Day 3: MONT SAINT MICHEL - ST. BAD - DINAN - VAL DE REUIL
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Mmmm ... what sounds like the alarm clock? Yes, it will be that it is the alarm clock and that it is 6 in the morning!
We really want to know the Mont Saint-Michel, but we are so tired of yesterday touring the Landing Beaches that we ended up delaying it 15 minutes to take advantage of the heat offered by the Hotel Chambres les Salles.
We have breakfast before we get started and around 7 and a little in the morning, we check-out and we return to our GPS the address of the parking lot of the Mont Saint-Michel, which we set off, stopping before in several corners from which we have magnificent views.
Incredible views of Mont Saint Michel while the sun rises…
Mont Saint Michel
As we approach the parking lot of Mont Saint-Michel the views are much more impressive and if yesterday we finished the afternoon in the best possible way, today we are starting the day in an unsurpassed way.
Approaching Mont Saint Michel
Shortly before 8 in the morning, we have already left the car in the parking lot and crossed the enclosure to go, following the indications, to the shuttle stop that will take us directly to the doors of the Mont Saint-Michel.
Free shuttle that will take us to Mont Saint Michel
In the early morning, they close the access from the parking area to the entrance of the Mont Saint-Michel, so it is essential to travel by shuttle or walk to the Mont Saint-Michel.
The price of parking, during daytime, we said yesterday that at night, from 7 in the afternoon to 2 in the morning is free, it has a price of 6 euros for 2 hours and 12 euros for more than two hours, whatever Be the time.
So it is clear that we will have to pay the 12 euros, because in 2 hours it will be impossible to do everything we want to do today!
First sun rays on the free shuttle that will take us to Mont Saint Michel
In less than 15 minutes we planted at the entrance of the Mont Saint-Michel and although we try to avoid it, we cannot stop looking at the sky and think that it seems that at times it gets more gray.
Entering Mont Saint Michel
Before getting on our way to the Abbey, which is one of the “cake cherries” of Mont Saint-Michel, we make a brief stop at the entrance, to have another coffee and warm up a little this morning that is getting colder than What we would have liked.
The truth is that we do not look at the letter and enter the first cafeteria we see and after ordering, when we look at the letter, we see that the coffees are priced at 3 euros and the coffee with milk that Roger asks for ... 5 euros ... Luckily we have wifi and at least the "peak" knows us less ...
Drinking coffee in Mont Saint Michel
The slender towers and turrets of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel They are one of the most typical images of northern France.
The Abbey, which rises over the plain of white sand, is located on top of an islet, surrounded by solid walls and battlements and joined to the mainland by an old overpass.
Legend has it that it was founded in the eighteenth century, when Bishop Aubert de Avranches received in dreams the visit of the archangel St. Michael. The abbey still sports a golden copper statue of St. Michael, killing a dragon, a symbol of the triumph of good over evil.
Streets of Mont Saint Michel
The bay that surrounds the Mont Saint-Michel It is famous for its extraordinary tides, that we are not lucky enough to be able to witness and we intuit that it is an omen and a push to motivate us to return ...
Depending on the time of the year and the moon's gravitational force, the difference between high tides and low tides can reach 15m, although it is only completely surrounded by the sea during the seasonal equinoxes.
Regardless of the time of the year, the waters progress at an amazing rate.
- Book a tour of Mont Saint-Michel in Spanish from Paris
At low tide, the hill can appear surrounded by kilometers of sand, as it is these days, but at high tide, after 6 hours, the entire bay is usually submerged under the sea.
Bay of Mont Saint Michel
In the Mont Saint-Michel We only have one opening in the walls, the Porte de l 'Avancée, on the left as you go down the slope.
The only street on the mountain, the Grande Rue, is packed with restaurants, shops, some hotels and countless souvenir shops that we leave pending to visit them after entering the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel.
The main attraction of the mountain is the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which opens from 9 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon in summer.
Arriving at the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
We arrived a few minutes before 9 in the morning and we already found a queue that goes up the access stairs, so we have nothing left to stand in line and wait a few minutes until they open the main door and after pay 9 euros per person and receive several elbows from people anxious to enter (and that we are on vacation ...), we enter the "icing on the cake" of Mont Saint-Michel.
If you want to save time in the queue you can book this ticket in advance.
Entering the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Most of the rooms can be visited without a guide, but it is worthwhile, without a doubt, to be accompanied by the guide they give right at the entrance to take the tour guided by the history of this place ...
The Église Abbatiale was erected on the rocky summit of the mountain. The cruise is supported by the firm rock, while the ship, the choir and the arms of the cruise are supported thanks to the huge rooms below.
Mont Saint Michel church
Views of the Abbey Church of Mont Saint Michel
The Church is famous for its mix of architectural styles: the nave and the southern cruise are of Norman Romanesque style, while the choir is flamboyant Gothic.
