The Yellow Brick Road: February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Mont St-Michel Day 14: La Marveille

First stop: The Abbey, La Marveille (The Marvel). There was supposed to be a free English tour at 11 but since I was the only one who needed it, there wasn't critical mass (minimum 6 people). Fortunately, one of the counter guys took pity on me that I'd come so far and gave me the tour anyway. He even gave me a Neolithic flint as a bonus, which he got from his dig site (amateur archeologist).

Curiously, only 20% of the 4 million visitors to the Mont visit the abbey, which I don't understand. The Mont is the abbey. It is amazing both for the engineering as the architecture, and its isolation on top of the island in the middle of the sea gives it an outer-worldly feel.

Some highlights:
1) Everything about the abbey is so well-structured and thought of, divided into 2 main mirror sections with 3 floors each -- one side for prayer and another for work (feeding the pilgrims, feeding the intellect: work room, feeding the soul: cloister).

The cloister

The Church

2) For what was supposed to be the dark ages, they were pretty good at hauling granite back and forth to make the foundation strong enough to build successfully on top of a rock pyramid, with these huge pillars for support.

3) Archangel Michael

4) The enormous wheel that served as a pulley for hoisting provisions to the prisoners when the abbey was turned into a prison in the 19th century. Apparently, the prisoners were made to run like hamsters to make the gigantic wheel go round. Funny.

The end of the visit coincided with the mass which I was fortunate enough to attend. It was all in French so I could only pick up a word or two. Most of it was in song anyway which sent chills down my spine. But like mass at St. Peter's, it's an experience to go through a ceremony which has in essence, remained unchanged (even the songs were in old French), the end blessing of which was sought after by millions of pilgrims from all over.

There are 4 museums to go to in the afternoon and a ticket to 1 conveniently gives you access to the others. Sounds like a lot but each musei is designed to be enjoyed in 20 minutes max. Skippable if time is short -- mostly, it gives you an account of the abbey's history (which you would have heard from the tour), with some healthy self-patting-on-the-back as the French are wont to do.

Last thing... the oysters I had for lunch were just fab. The freshest stuff I've had where the oyster cringes when you put lemon on it. Yuuuuummmmm...

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Normandie Day 13: Omaha Beach and Mont St-Michel

Got a rude awakening this morning when the fire alarm started going crazy at 8am. What do I do? Snooze some more... I got to have more discipline waking up now that I'm moving to Cincinnati where the workday starts at 7am. Ew...

Anyway, I digress. Today is Mont St-Michel day with a side trip to Omaha beach, one of the sites where D-Day happened and one of the most gruesome, where thousands of Americans were gunned down over just 2 days of fighting the Germans.

The beach goes on for miles on end and is pretty wide from the water to the end of the shoreline where the Germans were hiding with their machine guns. One can't help but imagine the battle scene all across and the fear of the soldiers on the frontline venturing out to certain death, acting basically as a human shield so that others behind them might succeed.

There are a couple of museums about D-Day which I didn't get to see because they were closed for lunch, though I did get to see the American Cemetery, which is just like the one in Fort Bonifacio.

The real highlight of my trip is the fabulous wonder that is Mont St-Michel, the 3rd most visited site in France (after the Eiffel and Versailles) and the inspiration for Minas Tirith for you LOTR fans. How fantastic is that -- an abbey built on a rock in the middle of the sea! Even approaching by car is an awe-inspiring moment.

One can only guess what the 12th-16th century pilgrims must have felt as they made the trek across the long beach at low tide.

It all started in the 10th century when Archangel Michael ordered St. Aubert to build a church at the top of the rock -- not an easy feat considering the top of the rock was shaped like a pyramid. They somehow succeeded and by the 14th century, a full village had sprung up at the foot of the mount, which is still there! It's pretty cool and I love that the signs still have the medieval characters to depict the professions.

I'll have to go back someday to see the tides rushing in to surround the island. Victor Hugo once said the tide comes in at "the speed of a galloping horse". How scary that must be if you're still stuck crossing the beach. Even to this day, there are people who attempt the cross and die either from getting caught in the tides suddenly or from the quicksand. So cross with caution if you must. And use the experienced guides around to lead the way!

