Normandy & Brittany, France
31 July 2019
Today we woke up early to drive to Mont Saint Michel, which is an abbey built on a rock about 400m from the coast. From several miles away, as we rounded a corner, we spotted the tall tower and both went “whooooaa”. The anticipation was great as we drove closer and then walked 2 miles to finally reach the island. We had to pay 9€ to park, which gave us the option of riding the shuttle, but we decided to make the journey. This was actually fitting because throughout history, people would suffer a pilgrimage to show or increase their faith. Mont Saint Michel was a popular destination for these believers. We crossed a large bridge to get to the island; they built this because at high tide it is inaccessible.
Once we finally entered the city (over a drawbridge!) it was like waking through medieval times. The stairwells, alleyways, and structures were all made of stone. An old suit of armor stood guard over the entry to the Abbey and the chapel had beautiful decor and candles lit under the Archangel, Michael. We didn’t pay to take the tour all the way to the top, but we could still enjoy the view of the river from the overlook areas.
We drove about an hour and forty minutes southwest to Brittany and found the Paimpont Forest, also known as the Forest of Brocéliande. We chose this spot because of it’s rich medieval history. According to legend, this is where famous characters such as King Arthur, Merlin the Magician, and the fairy, Vivien, made their mark. We walked through the forest and unfortunately did not see any mythical creatures or witness any mysterious happenings, but it was a nice hike with an eerie feel. We visited the Tomb of Merlin where it is said that Vivien cast a spell on Merlin while he slept near a rock and encircled him 9 times to imprison him there for the rest of his days. To me, it simply looked like a rock, but it was still cool to read the stories. Ben thought it was magical.
We then drove to La Rochelle to get an ocean view and found a place to park near an old fortress! We hope you’ll read or next entry about the fortress and the Dune of Pilat!
Ben and Syd
Vaughan_Ventures 