Back in Time- to France, Early September

In the first week of September, we left St Malo, and one part of the family. We were not going far, but made a few stops nonetheless. First was in Le Mont St Michel. I think this must be the most visited place outside of Paris- busloads and "camping cars" filled the large parking lots. And no wonder- it is a fantastic middle ages town, built on a rocky island off the coast.

It was once accessible only at low tide, so provided great protection against marauders. (So with all the global warming, why is it that the ocean level is no longer as high as it was then? Did they have global warming caused by horse manure? Al?) It's other unique characteristic is that it is crowned by a magnificent abbey, mostly carved out of the rock. It was an abbey that was established in the 9th century, the "dark ages" by lay priests, who didn't belong to any order, and loosely interpreted their vows. The Pope felt this had gone on far enough after receiving too many complaints about their behavior, so he sent the Benedictines in to take over. They did, and true to the teachings of St Benedict, established an orderly, priestly and scholarly tone at the Abbey. This is when the building began in earnest. The result is truly awe inspiring, and the restoration that is nearly complete lets you see it in it's glory. Along with thousands of others each day.

The streets are packed with stores and stalls selling the usual tourist trinkets- plastic swords, religious medals, books, etc, etc, etc, etc. But even at this, you don't really see how crowded, noisy, smelly and yes, vibrant such cities were in their time. This is a must see stop.

Next we stopped along the north coast of Bretagne, in a little place called Roscoff. This trip took us to a quieter part of the region. Though it is anchored to Plymouth England by a ferry, it seems much more relaxed and less visited. Perhaps just the nature of the quiet Brits who come here?

The water was oh-so-clear, the coastline rocky, and the towns more "real", though still very conscious of the fact that tourism, both by French and "others" is a major economic driver in this, the most visited country on earth. Still, it was quiet, characteristically Bretagne in architecture, and worthy of a visit. We did a little exploring of this and the neighboring village of St Pol de Leon.

Here there is an institute that treats maladies of the bone in children, as it has done for hundreds of years. It was established at a time when children with deformities or bone problems were usually outcast and hopeless, and made good progress in more humane and enlightened treatments. Originally, the thinking was that the sea air and a diet of fish was helpful. In some cases the iodine and calcium found in such a regimen can indeed be.

Another institute advances the study and application of seaweed science. The French love "cures". Anything that involves using natural materials in biz are ways to improve beauty or health (particularly of the liver), is a winner. We didn't check into it.

Of course, the local church, Notre Dame de Croas-Batz, was a gem. In this case, it was built over the objections of the local bishop by the local mariners, who apparently wanted a church closer to their port, and to where their families prayed for their safety. It is a 16th century Gothic design, very well preserved. We couldn't resist this picture, even though we knew there would be plenty more church architecture to come...