Another reason to go back is the FAAAAAAANTASTIC La Mere Poulard, the first of hopefully many many many more Michelin star restaurants, where such dignitaries as Thatcher, Hemingway and Mitterand have dined. Really one of my top 5 dining experiences EVER. Everything was absolutely freaking perfect.

I'd only ever liked foie gras poele (pan-fried), but the quality of the pâté and OMG, the braised foie gras has definitely changed my mind! The omelette was also justifiably famous -- the lightest and softest I've ever had.

Another specialty of the house is mouth-watering d'agneau or baby lamb, from the many farms that surround the Mont.

After this, I was already full but I forced myself to keep eating the amazing 3-kinds-of-chocolate dessert.

Before: Pure chocolate heaven

After: The decimation

Needless to say, I went to bed a very happy person. This has set a very high benchmark for a food orgasm.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Normandie Day 12: Etretat, Honfleur, Deauville

Making my way to Mont Saint-Michel by car, I had to pass by some of France's loveliest sites on the north-west. It's a shame that outside of Paris, it's hard to get around these areas unless you 1) join a group like the hordes of Japanese tourists that pass through the area by bus for a couple of hours (obviously not recommended) or, 2) rent a car and drive. It will set you back about €40 for 3 days but it's well worth it to be able to explore the nooks and crannies. Parking is plentiful, and with GPS, nearly impossible to get lost (though it might send you to the country back roads!).

I only know of Etretat (etrata) from the dozen paintings Monet made of it,

and I'm sure that outside the French, it's probably unheard of and takes a backseat to other natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or the Great Barrier Reef. I guess having a name no one understands (or can pronounce), and that isn't preceded with a superlative doesn't help. Someone should lobby to call it Terrific Cliffs or something, because it's too bad Etretat is not more well-known. I wonder how the rock formed in a such a peculiar shape with a hole in the middle.

And the view!! Whew... try to go in nicer weather since the walk up the cliffs also makes your ears hurt like hell from the wind.

Since I'm in Normandie, which is currently engaged in a debate with Brittany over the rightful origins of the crepe, I had to try it along with some of their famous apple cider (cidre in French). Looks innocent but this one had 2% alcohol and some can go up to 6%.

It's a little weird to eat crepe for the main course, when I'm so used to the version served with ice cream. The French will probably kill me, I like crepe, but it does taste like a fancier, stuffed omelette. Still, when in Rome...

On the way to Honfleur, you have to pass Le Pont de Normandie cable bridge, which was the longest in the world at the time it was built. I'm not a bridge fan, but this one is really nice, see how the other end fits nicely into this end?

And about 2 hours away is a super charming, picturesque little harbor town called Honfleur where every picture you take is postcard perfect.

I love these places you can explore by foot, where there are no wrong turns and time stops as you walk down the cobblestone streets.

In the center of the village is an interesting church made entirely of wood.

The shipping heritage of the people are quite apparent in the ceiling which is shaped like a boat's hull.

The pitstop for the day is Deauville -- 30 minutes away and the summer destination of choice for the rich Parisians. And which, from this day forward, will be remembered as the place where I vowed never again to partake of goat cheese. Pweh, pweh, pweh. I can't believe why anyone would subject themselves to the horror. Ew... I'm still burping the thing. Gross.

Nothing much to see in Deauville but the Grand Casino which was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale". Very very different ambiance from Vegas, no loud slot machines going crazy and very subdued tables, which is incidentally where I saw Vincent Lindon, the famous French actor who was playing Texas Hold 'Em. He didn't look too happy and neither was I after I tried the French roulette.

I could have walked away with an extra €15... the operative word here being "could have". Let's not even get into how much I lost at BlackJack. Groan. It's for the experience, It's for the experience, It's for the experience... If I keep repeating it, maybe my wallet will start believing it.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Reims Day 8: Champagne!

Hit the road to Reims (pronounced ruhns) on the way back to Brussels for crazy party weekend. First stop was the amazing Gothic-style Cathedral of Notre Dame where all the French kings have been crowned since Clovis in 496 A.D., including the famous Charles VII, crowned in large part due to Joan of Arc.

Front view

Look at the amazing detail...

Back view

I can see why -- the high ceilings and long aisle make for a very kingly procession with the light streaming in from the stained glass for dramatic effect.

