This was maybe the most stressed-out two days of my whole year? I guess I shouldn’t be dramatic, I did write and submit a dissertation this year but that was like a slow burn, these days were like full throttle. First of all, I didn’t really have service– my phone could get texts but my ability to google things had been greatly curbed. I had to wake up at like 5am to get to the pickup point for the car, I couldn’t find the guy, and then turns out he could have just picked me up in Paris. I rented an electric car and simply did not think it through but it was this little guy and he needed to be recharged like every two hours and it took like two hours to get charged. This completely threw off my plans because I had to make all these stops to recharge. Also there are not a lot of public bathrooms in the French countryside?? (Don’t forget! I can’t google things) I thought I was going to die (i.e. poop on the street) like 2 separate times during the day. I was like, I guess today is the day?? Luckily it was not, kind French people in cafes saw the terror in my eyes and took pity on me. It also was not easy to find a charging port that worked, the one town it took me like 45 minutes to find one that worked (there could have been a fair amount of user error there, I am not going to lie, also, don’t forget, no service). I loved the Bayeux tapestry, I thought it was so cool. Nun’s chronicling the Norman conquest like a comic strip? I am IN. The beaches were nice but cold and I didn’t stay long. I DID go to the museum though and even though the exhibits were ridiculous, the movie with the footage and the interviews straight up made me cry so God Bless America etc. That night when I got to Caen (which for the record I STILL have no idea how to say) I parked in the parking garage in order to charge me needy little car and then the port malfunctioned and I couldn’t get it to release. This is when I thought I might pass out– I had been up since 5, wrestling with this car all day, trying to enjoy my little trip and now I am stuck in this town, no one speaks English, and I have to solve YET ANOTHER problem. I ended up having a long and difficult phone call with a French man who was as patient as a French person is capable of being with an American who cannot speak ANY French or tell him where she is nor is versed in the vocab of electric cars. He did help me and then I was able to get the car situated.

The next day I did better planning and was less stressed about doing everything, mostly because I gave up. It took me ages to figure out how to get to Mont Saint Michel and in the end I just walked up the boardwalk to turn around and go back. I stopped at a couple different towns to charge and mostly just walked around trying to find a bathroom I could use. I got to the airport on time only to have my flight delayed and then I got back to Edinburgh at like midnight.

Longest two days of my life!!!!