Day 6 - France (11 June 2019)
Hello Bretagne! Oh, how I’ve missed you. What a spectacular day it was! We drove from Tours to Mont St Michel in anticipation of visiting the Abbey and darling town. The drive up was pleasant, and the scenery was lovely and had such vibrant colors.
It was really interesting to watch the rolling green landscape smooth itself out the closer we got to Mont St Michel, as if the earth were bowing to the mountain too.
We were so excited when we got off the bus! After a horrifically slow and hot shuttle bus ride, we finally stepped off to this glorious view!
Our Tour Director, Solène, explained that we would take a less crowded way up to the Abbey, as we would be walking down through the small streets with shops on our way back down. What she didn’t explain was that most of it was stairs. So, the view increased as quickly as my heartrate. We had a minute to catch our breaths and take a few pictures before we went in to the Abbey.
When we finally made it to the ticket gate, we hiked up the final set of stairs to get to the top. It was so beautiful! In addition, good travel karma played shone through as we caught the tail end of mass!
I have been to Mont St Michel twice before, and both times took my breath away. The visit brought you to the top of the Abbey and worked our way down.
Winding our way through the Abbey, it was really easy to imagine what life would have been like for a few moments. Every turn and staircase seemingly held a new treasure.
I can completely understand why this is a destination for pilgrimages. There are so many moments where you can almost feel the reverence eminating from the stones. It’s easy to understand how obe could draw closer to one’s Maker.
Can we talk for a minute about the grounds? Beautiful.
It was so fun to wander the streets! There were a thousand of our closest friends in the small streets, but it was fantastic! I remembered the streets were small, but not much detail about them. So it was fantastic!
Saying our goodbyes to Mt St Michel, it was easy to appreciate why this is such a special place. It really is a sacred experience to make one’s one pilgrimage here.
We make the hour trek to St Malo. I’d never been before and was so excited about it! It is a walled city, that was recreated to the original town after it was destroyed during WWII.
Exploring the streets was fairly calm and delightful. I bought a pair of triskele earrings and Heidi bought some clothes.
When the whole group met up, we walked over to the ramparts and walked a part of the city wall! The last picture in this series is a tide swimming pool!
We then hiked up another set of stairs to see a statue of the leader of the Pirateers (pirates funded by the King). It was a delightful area to explore!
Solène asked if we wanted to walk down to the beach. The answer to that question is always a resounding yes. So we spend some time exploring tide pools and the beach too. It was so relaxing to hear the waves crash on the beach and smell the salty breeze.
We walked over to town and had a delicious dinner in a crêperie to cap off the evening with great conversation and company.
Finally, we went back to the hotel for the evening. At this hotel and the last one, there is a door code for each room. Since I have five rooms to oversee, I asked Heidi to hold ours so I could know what our code was. After a whole group meeting, we went to bed!
This group really has been fantastic. What a wonderful experience is had by everyone (including myself) when everyone is willing to marinate in the experiences we are having together!
It was really interesting to watch the rolling green landscape smooth itself out the closer we got to Mont St Michel, as if the earth were bowing to the mountain too.
We were so excited when we got off the bus! After a horrifically slow and hot shuttle bus ride, we finally stepped off to this glorious view!
Our Tour Director, Solène, explained that we would take a less crowded way up to the Abbey, as we would be walking down through the small streets with shops on our way back down. What she didn’t explain was that most of it was stairs. So, the view increased as quickly as my heartrate. We had a minute to catch our breaths and take a few pictures before we went in to the Abbey.
When we finally made it to the ticket gate, we hiked up the final set of stairs to get to the top. It was so beautiful! In addition, good travel karma played shone through as we caught the tail end of mass!
I have been to Mont St Michel twice before, and both times took my breath away. The visit brought you to the top of the Abbey and worked our way down.
After the chapel, we entered my favorite part of Mont St Michel: the Cloisters. I believe you can’t help but think about Heavenly Father when you’re in this space.
Winding our way through the Abbey, it was really easy to imagine what life would have been like for a few moments. Every turn and staircase seemingly held a new treasure.
I can completely understand why this is a destination for pilgrimages. There are so many moments where you can almost feel the reverence eminating from the stones. It’s easy to understand how obe could draw closer to one’s Maker.
Can we talk for a minute about the grounds? Beautiful.
It was so fun to wander the streets! There were a thousand of our closest friends in the small streets, but it was fantastic! I remembered the streets were small, but not much detail about them. So it was fantastic!
Saying our goodbyes to Mt St Michel, it was easy to appreciate why this is such a special place. It really is a sacred experience to make one’s one pilgrimage here.
We make the hour trek to St Malo. I’d never been before and was so excited about it! It is a walled city, that was recreated to the original town after it was destroyed during WWII.
Exploring the streets was fairly calm and delightful. I bought a pair of triskele earrings and Heidi bought some clothes.
When the whole group met up, we walked over to the ramparts and walked a part of the city wall! The last picture in this series is a tide swimming pool!
We then hiked up another set of stairs to see a statue of the leader of the Pirateers (pirates funded by the King). It was a delightful area to explore!
Solène asked if we wanted to walk down to the beach. The answer to that question is always a resounding yes. So we spend some time exploring tide pools and the beach too. It was so relaxing to hear the waves crash on the beach and smell the salty breeze.
We walked over to town and had a delicious dinner in a crêperie to cap off the evening with great conversation and company.
Finally, we went back to the hotel for the evening. At this hotel and the last one, there is a door code for each room. Since I have five rooms to oversee, I asked Heidi to hold ours so I could know what our code was. After a whole group meeting, we went to bed!
This group really has been fantastic. What a wonderful experience is had by everyone (including myself) when everyone is willing to marinate in the experiences we are having together!
I've never spent any time in St. Malo. I love your blog! That sunset thru the old door pic should win a ribbon!
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