Today would be our last day in the Brittany countryside as we began our travels back to Paris.

The breakfast room of the hotel facing the sea . . .

Quiet on the beach in the morning and a great place or a nice walk . . .

. . .especially with your pooch!

All slept well last night after the big Good-Bye dinner . . . and no headaches in the morning!! After a filling breakfast and a few last goodbyes with Adele and Luc it was into the motor coach and our two hour ride to Mont Saint Michel.

We met our guide Bernadette who gave us a VERY informative walking tour thought the village and abbey. The tides play a huge part in the history of the mont and helped hold of the British who for 30 years tried to capture the island.

What a setting for a romantic hot air balloon ride . . . leave it to the French!

The estuary that played such an important part in keeping the island walled city French, instead of English. You can see the new causeway being built to the isle and in the distance the dam that traps seawater behind it at high tide and is, at  low tide, released to ‘flush’ the sand that is pushed in by the tide back out to sea.

Our walk out to the village.

This may be the ‘skinniest’ street I have ever walked up!

The French love their puppies and take them EVERYWHERE . . . but they are not allowed in the abbey!

One sad puppy . . .

. . .  and another.

And how did the monks get all their provisions up into the abbey . . . by using this human powered ‘rat cage’ It took 6 monks walking inside the wheel to pull the provisions up the side of the mountain on a sled.

Here is the outside track.

Today, the island it receives over 3 million visitors a year. It’s VERY pricey to stay in the village and the Madame Poulard restaurant is still selling the famous three egg omelet for 39 EU. Let’ see that’s 13EU and egg, twelve eggs in a dozen, 1EU=$1.3 , you so the math!!!

This would have been a great place to stay with  GREAT VIEW!

All too soon it was time to climb back into the motor coach and our driver Bernard began our final leg of our trip back to Paris. Four hours late we arrived at our hotel, the Relgais SPA located near Charles de Gaulle Airport.

It was time for one last gathering in the bar for a few drinks and reminiscing about our trip.

The herd dispersed to three or four restaurants and took care of final travels plans. Charlie and Becky would be heading to Provence, Ruth ant Bob to Antwerp, Fernando and Carla were staying over an extra day in Paris and the rest of us would be winging our way back to MSN via Chicago.

FINAL THOUGHTS: coming soon . . .