ARRIVING IN MONT DOL
Doing this kind of trip requires a certain amount of flexibility. Perhaps more than usual. Just as you have mastered all the quirks of the B&B you’ve been enjoying, it’s time to move on. If you’ve traveled all or part of the day, facing a finicky wooden gate with its own key, an explanation of the additional keys for the front door and your room, plus instructions on the sensor to open the gate to the enclosed parking, it’s no wonder that your head might be swimming.
But, the Chief Penguin got the car successfully back down a short steep drive and around to the parking area at this newest lodging. Between us, we managed to carry all the luggage we needed across a gravel path, up a stone staircase, and then into the house. Our room is on the second floor up a wooden staircase which was the next challenge.
This building was a former presbytery and dates back to the 18th century. It has a lovely view of a 19th century castle and garden out one window. The room itself has queen sized bed, small round table, two upholstered chairs, and a decorative fireplace plus two additional small stands on which to place items. As in the other rooms we stayed, there are exposed wood beams running across the ceiling.
TABLE D’HOTE
Saturday night was the first dinner we’ve had at “the host’s table.” This is a fixed menu dinner served at a hotel, and everyone gets the same meal. Here at Le Jardin des Simples, we were surprised when the dining room accommodated 18 people. Some were staying at the castle next door, part of this complex. All were French except for us, and one group was a family with two children. After the amuse of mackerel mousse on tiny crackers, we had a lovely plate of smoked salmon made in house, followed by moist sea bass in celery broth, and then tiramisu for dessert. Cider was the aperitif with then a choice of white or red wine. It was a nicely balanced meal.
Breakfast the next morning was less elaborate than some we’ve had and was a true continental one. Baguette slices, dainty sweets, orange juice, paper thin slices of cheese, and an assortment of crumbles, crisps, and baked apples from which to choose. No eggs on offer. Yannick, the chef and owner, made the rounds to say good morning. A slender middle-aged man with a soft voice and a ready smile. He also informed us that everyone else was leaving, and we would be the only people for breakfast on Monday.
TO MONT ST. MICHEL
As you get closer, Mont St. Michel, this famous abbey set in the bay, looms large in the distance. On an island in the middle of an expansive bay, a small church was built here in 709. About two hundred years later, Benedictine monks settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and built the pre-Romanesque church. Over the next centuries, Mont St. Michel became both an important intellectual center and a place of pilgrimage for men, women, and children seeking eternity.
I first learned about Mont St. Michel in college when I read Henry Adams’ work, Mont Saint Michel et Chartres, originally published in 1904. The Chief Penguin and I visited Chartres in the late 70’s, but it took us another forty years to get here.
Our lodging is about 35 minutes away, and we were scheduled to be at the Mont in the late afternoon. As we discovered the day before, parking is a distance away, and there are shuttle buses to take you to it. We found parking and then walked a few minutes to join a long line for said buses. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, and everyone was out, so we were in line for probably 20 minutes. We had a couple sets of instructions as to where to go, but suffice it to say, that they weren’t totally clear and we got confused.
The result was that we got off the shuttle too soon, walked a long way, had a marvelous view of Mont St. Michel, and never could find the meeting point for our appointed guide! The shuttle buses were few and far between so we walked the entire way back from the Mont to our car. We didn’t get our feet into the sand, but we did two things: we saw Mont St. Michel and we gave our legs a great workout!
MORE MEALS
We had both lunch and dinner in the nearby town of Dol de Bretagne. It’s about 15 minutes’ drive from our B&B and quite lively given its small size.
Lunch was at Bar du Centre, a very casual place for drinks and simple fare. I had a ham and Gruyère omelet which was one of the best omelettes I’ve ever had. The Chief Penguin had a green salad (which he shared) and a ham and cheese galette. My omelette had a very nice amount of filling while he thought his galette was light on the cheese.
It being Sunday night, there were few options for dining, again because it’s the end of the season, and Sunday is a usual closure day, or some establishments were just closed for their annual vacation. We ended up at La Table Ronde, a King Arthur themed creperie and grill with a roaring wood fire and Arthur-related tapestries and posters on the walls. They opened at 7:00 pm and quickly filled up with locals, everyone from couples to a group of teenage guys, and a family of four.
Deciding we didn’t need another savory galette, we ordered the scallops fricassee (Chief Penguin) and the grilled salmon. His scallops were aligned on a bed of apples and pineapple. Each entrée also came with fries and a timbale of leeks over mashed potatoes. The fish and scallops were both very fresh and satisfying. We watched the couple at the neighboring table devour galettes with salmon and potatoes and then dessert galettes smeared with chocolate. You’ll never go hungry if there’s a galette on the menu!
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