There's an interesting section of the cathedral with stained glass by Marc Chagall done in medieval blue ink. Lovely.

Stopped for lunch at a random restaurant. Can't believe the prices after having come from Disneyland Paris, possibly the most expensive combination around -- €14 for a 3-course set meal! I forget I'm in the province... I eagerly chow down my spaghetti with rognons (kidneys).

This is normal dinner fare for any Filipino-Chinese, the internal organs I mean, not the pasta. Ours is better, though surprisingly (since cheese was involved), I liked the feuillete au brie.

Of course, one can't be in the Champagne area and not make a trip to the caves. Sidebar: While the grapes and the process might be duplicated elsewhere, only the Champagne region in France has the right to call our favorite sparkling bubbly "champagne". The rest have to content with names like spumante in Italy or sparkling wine in the US because of some old treaty.

The cave of choice: Taittanger (tay-tan-jay), which is one of the biggest champagne producers in the world. Couple of interesting things I didn't know:

1) To this day, fermenting champagne bottles are still stored in caves which naturally regulate the temperature at about 10 degrees.

2) Standard brut bottles are fermented for 3 years and the good ones can stay in the bottles up to 7 years before being sold.
3) With all the new technology available, the twisting of the wine bottles to gather the yeast is still done by hand!

Guided tour + 1 glass of champagne at the end for €7 -- a definite must-do!

There were 2 other UNESCO World Heritage sites left though I only got to see one more, Saint Remi's Basilica and the connecting abbey.

Capped off the city tour with a walk around the town center. Wow, I did a lot today!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Paris Days 6-7: Disneyland

The great thing about amusement parks is that they give everyone an excuse to be kids for a day -- and no park does this more successfully than Disneyland.

It's been a while since my last visit and based on memory, the Paris one has two advantages vs. Tokyo: 1) a super-revamped and much scarier, faster Space Mountain and, 2) the Indiana Jones ride (not present in Tokyo and in lieu of Splash Mountain).

I newly discovered Buzz Lightyear which is easily the most popular ride in the park and fast becoming my favorite, as it appeals to my competitive side in zapping the Evil Emperor Zurg, complete with points system.

The old favorites are still there: Haunted Mansion, Pirates and of course, It's A Small World. It's great that they've added cameras at the end of the bigger rides (all roller coasters + Pirates) -- I get such a hoot out of posing for the cameras and seeing the pics in the end. The ones who look scared are always the funniest.

Another great addition is the Fast Pass system which lets you jump to the start of the queue at designated times. Collect these first at ALL the major rides in the morning as they do run out. The busiest ones by far and the 1st you should target are Peter Pan, Buzz and Thunder Mountain. Put Small World, Pirates and Haunted Mansion last as the queues here are more efficient.

One thing I miss is that they don't let you chase after the Disney characters anymore. We used to have so much fun running after them trying to get the full collection, with more than a few casualties in the process (remember Shobs being pushed by Tigger?). Now there's designated times, spots and more queueing!!! Ugh.

At least I've figured out where all the nice Parisians who can speak English are -- they're all in Disneyland! Some pics from the park:

Me trying out the candy apple which costs €2!! Nothing but sugar and cavities -- makes me look like the Wicked Witch from Snow White on top. Gr...

Ahoy there matey! I look like one scary-looking pirate.

The sign on the seats of the rides... Sit down and hold hands. And best of all, NO DANCING!!!

Next day, we decided to do the other park, Disney Studios, since it came with the cost of the main park ticket. I expected it to be a little bit of a bust since there weren't any major rides and it was a much smaller park (closed by 6pm!). But surprise, surprise! Great fun as well. I particularly enjoyed the Aerosmith roller coaster ride which starts off at hyper speed (way cool, I rode it twice!) and the Movie Magic show.

Younger kids will love all the little shows like the tram ride and animation studios where you get to dub your voice onto Disney movies. Even I had fun with that!

Of course, there are much better and more cultural things to do in Paris than Disney (click here to see my previous Paris blog) -- but with time and successive visits, it was the perfect thing to do. So great to be a kid again on your vacation!

Speaking of Paris, belated thanks to Fab for lending his place and sofa bed. And for taking me to the "Sex and the City" restaurant!

Caroline, Fab and me

The Yellow Brick Road