France: The only disappointment of the whole trip is that I didn’t get to see Mont St. Michel. Well, okay… I got to see the the silhouette of it from the auto route for about 30 seconds. I yelled, “Look boys! There it is!” By the time they looked it was gone behind the bushes and we didn’t get another glimpse. It would have cost us about another hour and a half to go see it and it was already about 6pm. We still had another couple of hours until we got to Nilda’s (Waltzing Natilda) in Brittany.
We had an interesting arrival. I’d been trying to call Nilda for about an hour or so before we arrived. Yea. Helps if you write the number down correctly. Funny what trouble being off just one little number can cause. Luckily, I knew what the place looked like where we were staying. The town takes about five min. to walk from one end to the other. Needless to say we saw our “hotel” (really, two rooms in a cottage) within a minute of our arrival in town. We were starving. Where do we choose to eat? At the Armenian drug guy’s pizza place that Nilda has talked about on her blog! lol. It was two boys and the Pizza sign that made us do it. That and it was right next to our room and had a table for us. We didn’t realize it was because no one else in town would eat there. No wonder the guy was so damn happy to see us. I have mentioned that my husband is a federal law enforcement agent, haven’t I? You’d think he’d have a nose for that stuff. Thanks, Dan. We could have been killed in the crossfire. 😉 Nilda and I had a great guffaw over it the next day.
So we knew Nilda had a dinner to attend that night. The owner of the room we were staying in gave me the correct phone number. We left a message with the babysitter that we had arrived and were in our room. After a while the long day had caught up with us so we went to bed. I’m just about off in dreamland and I think I hear, “Jean! Jean!” I open my eyes and Daniel’s face is about two inches from mine, “Mom, I think someone is calling you outside”. lol. I look out the big window and down into the road and I see a flashlight. “Nilda?” Yep. Nilda. All dolled up for her dinner engagement. She looks up and loudly whispers, “I have a key and a walkie-talkie for you!” lol. I go let her in. She comes up and meets Dan while I throw some jeans on. Daniel and I go with her up through the gate to the Chateau grounds. We get to meet her girls and make arrangements to turn the walkie talkies on at 9am to get the party started.
This is our cottage where we stayed on the top floor:
That’s Daniel looking down from one of the ramparts. Ours was the one with the green shutters. The window in the roof right above them is the one Nilda was calling through. That road used to be the moat for the Chateau. Wild, huh?
Right on the other side of the street from our door is the gate Nilda gave us the key to.
We arrived Saturday night and Sunday just happened to be the day the town had their procession of a statue of Mary. We processed through the town to a chapel at the beginning of a small wood. The one thing that never ceases to amaze me is that no matter where you go on this planet, Catholic Mass is always the same. Except for understanding the homily, you can follow right along. The setting was absolutely beautiful.
The town square. Beautiful, right? Right out of Beauty and the Beast.
And finally a little fiber-related news. Remember I told you about my little treasure? Nilda took me to one of the local Antique dealers. What did I buy?
Obviously, this tin isn’t antique but it’s pretty dang cute, ain’t it? It also makes a great container for my little treasure. Okay… okay… here it is:
Isn’t it beautiful?! The dealer says it’s about 100 years old and from that area of Brittany. I swear I did a little happy dance when he brought it out to us. Nilda had seen him at the reception after the church procession and let him know we’d be coming by. He had a beautiful old wheel also. If I could have figured out how it worked, I probably would have bought it too. Of course, it would have had to ride on top of our Jeep all the way back to Germany.
I’m perfectly content with my little spindle. She’s a tiny little thing. Only about 8 1/2″ from tip to tip. Good thing Nilda was there or I wouldn’t have been able to figure out how to anchor a leader onto it. You make a half-hitch on the bottom and then on the top and spin away.
I love holding it in my hand and thinking of the women that must have used it in all the years since it was lovingly hand carved. Thank you, Nilda. I would never have gotten it without you.
And so, our journey was a quick one but we had SO much fun. I totally plan on returning next year. Hopefully Dan will be home on his R&R from Afghanistan by then so he can join us. The boys loved it there. They got along great with Nilda’s girls. We knew they would. The girls are an absolute delight and Nilda, I was only half kidding about the pre-arranged marriage idea. Think of how well dressed our grandchildren would be!! 😉 We left a couple of days early because we felt totally guilty with them trying to pack up to leave for the States. We said our farewells and headed back to Germany where we spent a couple of nights with old friends to break up the trip.
Thank you, Nilda and family (even the girls for the readings and dancing!). We had a FABulous time. Note the sweater Nilda is wearing… she designed it. Trust me. It’s stunning in person.
Great to read about your trip and especially the visit with Nilda and her family.
It looks like you all had a wonderful time. The pictures are gorgeous! I hope we have time to visit that area of France while we’re here. So many places to visit, so little time! Congratulations on the spindle, what a treasure.
I’ve been reading all of these at once, you had a wonderful holiday! Thanks for sharing. What a great find in that spindle too, it was obviously waiting for the right person to find it after all this time.
Oh my gosh, what a fabulous trip!! My friend in Paris has a house in the country but it isn’t as goregous as that!! Sorry to read you couldn’t go to Mont St. Michel. We visited St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, when we lived in the UK and I have wanted to visit ever since.
Well done on the Katrina donations. My mom loves that book.
Thanks for sharing pictures of what was obviously a wonderful trip! My favorite picture (besides your adorable boys of course) is the one of the town square.
Great photos! And great work on the Katrina support!
What a beautiful place! Love the spindle…a perfect souvenir.
Ah, now I see what you liked Brittany so much;-)
Enjoy that darling spindle.
Oooh- the Brittany treasure is lovely! I would get lost in the history of that spindle, too- all the women who have used it before, what they knit with the yarn they spun… What a great way to end the trip, in such a beautiful town.
Jean, it looks like a fairytale village. How beautiful. Yay for you on that spindle, that’s wonderful! Thanks for including a pic of you as well. How sweet you and Nilda look.
Thanks so much for encouraging people to donate. I have and will continue to as well. I think living so close to it and having friends in that area makes it hit a little close to home. (and the fact we are moving down there!)
France looks absolutely beautiful!! Nilda is one lucky gal – who would have thought that places like that actually exist!
It all looks so wonderful.
Tell Daniel I like his tee shirt. 😉
Lovely to read about such a good time in a beautiful setting during these dark days.
What a beautiful trip, Jean! I’m so happy that you had such an enjoyable time…life must keep on living. The photographs are amazing, as always.
Wow! What a great spindle! Sounds like a wonderful trip – am putting it on my list right now 😉
Dahlink. What a blast we had, no? Such a delightful family. The boys were the best. And what a delightful account of the too-short time. Same time next year chica.