The Innocents Abroad, 21st Century Version

The Innocents Abroad aka The New Pilgrims Progress by Mark Twain was published in 1867, after Twain accompanied a group of Americans to Europe and “the Holy Land.” Coincidentally, this itinerary was quite similar to our 9 month plan, starting in September 2023. I highly recommend reading the chapters on Paris; I was laughing out loud (this book is available as public domain so can be downloaded gratis).

Year one included Paris, Chamonix, India, Israel and San Sebastian and all posts are available.

Now my husband Andy and I are in year two. We are in Mexico City November and December, 2024 and will spend the winter in Saint Martin de Belleville, part of the Trois Vallees in the French Alps.

It continues to be quite a ride!

Two Days: Le-Mont-Saint Michel and Beauvoir

Published by

Joan Taback Frankle

on

3-4 Octobre 2023

Bienvenue Le Mont-Saint-Michel and yes, it is surrounded by muddy silt (we saw a lot of people getting very muddy)..

Kate, Kitty, Wendy and I (Duke ‘85) had a fabulous overnight to Le Mont-Saint-Michel. This excursion was inspired by Kitty, who had received a postcard of this unique tidal island from her French pen pal during her youth. I can understand why she added it to our itinerary this week. 

Thank you, Kitty, for suggesting this excursion!

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Le Mont-Saint-Michel is in Normandy (more about that later in the month as we have plans to visit the WWII sights in the region). This region of France has been in both British and French control over many years and quite a few wars. 

New bridge for Access

(Above left) Recent hydraulic dam has made Le Mont-Saint-Michel an island again.

Benedictine monks have been at Le Mont-Saint-Michel since 966 and the original Abbey was constructed until 1523. The Monastery has been a home to this order for centuries. Its Romanesque (and later additions in the Gothic style) Abbey was a pilgrimage destination from 1023. Pilgrims arrived to ask St. Michael for protection and salvation of their souls. Popularity diminished during the Reformation. After the French Revolution, there were few monks living there so the Abbey was used as a prison until 1863.

When exploring, one finds a maze of spaces, starting with a very touristy village, moving up to the many levels of the Abbey, the prison, the public and private spaces (there are still monks and nuns living there). The buildings seem to grow out of the rock and somehow it all seems quite balanced.

It was such a windy day!

Thanks to Karen Frommer’s recommendation, we stayed at the lovely L’Ermitage Mont-Saint-Michel in nearby Beauvoir, and had the pleasure of greeting Karen and Bill since we happened to be there at the same time. Before we departed, we sampled delicious fish chowder, explored Beauvoir, walked along the river, bought some local confections and visited a Saint James store (famous for its authentic striped — and then some — apparel from Normandy since 1889).

Au revoir, stunning M’ont-Saint-Michel!

A happy week-end to all. I was  greatly upset to awaken to the news of Hamas firing rockets at Israel on Shabbat / Shmini Atzeret. Please stay happy, healthy and safe.

À bientôt ❣️

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