plenty of cool stuff to see inside
Garden of Eden
We walked through the village, and that was nice too.
Quick sand--as far as the eye can see!
By the time we had finished with the island, it was still mid afternoon. So we relaxed, had a coffee, hot chocolate, and cider, and sat back and talked. It was a nice break from the mobs because the restaurant was pretty empty. We got back on the bus, and arrived back in Pontorson for dinner. This time, we ate out fancy. I had lamb and a chocolate banana crepe for desert. It was quite yummy. Amy and Amanda had some exotic salads, then Amy had salmon for dinner and Amanda had duck. They finished it with Crème Brule. It was a little expensive, but totally worth it to eat out on my last night of the trip.
The next morning, I started off for home kind of early. I started reading the first Harry Potter book in French on the train. I didn’t get very far because the girl who was sitting next to me was getting constantly harassed by this guy who kept asking her to meet her in the café for a coffee. So, I had to play pretend boyfriend, which was about as fun as it sounds. I sat next to her, she’d grab my arm when he walked by, and then she’d go back to talking about her job search as soon as he left. He was insistent—even with me sitting right there, he continued to make hand gestures that seemed to indicate that he wanted to go have a drink with her in Car 4.
Finally, I got back home in Lyon where I could relax away from mobs of people in Mont St Michel and emotive lonely girls on the train who spoke familial French. I went to a Halloween party that night which was really great and hung out with some nice Americans. It was a nice ending to an amazing trip.
Good job, guys.
These people mean business
