Hello all, We have been so fortunate with our beautiful weather here in France! Gorgeous blue, clear skies temperatures in the upper 60s and 70s. Many of us have red noses, cheeks, and foreheads, leaving us wishing we had brought some sunscreen with us! Other than a long drive from Tours through the regions of Brittany and Normandy, our day was spent almost entirely at the magnificent Mont St. Michel, along the northwest coast of France. When the island came into view from our buses, many gasps were heard. It is such an iconic, French site, and to see it first hand left many of us speechless. We took a shuttle bus along the long causeway, past the construction of a new bridge originating from the mainland. The island isnt so much of an island right now because the causeway itself stopped the natural flow of the water, causing a great deal of sediment to surround Mont St. Michel. The bridge will allow the ocean water to flow underneath, once again surrounding the island with the Atlantic Ocean. Once we arrived, we experienced hundreds of years of history and were given an excellent impression of how the residents, especially the Benedictine monks (12 of whom still live there), lived their lives in this magnificent village-on-an-island. The structures, and particularly the huge Romanesque and Gothic abbey, have held up very well over these many years, and everyone was impressed with their size and elegance. The views from the island were spectacular, too, though many of us wished we couldve seen what it would have looked like at high tide. Well all just have to come back to see that in person! From there, we drove a little less than an hour to our second hotel, this time for only one night. After a yummy dinner and a little free time, everyone has now turned in for what we all hope will be a restful night after a busy day. Tomorrow is a special day, as we will be heading out to the D-Day landing sites and the American cemetery on the cliffs above. Our brass section will perform a short recital and several of our musicians with family connections to D-Day or World War II will lay a wreath in honor of the brave men and women who died during the invasion. It promises to be a very poignant day for us, followed by concert #2 in St. Aubin-sur-Mer tomorrow evening. More soon, and thank you for all of the support from back home in Rochester! Casey
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:36:11 +0000
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