Mont St. Michel (above) Saint Malo (below)
Yesterday I went on a day trip to Saint Malo and Mont St. Michel. Both were absolutely gorgeous and unlike anything I have seen in real life thus far.
Saint Malo:
Saint Malo is a fortified city in northwest France with a wall surrounding the entire town. It became notorious for being the home to French Corsairs (or pirates) where they made a great deal of wealth forcing the English to pay a fee to pass through.
My experience in this city was wonderful. It was a little chilly but the sun was out and the water looked amazing. I spent the majority of the time just walking around the outer walls and looking out at the water. As I was walking around I was passed by local joggers and it hit me that people still actually live there. How amazing would it be to live in a place like that? Physically surrounded by such history! After I made my way around the perimeter I went down into the city which was quaint and made good use of the space. All of the apartments and stores are built up. After spending some time exploring the city I went back outside the walls and watched the boats go in and out. (Dad, this should be one of your sailing destinations!)
Mont St. Michel:
Mont St. Michel is an ancient Monastery and stronghold that dates back to the 8th century when the first monastic structure was built on the Island. It is famous for the quick tides that quickly make the island inaccessible. Wikipedia will probably do more justice to the history than I can. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_St._Michel
I do know that Mont St. Michel was the inspiration for the depiction of Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King film.
Anyway, it was a beautiful area to explore. There were so may different rooms and chambers. The main cathedral is breathtaking and it is still used today for prayer. My favorite room was La Salle des Chevaliers, which is where the knights hung out.
All in all it was a fabulous day. Lots of history, lots to see, and two places I will never forget!
the pictures i saw on face book were fabulous and i could feel the cold in the air by looking at that blue sky. the castles are spectacular, as you say it is hard to believe people live in places this old.
ReplyDeletelove the "cat that dances" street and wonder what made them name it that? probably a cat scrating itself and hopping around to get the fleas off of it, nothing quite romantic at all.see how you imagination can run away with you. thanks for the update xoxo aunt kathy
I'll apparently have to go to facebook so I can see more pictures, those places sound amazing! Here I thought my weekend in Seattle was wonderful, then I realize yah, my sister is INNNNNNN France, surrounded by YEARS of amazing sights! :P
ReplyDelete<3 you!