After breakfast at our B&B this morning, we fired up our little red Fiat and made the 150-mile journey from Amboise to Mont St. Michel. We were in no hurry and it was beautiful driving through the lush green countryside. Once we got over to the coast, we drove through Dinard, an upscale community with huge old stone homes on hilly streets along the coast.  So 2 toll roads, a stop for gas, and a couple of rest stops later, we approached Mont St. Michel with our first gasp of amazement as it came into view.  (Actually that was me – Chuck has been here before.)  Tomorrow we begin our adventure in Mont St. Michel so today I’m just going to share a few photos from the drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The speed limits vary on the roads from about 50 kilometers per hour (30 miles/hr) to 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles/hour). And they push it to the limit. Most towns have electronic speed indicators like you see in the U.S. but these have the addition of a smiley face or a sad face shown below your speed depending upon whether or not you’re speeding.

We’ve also noticed an abundance of rest areas along the highway. Usually there’s a rest area at least every 10-15 miles. Some of them are old and some are very new and they each have their own unique personality. Most of them have separate entrances for trucks and cars and most of the facilities aren’t large. And there are no vending machines. We stopped at 2 of them so of course I took some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there are those gorgeous yellow fields everywhere. If it is sunny in some areas and cloudy in others, you can be sure the sun will be shining on the yellow fields and they just glow! When seen close up, they’re about 3 feet tall and they are indeed the “wild mustard” we see at home in the canyons this time of year. They’re very pretty, but they’re weeds. I’m so glad somebody has finally legitimized them. I’ll probably never look at those weeds the same way again.