From Lisieux to Saint Georges and Mont Saint-Michel

It’s already Saturday, and we have been in Lisieux for a whole week. So, it’s time to pack our bags and move on to the next place. Every tourist in Normandy must visit one special place, and that is Mont Saint-Michel. That’s today’s ultimate destination. We have booked a hotel called Le Saint Georges, located about 10 km from Mont Saint-Michel.

Finn was very pleased when we checked out of the hotel in Lisieux after discovering that he only had to pay for his own breakfast. I’m not an early riser, so he typically went down and ate breakfast alone most days, bringing muesli and yogurt up to the room for me. We actually saved over 700 kroner on that.

It doesn’t take much to make him happy. For my part, it’s worth far more than 700 kroner a week to have such a kind husband!

Market in Lisieux

Fresh mussels at the market in Lisieux

Before leaving town, we had to take a stroll around the center of Lisieux. Today, it was an actual market. I know I’ve said that Lisieux is a quiet town, but Saturday mornings are apparently a real exception.

The entire city center was transformed into an enormous marketplace. You could buy everything from antique furniture to underwear, and food… loads of food.

Vegetables in large quantities! It was a delicatessen market unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Cheeses in all shapes and sizes, olives, mussels, and vegetables galore. And of course, apples in both solid and liquid form, with and without alcohol.

And fish in large amounts and many different species. Salmon from Norway is apparently big here. You can find Norwegian salmon in everything from pancake filling to pizza topping. And flowers, both “gift” flowers and garden plants.

Many also sold ready-made food cooked on-site in huge pots. Everything from oriental food with couscous to ready-roasted duck and boiled pork knuckles.

First Stop – Vire

We set Vire on the GPS as we thought it was a suitable place to have lunch. The only thing I’ve heard Vire is known for is a specialty called Vire Chitterlings. I learned about it after eating it in a dish at Monet’s Garden in Giverny.

I didn’t know then that it was a chitterling sausage smoked for weeks over birch wood. I thought the dish had a slightly odd aftertaste, but I didn’t dwell on it. Chitterling sausage sounds a bit unappetizing, and it doesn’t taste particularly good either.

We found a cozy restaurant in the center of Vire called “Le Robbery”. Despite the name, the prices were quite reasonable. Finn always says “This is a robbery” when he sees menus with high prices. We had pizza and lasagna, with ice cream and coffee for dessert.

Avranches

We made a detour to Avranches on our way to Saint Georges. Nothing particularly interesting, but it was pretty there. The architectural style starts to change somewhat as we get closer to Brittany. There’s more stone and fewer half-timbered houses.

But like most other places in France, there’s a tidy center with plenty of flowers. And churches, every little place has at least one church. In Avranches, I think there were three. We took a quick visit to Notre Dame (which means Our Lady’s Church).

There’s a botanical garden on the outskirts of the town with panoramic views over the bay below. We didn’t take the time to visit this.

Le Saint Georges

The hotel, Le Saint Georges, was quite an experience. We had booked a month in advance, a so-called family room for four at €44. Most hotels near Mont Saint-Michel were fully booked, so this seemed like a reasonable alternative. But you often get what you pay for!

The room wasn’t actually that bad. There were two double beds squeezed in, but there was just enough room to walk between the beds. They had also managed to fit a small sink and a tiny shower right next to the bed. We realized we were among the lucky ones to have our own shower; most other rooms had to use the hallway shower. The toilet, too, was shared by the whole floor!

The hotel had its own restaurant, and there was nothing to fault the standard. The food was excellent and affordable. I ordered mussels and chips, and it was delicious. It’s apparently high season for mussels in the area in August. These were prepared in cream and white wine, with plenty of onions, garlic, and chopped parsley. Finn chose the house’s set three-course menu and were quite satisfied.

It should also be mentioned that the people running the hotel were very friendly and incredibly helpful. They get extra points for that, even though the hotel standard itself wasn’t particularly impressive.

Mont Saint-Michel “by night”

I had hoped for good weather, a pink sky, and a beautiful sunset to capture some great evening shots of Mont Saint-Michel. We went over to the abbey a bit before sunset, but there were too many clouds and the light was rather dull to get any truly striking photos. Still, I managed to get a couple of decent ones. We’re going back tomorrow morning to visit the island and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel properly.