…my dad is on a mission to “pinch” European landmarks. What started with “reaching” the top of the Eiffel Tower has turned into a game for French attractions.

Before going into our adventures for the day, I realized I left a bunch out of yesterday’s post. First off, my exhaustion facilitated typos in the post, such as our late departure and still arriving on time. The wording has been fixed.

Second, I tried escargot!!! It tasted like a rubbery mushroom and the only other thing I’ve tried that has a similar texture is tree fungus in Chinese soups. Not a fan but I’m proud I tried something new. The sauce was a spicy, tomato and garlic sauce, which is different from the overload of butter with which snails are usually served.

Lastly for yesterday, I noticed a strong military and police presence at the attractions we visited. There were four French soldiers inside the area beneath the Eiffel Tower, and maybe 12 police strolling the park in front of it. This is very different from when I was in France last. The country has undergone significant change. I find the Parisian people have more tolerance toward tourists who seek to understand their culture. I can best compare the protective military presence to Israel, where IDF soldiers are commonly about. There were two or three also patrolling about in front of Notre Dame. It’s reassuring that officials want to keep the country safe, but also unnerving that this type of security is now a needed precaution.

ON TO TODAY!

We left Paris in the morning and I slept about two hours in the car. You know I can sleep anywhere and pass out almost immediately as a passenger when traveling. We were on our way to see and climb Mont Saint Michel.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mont Saint Michel is an island with an abbey located atop a mountain in northwest France. Mont Saint Michel is named for Michael who is believed to be the protector of the Jewish people as well a dragon slayer, and was then made a saint for his frequent heroic actions. The building had multiple purposes - many ancient structures do! It was established as an abbey for monks, and then became a prison, and maybe went to the knights (we don’t know) and somewhere along the way, kings visited. I always find it interesting when religious buildings become a prison or another detainment area, and then return to their original purpose.

In order to get to the abbey, you have to drive to the city, hop on a shuttle that takes you across the bridge, walk through and up the village at the base of Mont Saint Michel, go up even more and then you’re in. We missed the area for audio tours so once at the gift shop, we bought a book and guided ourselves around. It was much more pleasant.

We went room by room, learning where the monks ate, worked, learned and prayed. We saw rooms with a purpose unknown to this day. We watched visitors walk in the low tide what seemed like miles away from the island. High tide was around 9 p.m. today and the waters can rise as much as 46 feet. This allowed the abbey to be protected during war, and is the reason why you must take a shuttle across the bridge. You can walk across if you have time, the shuttle is much easier.

Even more special is the “semi marathon” which went on while we were in the area. Runners ran a half marathon which ended AT THE TOP OF MONT SAINT MICHEL! Imagine you’re exhausted and pushing yourself mentally and physically, and then you’re expected to navigate through clueless crowds, on cobblestone, avoid tripping on toddlers and go up to the top to finish. My family and I cheered on all the runners we saw.

After descending and returning to our car, we drove to Bayeux. I promptly fell asleep again and woke up at one of my favorite places, Carrefour! I did wake up once to see cows crossing the road.

At Carrefour, we shopped for snacks and goodies, and picked up some cider local to the area. Tomorrow, we will see the Normandy region. It worked out perfect that we are here during Memorial Day Weekend. There are festivals and celebrations going on in honor of those who served. Tomorrow will be a somber day, but well worth it.