When we buy new electronic gadgets like cellphones or computers there are these images that are pre-installed in them, they serve as sample pictures of the device. I remember often seeing a beautiful image but I don't remember seeing any information about it, where it can be found or what it is. It might have been noted as the image name but I just don't remember seeing it. Anyway, the image I'm talking about is the famous Mont St Michel which is located in the region of Normandy in France. It's in the northwestern part of the country at the boundary of the regions Normandy (Normandie) and Brittany (Bretagne). One day, I came across this image again on the internet and at that moment I was already married to my husband (who is French), so I thought why not ask him about it. Indeed he told me about this wonderful world heritage which he had already even visited and he promised to take me there one day.
I arrived in France in 2012 but we didn't get the chance to visit this famous and historical place until last weekend because we lived in the French West Indies (Caribbean). Well, the first time I really saw it (from a distance) was on our very long drive from Picardy (Picardie) to Brittany on a hot summer day of 2013. That was a few days after our arrival in the metropolis from our stay in the Caribbean. I remember the excitement I felt even by just seeing it from afar. Then last week my husband told me we're going away for the weekend, he'd like to show me the northern part of the region and then we'd go as far as "Le Mont St Michel". I was like a child giggling for excitement the night before we left off.
Before reaching our main destination we had made a few stops. We left at past ten on a Saturday morning after running a few errands and we arrived past twelve in a village called Plélo. My husband took me to a local farm/restaurant where he spent a part of his childhood. It was so amazing to see him rediscover an important part of his growing up years and it actually brought me back some childhood memories of my own because the smell of the place was very much like the smell of my grandparents' house, it was the smell of the fire woods used in cooking. I love the cozy feeling. We had a very good "crêpe bretonne" which we ate with their homemade cider. It was sumptuous and the ambiance was just so homey. After eating we had a quick tour around the farm and then we hit the road again for the next destination, the town of Paimpol.
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| galette - a crepe made out of black wheat |
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| Char à Banc - restaurant/farm in Plélo |
My husband had always wanted to show me where his parents came from. It's a town in the northern part of the Brittany region. This interests me so much as well because it is a part of him. He spent most of his childhood vacations there, at his grandfather's house. I was expecting to see a quite little village but it took me by surprise. I found myself in a busy city with a port filled with really nice sailing vessels. Well, it was a very beautiful sunny spring day so tourists sprang from almost everywhere and locals took advantage of the weather as well. We went to visit the place where his grandfather used to live then to the part of the town where her mother grew up and we also paid visits to the tombs of his elders. It was a beautiful special day. For dinner, he took me out to a very good seafood restaurant in a village called "Loguivy de la mer". It was quite pricey but we just decided to spoil ourselves that day! And the dessert was at "crêperie Morel" a famous "crêperie" in Paimpol. When our stomachs got a bit too much to eat for the day and our feet got weary after all the walking, we took shelter in an average hotel just a few meters from the port. The price was correct, we paid 46€ the night without breakfast.
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| Paimpol - this is facing the port. |
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| seafood plate in Loguivy de la mer |
The next day was THE day we went up to Le Mont St Michel. It was a very beautiful Sunday morning. The sun was so up and the sky as blue as a summer day! We left Paimpol after a quick breakfast. It was a long two hour and a half drive. We arrived at the parking lot of the heritage around 12:40. The lot is quite far from the mount itself, as part of their efforts to preserve this historical place. From the parking lot, visitors have the options to either take the shuttle buses for free which would take them directly to the mount (it'll only take a few minutes), take a forty minute walk or take their bikes (if they brought some with them). We took the forty minute walk because we wanted to enjoy the view as we get nearer and nearer the mount. It was so beautiful with the perfect weather and there were not so many people either. I was literally jumping for excitement as we got nearer and nearer.
We are a fan of this very famous HBO series called Game of Thrones and visiting the mount was like being in one of the kingdoms of Westeros (if you know what I'm talking about)! Anyway, we entered a huge gate just like what we see in old close villages or kingdoms in movies and inside is a centuries old city, houses made of stone which are now used as gift shops, restaurants, hotel and snack houses. We climbed all the way up and made a first stop at the chapel of Joan of Arc then we made some more stops every now and then to enjoy the magnificent view as we keep ascending. The mount itself was packed with visitors but not as much as during a summer day I suppose. We decided to visit the abbey and monastery, this is the the place they call "top God" if I got it right. We had to pay 9€ each (without a guide). The price was worth it! It's my most favorite part of the visit. There are many enormous halls and the huge chapel with the blessed sacrament. Being a catholic, I found it so holy and I couldn't stop myself from being teary eyed as I thanked The Almighty for the beautiful opportunity of being there. Behind the huge chapel and in the middle of the halls is a beautiful garden. When we descended we used the stares near the wall and we had the very beautiful view of the sea. It was low tide though but it was still amazing especially with the seagulls flying all around. I found it even magical in a way. This world heritage is visited by around 3 million tourists per year and among them are of course Filipinos. When we were at one of the souvenir shops my husband spotted some tourists and he told me "they're Filipinos" (he actually has an eye for Filipinos, he knows one when he sees one). I smiled at them and as they smiled back, I then directly asked if they're Filipinos which they confirmed. I was so happy because they are from Mindanao so they speak Bisaya too like me. Oh how much I miss talking to Filipinos in person! So, we had our chika moment for a few minutes. After a few minutes of shopping (because the prices are hilarious as such the case in most tourist spots) we could no longer ignore our starving stomachs and tired feet. We looked for the "not so expensive" food but we couldn't really find a lot and we ended up in a 3 star restaurant. The price was "correct" but their stars were nowhere to be found from the food presentation to the ambiance and the staff! Anyway, it wasn't so bad either..we were just expecting a better service due to their "stars".
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| Le Mont St Michel |
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| Holy Sacrament chapel |
After the memorable visit of the mount my husband told me we would make one last stop before heading home. He took me to the old city called
St. Malo. On the way there we passed by a lot of farms and really beautiful villages where all houses are made of stone. We took the way along the coastal area and view was breathtaking! It is so flat and we saw a huge herd of sheep and a few kilometers away was a "bio" chicken farm and then a pig farm. It was my first time to see a pig farm where pigs are out in the meadow. It was so beautiful and we often saw advertisements about "vegetables for sale" fresh from the farm. I enjoyed it so much.
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| Pig farm - photo grabbed from: www.pitchup.com |
We arrived in
St. Malo's Intra-Muros around past five in the afternoon. I was again awestruck! It's a close "ancient city". We entered a huge gate again and inside is an old city with almost everything made of stone. Of course it gave us the feeling of being in "Westeros" again. It was very beautiful. We climbed and walked beside its walls facing the sea. The sun was still so bright but the wind was starting to be chilly. Our energy level is starting to get low and the smell of
crêpe all over the place was a torture since we don't want to "spoil ourselves" for two consecutive days. We only bought a postcard from there and then we decided to head home. We've done enough walking for the day!
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| St Malo |
For someone who doesn't like driving, it was a very long way so I am a super proud and grateful wife! It was the longest drive my husband did, all for love and with love! We got home at exactly 9:40 in the evening and that concluded our lovely weekend!
Now, I can say that I have quite visited the Brittany region, from north to south and it's so beautiful. I already mentioned this in one of my blog posts but I'd say it again. If you ever get the chance to visit France, try visiting this region. You'll enjoy beautiful landscapes and delicious foods! ツ
