Ok I’ve been lazy with the blog writing, but I promise I’ll catch up sooner or later. Going to jump to this weekend whilst I still remember everything!
Friday night I went Salsa because I promised a girl that I would go with her, however, Saturday the plan was to go to Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel very early with Flora and her parents, so it probably wasn’t the best idea to go out Friday night… but I didn’t have the girls number so I couldn’t text her and didn’t want to let her down. I arrived at Flora’s quite late and flopped into bed, knackered.
I got up about 5.30am and had a light breakfast with tea (yays) and we left the house about 6.30am and I slept most of the journey to Saint-Malo – it’s hard work being a passenger! We found a little café, Café de l’Ouest for the morning coffee (well, pineapple juice in my case) and then did a tour walking along the top of the walls protecting the city with lovely views of the sea and port. Of course, then the girls had to go into the town to shop! Flora needed some blinkers (œillères), someone has an obsession with shoes!! Finally she couldn’t resist and ended up going into Promod where she found two tops, one of which I got her for her birthday J (easy birthday present shopping but nevermind!)
We then set off to a little beach not far from Saint-Malo, called Parame, for the afternoon, armed with baguette, cheese, jambon serrano, smoked salmon and Orangina. I actually tanned in northern France in October, unbelievable! Me and Flora went for a little walk along the beach and dipped our toes in the (cold) water. I don’t know how people were swimming, but there were quite a few, including her dad! Despite the long nap in the car I still managed to have a siesta on the beach and learnt that in French they ‘sleep like a dormouse’ (dormir comme un loir) not ‘like a log’. Beaches are great places for learning vocabulary so it seems! Seashells, seaweed, bucket and spade, stuff they never really teach at school…
After the siesta we went in search of the hotel (the reservation sheet had been misplaced, but it wasn’t a problem). It was a little two star hotel by a tiny railway station and we had a family room that had a double downstairs and a little mezzanine upstairs (for me and Flora). I think ‘quaint’ is the word, that translates from estate agent language to English as ‘in need of some work’. Had a quick wander around the village to find a restaurant for dinner and then it was back, ready for this dormouse to sleep some more (faire un gros dodo)!
The next morning, after the hotel breakfast, we had another (reasonably) early start off in search of Mont Saint-Michel, not that far away (11km). It’s impressive! And not surprisingly it’s protected by UNESCO. Apparently the sheep that feed there produce really good lamb, something to do with the sea salt water. Over the years the tides have stopped coming up to the island because of all the grass and a canal that was created, but the government has decided to restore it to being an island so they are doing lots of work around it.
We went around the abbey and you could hear the monks singing or chanting or whatever you call it! I also experienced part of a French mass and recognised the Lord’s Prayer – oh the uses of primary school! Oh and I did that tourist thing of buying a million postcards but not having gotten round to writing them and sending them… yet. I saw some guys in traditional outfits making the famous omelette from the island, they looked pretty silly but hey ho, all in the name of tourism.
The afternoon was of course another beach trip, this time to a little village/town called Carolles, on passing through the town I saw a little Church that reminded me of the one in Ryarsh (back home), this time ‘quaint’ but without the estate agent connotation. This one was really busy, not quite as nice as the day before and the water seemed colder!
We left about 4pm I think and found a little place to have a crepe (or two, nom) and off we went back to Paris! There was some traffic, and again, this dormouse slept a bit! Got home and it’s always good to get back into your ‘own’ bed. Had a chat with mum, a quick hi to nan and slept like a baby.
Thanks to Flora and her parents for inviting me to explore the north of France a little, I had a lovely weekend :-D
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