Sounds so much more romantic than Bay Balcony doesn’t it? This is where we finished up the day we left Villedieu-les-Poeles, having taken the off-motorway route which was apparently also favoured by the Tour de France, judging by the signs!
We stopped for our first pique-nique in Ducey. Remarkable for having some lovely buildings and a car park we could get Horatio into (and out of) with not too much bother. We ate some left overs from our Villedieu stopover, took some photos and moved on – to our first French campsite.
Le Balcon de la Baie is just what it says on the tin. A campsite perched on a hillside overlooking the wide bay of Mont St. Michel. Although the Mont is not itself visible from there, the view across the intervening fields and bay is lovely and the sun sets obligingly into the sea each evening. So 2 days became 5 as we used Kymi for daily excursions as we had planned – a cunning plan which had actually worked!
Mont St. Michel is every bit as spectacular as you might hope. With a scooter you pay less for parking and get to park much closer than the car drivers – result! We entered the main gateway to find mass confusion in the courtyard as it seemed you might have to pay again. This resulted in a bewildered, milling mass of people all asking each other the same question in a multitude of languages. We walked on through Babel and found our way up to the fortified cathedral. Here we did have to pay again for entrance and an audio guide.
Audioguides – these can be found at most major tourist attractions and are clever as you can pace your own visit and be informed in your own language. We did get to wondering about the people who record the narrative. At the Mont we heard an Englishman with the most soporific monotone whose only nod towards entertainment was to ask us to listen for the sounds of the monks (not live ones, but the ghosts of the old dead ones) as we walked around. In the end B provided the sound effects, which were most realistic, particularly the slurping of soup in the refectory. Coffee soon beckoned!
A pattern soon emerged on this trip, which we will need to address on our Grand Tour. We were on holiday, so got up in a leisurely manner having been woken (eventually) by the sun. After a spot of breakfast we sorted ourselves out, headed to wherever, saw some sights and went for coffee. All sounding good except we were looking for coffee around noon when sensible French people are looking for a restaurant for their leisurely lunch. Then, after a spot more sightseeing, we were looking for lunch just as all the restaurants were finishing up ready to close for the afternoon. We ate quite a few pizzas as a result. With crème fraiche on top. I have no idea why….
Approaching Mont St Michel - a wow moment
One of 5 beautiful sunsets, best viewed with a glass of wine...