From mid-May to early June, two News Review couples, Jerry and Letty Bonnell and Rick and Cathie Meetre, rode rented e-bikes from Paris to Mont St. Michel along a French national cycle trail called the Véloscénie – a distance of about 400 km (250 miles). With much of the mileage on rail trails or separated bike lanes, the experience was (mostly) idyllic and traffic-free. Paris itself has become excellent riding territory, with many cycle lanes and paths. Twenty-five years ago, only the suicidal would have contemplated cycling there, but now it isn’t foolhardy at all.
For the first wet couple of days, good rain gear protected the travelers on the trail, though a thorough coating of French mud was unavoidable. After that the weather was cool but sunny – perfect for cycling.
An eclectic mix of lodgings sheltered them overnight and home cooking interspersed with restaurants fueled their daily 60-kilometer rides – with a rest day after each two or three riding days.
Wayside Treasures
Letty Bonnell is an art historian and gleefully provided insights into the structures and artwork encountered on the trip. Churches and cathedrals included everything from monster Gothic masterpieces to Art Deco from the 1930s. Though Chartres and Mont St. Michel were obvious standouts, smaller, less well-known edifices encountered by chance in villages along the way offered magically painted ceilings and vivid stained glass as well as inspired stone exteriors, wall paintings or tile work. Notre Dame, the ride’s starting point, is not yet reopened after the fire of 2021, but already looks magnificent as it stands out from the scaffolding that remains.
Many towns had markets that were themselves as much masterpieces as the churches they often surrounded. Fish, cheese and vegetables carefully arranged were a feast for the eyes. A stall might sport a single type of mushroom, or only strawberries. One was entirely nuts (in a manner of speaking) – Brazil, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and others more exotic. Early morning trips to bakeries found by following the sniffed scent of new bread yielded croissants, pain au chocolat and chaussons de pommes still warm from the oven. Nobody lost weight on this trip.
Mont St. Michel
It’s a tourist trap – there’s no doubt about that. Even in early June, the causeway was busy with walkers and cyclists, and bus after loaded bus disgorged passengers on the flat area in front of the mount. But despite being so busy, it was still worth the trip.
The island is like a volcano-shaped layer cake. The bottom layer is secular and the top layer is the abbey – with a clear demarcation between them. The town below the abbey is a welter of sandwich shops, souvenir shops and tackiness, though off the main trail there are tantalizing glimpses of a less-frenzied existence. The smaller lanes in the town are peaceful with stone cottages overlooking the bay. The views from the abbey ramparts are spectacular, and the interior is massive and striking. Pillars four feet in diameter and spaced only a handful of feet apart hold up the massive stone structure towering above. Chapel succeeds chapel as the tourist follows the route down from the top. But accessibility is not a priority and many older visitors were visibly struggling with the steep steps and long climbs.
In high summer, a son et lumière program bathes the interior in colored light and plays music throughout the complex of arched and vaulted chambers. Quite what the monks would have made of that, nobody knows.
Parting of the Ways
With Mont St. Michel achieved, the two couples parted company for the next phase of their respective journeys. The Bonnells headed by train for Monet’s two painting passions – the cathedral in Rouen and his water lily garden in Giverny – while the Meetres stuck to their bikes and set off for St. Malo and the U.K.’s Bailiwick of Guernsey – an island off the coast of France. See the next installment in a future issue for more.