Travel Thoughts and Ramblings: A Market, Some Oysters, and an Abbey

Thursday is Market Day in Dinan. Though most of the stalls sell clothes, linens, shoes, and knickknacks, we were in search of food for dinner. We knew we were heading out of town and wouldn't be back until later tonight, so we needed some prepared food to have waiting for us. There were lots of options, and we ended up with a very eclectic combination - ham, new potatoes, and some kind of Korean noodle and veggie dish. But we always love looking around at all the wonderful and different foods they have in these markets.

On the way home, we were both struck by this really cool door and door knocker. Greg was in front of the door taking pictures of it, and a nice gentlemen stood beside him and spoke to Greg in French, while Greg nodded and smiled and continued taking pictures. The man smiled back and as we walked away, he waved and walked through the very cool door and into his house.

We packed up for the car for the day and headed to Cancale, a seaside city north of Dinan. They are known for their oysters, and I was really excited to try them and determined to like them. After all, I like most seafood, and even though they are slimy looking things, I can handle it. So we parked and walked down the road that overlooks the sea and is lined with seafood restaurants, one after the other. We'd seen videos of the stalls next to the beach where they sell fresh oysters, and that's where we were headed. You can see the bright blue and white striped canvas from a distance, and there must have been 8 or 9 stalls set up. Each stall sold a variety of different types of oysters, and since we had no idea which was best, we just asked one of the women for 6 medium ones because Greg said that might be a good size for me to start with. She shucked them, put them on a plate, added a lemon, and we were off to a seaside bench.

Greg tried one. Declared that it was great. I tried one. And even though I gave it my best shot, the sliminess just didn't work for me. And there's something about the fact that we're ripping this living thing out of it's home and eating it raw. Very troubling. But I kept at it. Tried another one. No, I think this girl is done with oysters. Greg polished off the rest and went back for 6 more. Everyone around us (even kids!) was slurping up these things like crazy and loving it. All I wanted was a Diet Coke to rinse out my mouth.

We thought we'd better pick one of the restaurants on the street for lunch. We wandered along like everyone else stopping to read the menus posted outside of each place. We opted for Vieux Cafran and the fixed menu. It started with Soupe de Poisson (fish) but we saw no sign of any poisson. It was just kind of brown gravy. Yuck. Things looked up with the Moule Frites. They were the best we've had so far.

And by the time dessert came, I was so busy loving my chocolate mousse that I almost finished it before I took the picture!

We struggle with the concept of a one to two hour lunch like the locals are used to here. We like the concept of multiple courses, but we don't want to sit for 30 minutes between each one. However, all those around us were more than happy to just spend the afternoon waiting for more food to show up. When we left, most of the people around us who were there when we arrived were still sitting there taking their time with their food. I guess we need to slow down and savor it more.

As we left the restaurant, I saw another fashion idea I think I might try. Tight capris and fur-trimmed snow boots. I think I can do it.

We decided to take the coastal road to Mont-Saint-Michel, the magnificent abbey that is on the border of Brittany and Tuscany. On the way there, Greg decided he needed a 10-minute Power Nap, so we stopped on the beach and I walked down to look at these people who were racing in the sand. It appeared to be a combination of sailing and go-carting. Looked like fun but I had visions of ending up in the sea if I tried it.

Our plan was to arrive at the abbey late in the day to avoid the crowds, and for the most part, we accomplished this. We arrived at 4:00 and left about 7:00. Mont-Saint-Michel attracts millions of tourists every year, and the buses, campers and cars line up to get in and park.

If you go, (and you should) plan to arrive early in the morning or late in the day. You will need to park about a mile or two away and take a shuttle bus (free) to the site. Once you arrive, you'll walk a very steep street through throngs of people and lots of souvenir shops and restaurants until you start the even steeper climb up the steps to the abbey. (I thought that by going to Concordia College and walking the steps there that I'd be prepared for the steps in Europe. Obviously, I should have gone more often. These steps were killer!)

There's a fee for the abbey (9E) and it's worth every penny. We didn't get the audio guide but there is one available.

I think every photographer who goes there has visions of taking at least one really great photo because it is such a beautiful place. But there are so many variables involved: the weather, the sky, the tide, the time of day and the lighting. We knew that high tide would be at about 9 PM, and we were willing to wait for it, but the sky just wasn't good. There were grey clouds everywhere so Greg took lots of interior shots of the abbey and a few outside, and we didn't stay until the tide came in.