Sorry, readers its been so long since I have written. I missed my train heading out of town, then the country went on strike protesting the new pension reform bill. Recently, the French government has been making some unwanted changes. First, they are raising the retirement age from 60-62 and they also want to make other changes to the pension system. Students, workers and other countrymen don’t agree with this and in France it is a suitable and common protest to go on strike. Strikes such as this commonly disrupt the transportation systems, making people pay attention to their plight.
I saw on the CNN website that these strikes cost the country 200-400 million dollars a day! It was a strange but empowering experience to witness this.
Now, about Mont-Saint-Michel.
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tiny monastic commune of France in the Normandy region. It is an island that hugs the coastline and is connected to the coast by a land bridge (now an actual road). According to Wikipedia, it has a population of only 41. However, it is the second most visited place in France after the Eiffel Tower.
1This is Mont-Saint-Michel after dark. You can see the coastal waters surrounding it.
In its fascinating history, Mont-Saint-Michel has roots in Roman, Norman, English and French cultures through repeated conquering.
On my visit to the monastery, I saw an unmeasureable amount of lambs and sheep grazing on the coasts. Upon inquiring, I learned that the tides had created salt marshes that gave the sheep an distinct flavor and making it a local delicacy. I stopped in Pontorson, France, at Les Relais Gormand for a bite of this mystery, called aagneau de pré-salé (salt meadow lamb).
2Salt marshes
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4Meal with salt lamb
In France, many of their Gothic cathedrals are named Notre-Dame. In Portorson, they have their own Notre Dame cathedral, the Notre-Dame de Portorson.
When things died down, I had to figure out where I wanted to go next. I dream of seeing the Norman beaches of D-day, exploring the Bretagne culture and history, seeing the beautiful metropolis of Paris…the list goes on and on. I heard from a local that the south of France is magnificent. I think I am going to head toward Grenoble, which is kind of south-east France. I’m not sure where exactly my travels will take me, but putting one foot in front of another, I will let my impulses, fancies and desires be the deciding factor. My one constancy will be to finish in the French Alps, renting a bike and knowing the details of the herculean, snowy faces.
Tomorrow morning, I will load up my pack and place on thumb in the wind, looking for a kind soul to carry me towards my next destination.
