Atlantic Crossing (continued)

An early 6am wake up. Buses left at 7:30 to tour Quimper. A small coastal town near Brest in the Brittany region of France. Guide spoke poor English and babbled on about the region while most wanted to catch a nap before we got to town. Constant rain contributed to the gloomy mood of the passengers. A 1-hour tour which concentrated on the old church in town and its stained glass. An hour of free time let us find a market area for coffee and a wonderful chocolate crepe. Some window shopping and a rainy ride back. Guide insisted on playing French music on radio with PA system microphone held up to the speaker. Especially annoying was the French Rap music.

Last of the Gala dress nights today as well. Table for only 4 tonight and then a great show by the ship's singers and dancers. A full day and we sail to Cherbourg for tomorrow. Sunset is now about 10pm.

Another early wake up, 5:30am for a 2.5-hour bus ride to Mount St. Michael. The Benedictine Monks built this centuries ago on top of a small mountain which sits on an island off the coast. Originally, you could only access it at low tide by walking on the sea bottom. Alas it has become a major tourist attraction and very commercialized.

Our guide today is much better and she was informative and not overbearing. It rained all day and sometimes a steady and heavy downpour. You get off the coaches at huge parking lots and walk to a shuttle bus station for the ride out to about 500 yards from the entrance. Heavy presence of armed French police and soldiers and the beginning of a climb for about a mile of steps and cobblestone street which is at about a 10% grade. Then you reach the base of the Abbey structure for another 800 steps to the top. Very few handrails and slippery conditions.

We took our time and I was amazed at myself for being able to complete it. Most of the Monks are gone now and only a handful come up each morning to clean and keep the place organized. It's a beautiful medieval monastery with an herb and vegetable garden and simple living conditions at the time. It was cold, gloomy and harsh but that was monastic life back then. It is no longer used as a church for services & is classified as "not consecrated" but we still said some prayers in this once holy place. The golden statue of Archangel Michael is impressive.

We stopped for lunch on the way down, a warm ham, egg and cheese crepe was perfect but of course not as good as the Long Island "double egg bacon & cheese on a hard roll" but the lunch fit the surroundings. The over commercialized souvenir shops are crowded and the school field trips bring hundreds of little ones on tours. But a major attraction on our bucket list completed.

The long bus ride back & a quiet guide allowed for a nap and we made it back just in time for the 4:30pm "all aboard"! After dinner, we skipped the show and made it an early to bed night. Our legs will be sore in the morning.