Sanchez Artisan Glacier

There was a line for Sanchez Artisan Glacier and of course, my husband got in line.

It's located at 16 Rue des Petits Bois.

They have artisanal ice cream. One scoop is €3.

2017 05 27

Bouche En Folies

Dinner was at Bouche en Folies. Since we didn't have reservations, we arrived before the restaurant opened at 7 pm and snagged a table. They have a 2-course dinner for €25.90 or 3-course dinner for €29.90.

Like Normandy, Brittany is known for cidre. This bottle was €12.90.

Crab Croquettes were one of the options for the entree. This was okay. Not much crab flavor.

Another entree option was Goat Cheesecake with Smoked Salmon. This was quite good.

One of the options for the main was Duck Breast with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus. This was delicious and well prepared.

Another option was Lotte with Saffron Beurre Blanc sauce. I was told this was monkfish but it didn't taste like monkfish. It was quite good though.

One option for dessert was Tiramisu with Apples, Salted Caramel and Speculos. This was amazing. Loved the salted caramel and speculos.

Meringue Tartlet with Rhubarb & Strawberries. This was okay.

2017 05 27

St. Malo

St. Malo is an adorable beach town in Brittany. Brittany (Bretagne in French and Breizh in Breton) starts west of Mont-St-Michel and extends to the western edge of France. In 1491, the French King Charles VIII forced Brittany's 14-year old Duchess Anne to marry him. Brittany, with Anne as Queen, gained certain rights, including free roads. To this day, Brittany is the only region in France that has toll-free freeways.

We stayed near the beach to the east of old town. This place gets pretty crowded in July and August but in May, it was nice and tourist-free. It was a 6-minute walk from our hotel, along the beach, to the old city. 

There is the ubiquitous carousel, found all over France.

The town is surrounded by ramparts.

Enter the town through the main gate (Porte St. Vincent). The town has no major sites but the town itself is the attraction. We walked the town in the early evening when the locals were just coming out to play.

Follow Rick Steves' tour and troll along the ramparts. To reach the beginning of the tour, keep the Chateau on your right after you enter Porte St. Vincent and you will reach Porte St. Thomas. The stairs are just next to it. Walk the 1-mile tour counterclockwise. 

You'll see fortifications along the rampart.

The tree trunks in the water form part of St. Malo's breakwater.

There's even a park on the rampart

with a statue of Jacques Cartier, inaugurated by Canada in 1984 on the 450th anniversary of Cartier's first voyage to Canada.

You can catch a ferry to England from here.

Across the water, you can see the town of Dinard.

After you come down from the ramparts, walk around the old town. 

Even though the town looks old, over 80% of the town was decimated in WW II and most of the buildings were rebuilt after 1945.

2017 05 27

Hotel L'Addresse, St. Malo

From Cancale, it's 18 km and 30 minutes to St. Malo. Our stop for the night was Hotel L'Addresse.

The hotel is located a short walk from the beach and 6 minutes from the old city of St. Malo. We found parking on the street.

The room is small but adequate.

There was a small kitchenette in the room.

2017 05 27

Cancale Oysters

Cancale is a must-stop if you love oysters.

On the waterfront, you'll find a cluster of oyster stands.

Choose a stand and get in line. Some stands offer 13 oysters for the price of 12. You can get your oysters shucked for €0.50/dozen. 

Pick your oysters, ranging in size from 0 to 5 (0 are the largest and 5 the smallest). The oysters are inexpensive--€3-6 per dozen, depending on size. A lemon is €0.50. 

You can buy a bottle of Muscadet at the grocery store leading into town. It's the best thing to drink with the oysters. We had plastic glasses that we took from the hotel.

Eat your oysters on the pier overlooking the oyster beds.

If you'd rather dine in style, there are numerous restaurants offering the oysters.

2018 05 27

German Military Cemetery

The German Military Cemetery is located 8 km from Mont-St-Michel and I recommend making a detour to see it.

The cemetery is located on a small hill near the town of Huisnes-sur-Mer. 

The entrance reminded me of the gas chambers in the concentration camps in Germany.

The cemetery is very different from the cemeteries you see in Normandy. There is a circular building, housing over 11,956 German WW II soldiers brought from all over France.

The building has crypts, each containing the bones of 180 soldiers. 

2017 05 27

Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel is such an impressive sight--a dramatic abbey at the top of a hill that becomes an island when the tide rolls in.

You cannot drive to the island. Instead, there are free shuttle buses that take visitors from the parking lot or from hotels in La Caserne. The buses operate from 7:30am to midnight and the drive takes 12-20 minutes depending on where you catch the bus.

Alternatively, you can take a horse-drawn carriage (for a fee) or walk 25 minutes.

The entrance to the island is through a series of gates.

The island has one road, the Grand Rue, that winds its way up to the abbey. It's lined with shops, restaurants, hotels and museums. I felt like I was in a medieval Disney theme park.

The best known restaurant on the island is La Mere Poulard and the specialty is an overpriced €34 omelet. The egg whites are whipped separately then folded into the egg yolks to make the omelet light and airy.

On the walk up to the abbey, you'll pass by St. Peter's Church. It's a tiny chapel. St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen.

Stand in the doorway and look back at the town--it's an adorable view.

Cute little props along the road to the abbey.

The abbey at the top of the island.

The ticket office opens at 9 am and the abbey closes at 7 pm (midnight in mid July & August) We got there around 8:30 am and the line wasn't too long yet. Admission is €10.

As you exit from the ticket office, climb the stairs

 to reach the abbey church on your right and a small terrace on the left.

The interior of the church is pretty stark.

Exiting the church, you'll walk through the cloister.

St. Michael driving a thumb into the bishop of Avranches making him build the abbey on Mont-St-Michel.

Guests' Hall where guests were wined and dined. The double fireplace served as a kitchen.

Hall of the Grand Pillars--four sturdy crypts such as these propped up the abbey.

The rear garden of the abbey and the end of the tour.

I recommend seeing the island at night as well. It's a different feeling.

In some ways, it's better to not stay on the island so you can see Mont-St-Michel all lit up at night.

2017 05 27