Bonsoir!
Tonight we're talking day two of my Normandy trip!
I woke up extra early to walk along the beach in the morning, since it
was literally just a few minutes walk from our hotel. On most beaches,
the tide wouldn't have been such an issue, but since St. Malo is known
for super high tides and it's a walled city, the high water didn't leave
any beach to walk on!
Remember this castle? And all the beach in front of it?
This is what it looked like in the morning:
I walked on top of the city walls instead, but I wish I could've been on
the beach! Oh well. Honestly I'm just proud of myself for waking up
early.
I headed back to the hotel for a big buffet breakfast, and then we got in the bus for the drive to Mont St. Michel.
Mont St. Michel is an abbey that was built in the 8th century. It is
built on top of a hill, and a walled city surrounds it. While you might
not recognize the name, odds are you've seen a picture of it at least
once before:
It's the second most-visited tourist attraction in France, behind the
Eiffel Tower (obviously). It's not super easy to get to, but it used to
be much more difficult: brave visitors had to cross the land surrounding
on foot, but once the tide came in, it wasn't land anymore, so it was a
dangerous trip! It's less risky now, since a bridge has been built,
but you can still go out on the sandy-silty land with a guide. You
can't go without one, because there's quicksand. Of course, that only
made me want to walk on it more.
| The land around the city is so weird looking! |
| look at all the tiny little people trying not to be sucked into the earth!!! |
The city is also interesting because it has virtually no population.
There's lots of shops and restaurants, but almost everyone who works
there commutes. The city only has a population of 17 people, most of
whom are the monks and nuns who live in the abbey.
| Joan of Arc chilling by the chapel |
Besides the fact that it's ancient and interesting. Mont St. Michel just looks pretty darn cool.
| Michael is the patron saint of Mont St. Michel. Apparently he's famous for fighting a dragon? |
Also, Mont St Michel is on the border of two regions of France, Brittany
and Normandy. Both are famous for cheese (pretty much all of France
is), but Brittany also has some rockin' caramels.
| Long ago, the
monks sat on only one side of these tables so that they wouldn't be
tempted to talk to each other during dinner when they were supposed to
be listening to a reading. |
Ireland and I wandered around and took tons of pictures and did a little
bit of souvenir shopping too! We eventually met everyone back at the
bus and started on the five hour drive back to Paris. FIVE HOURS. It was
so long. But we eventually made it back home, and I honestly don't
remember what I did for the rest of the day. I know we ate dinner, and
then maybe I worked on homework or a blog post or something? I'm not
sure. Maybe I shouldn't wait a month to write these posts and then I
would remember. FAILURE.
A couple of days after Normandy, Landry and I ventured to the northern
part of Paris to explore and see the lights of the Moulin Rouge! Since I
actually know how to take pictures now thanks to my photography class,
the pictures actually turned out pretty good!
I spent the rest of my last week in Paris hurriedly running through
museums I hadn't seen yet, eating as many crêpes as I could and spending
as much time with my new friends as was possible before we all headed
back to every corner of the States!
À bientôt!
Sydne
I walked on top of the city walls instead, but I wish I could've been on
the beach! Oh well. Honestly I'm just proud of myself for waking up
early.
It's the second most-visited tourist attraction in France, behind the
Eiffel Tower (obviously). It's not super easy to get to, but it used to
be much more difficult: brave visitors had to cross the land surrounding
on foot, but once the tide came in, it wasn't land anymore, so it was a
dangerous trip! It's less risky now, since a bridge has been built,
but you can still go out on the sandy-silty land with a guide. You
can't go without one, because there's quicksand. Of course, that only
made me want to walk on it more.
Besides the fact that it's ancient and interesting. Mont St. Michel just looks pretty darn cool.
Ireland and I wandered around and took tons of pictures and did a little
bit of souvenir shopping too! We eventually met everyone back at the
bus and started on the five hour drive back to Paris. FIVE HOURS. It was
so long. But we eventually made it back home, and I honestly don't
remember what I did for the rest of the day. I know we ate dinner, and
then maybe I worked on homework or a blog post or something? I'm not
sure. Maybe I shouldn't wait a month to write these posts and then I
would remember. FAILURE.
I spent the rest of my last week in Paris hurriedly running through
museums I hadn't seen yet, eating as many crêpes as I could and spending
as much time with my new friends as was possible before we all headed
back to every corner of the States!