Views of the bay from the Mont Saint Michel Church
More practical information to prepare your trip to Normandy
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Images from the Mont Saint Michel Church
Interior of the Mont Saint Michel Church
Views from Mont Saint Michel
The buildings at the north end of the mountain are known as La Merveille, "the wonder". The famous cloister is surrounded by a double row of delicately carved arches, which are supported by granite pillars.
The famous cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Photographs in the cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
In the area of the cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel We are more than 30 minutes. It is one of the most special corners of the mountain, not to mention the most and invites us to every step we take to sit between its columns and enjoy the moment.
Cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Enjoying the cloister of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
The refectory of the early 13th century is illuminated by a wall of concave windows that blur the light in a magnificent way, surprising fact, since the steep slope prevented the use of arbotantes.
Refectory of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Touring the bowels of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
La Salle del Hôtes (inn) Gothic dates from 1213 and has two giant fireplaces.
Do not miss the ambulatory that has one of the vaulted ceilings with the oldest edges in Europe.
Leave Hôtes of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
The masonry that was used to erect the building was transported by boat and climbed up the hill by ropes; the pulley wheel, which looks like a mill, was driven in the nineteenth century by six prisoners who turned it to raise supplies from one end of the abbey.
At 10.30 in the morning we finish the visit in the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel In the souvenir shop, where we bought some souvenir details and just when we left we found a very clear sky that seems to say good morning again ...
Views of the bay from the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Images of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
From here we decided to go down, to go along the street parallel to the Grande Rue, to take the last photos and make the last lap of a Mont Saint-Michel with which we have completely reconciled.
Images of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Walking the streets of Mont Saint Michel
Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
Today we even see the works they are doing in the picturesque enclosure and that give “a touch” to the Mont Saint-Michel.
Before we leave, we stop at the post office to send those postcards that are the best souvenir of our trips.
Sending postcards from Mont Saint Michel
We can't leave the Mont Saint-Michel without going back to the bay, to take some photos and enjoy a sky with stunning colors that remind us of the magic of this place.
Images of Mont Saint Michel
In less than 5 minutes the sky leaves its whitish colors, to shyly let out some sun rays, which leave the sky a beautiful blue color.
Mont Saint Michel
Stunning Mont Saint Michel
While we are in the bay taking the pictures, we realize that we have gotten into the water and the mud, without even noticing it !!
About 12 in the morning we take the shuttle again and before returning to the parking lot we stop in the area of the hotels and shops to return to the viewpoint last night and take some more photos ... We resist leaving here!
Mont Saint Michel from one of the viewpoints
After 12 we make a last visit in the area and it is to the souvenir shops that are in the area around the parking lot ... The materialistic spirit we have not managed to cancel even in a place like this 😉
Details of the shopping area, bars… Mont Saint-Michel
At this time of the morning it is still cool, but we have some sun rays, which help to get along much better ...
In the area of shops and bars, we see a “Brioche Dorée”, a bakery from which we became regular customers in our stay in Paris, where we ate a couple of cupcakes for 5.60 euros, to kill a little hunger until the time to eat.
Killing hunger !!
And being almost 1 at noon and without finding more excuses to stay in this impressive place, we paid 12 euros for parking, for being more than two hours and heading to the next destination today: St. Bad in Brittany
The GPS marks 45 minutes of travel and said and done ... that's what it took to get to St. Bad.
The address we have marked belongs to the intramural area and as we arrived past 1.30 noon, the first thing we plan to do is go to the downtown area and decide where to eat.
The problem is that we go through 5 parkings and they are all complete !! Today it seems that it will be impossible to park, so we arm ourselves with patience and go to the St. Vicens car park where we wait in line for 15 minutes waiting for an empty space quede
This is one of the things of traveling in August ... and we don't like it!
Newcomers to St. Malo
Upon entering the walled area we find a couple of streets full of restaurants, souvenir shops and painters stalls ... that make our delights and make us delay the meal time a few minutes, while watching the amount of works art we have in front of us.
"Street of restaurants" in St. Malo
St. Bad We are loving it although it is bursting with people and that makes us not enjoy the place so much.
It reminds us in a certain way to Monaco, where we were a few years thanks to Travel Republic, with whom we found a perfect accommodation.
In the end, before we go to the beach area, we enter one of the restaurants and order a couple of pasta dishes plus coke and water and coffees for 25.60 euros. We have not eaten anything bad by the way, although it was a rather tourist place.
And with a full stomach we start to get to know the rest of the city.
We take a good tour of the intramural area and arrive at the beach area that we have read so much and have talked to us so much.
St. Malo Beach
There is not even a pin on the beach. If while we were coming here we have the firm intention of stopping at one of the terraces on the beach to have a coffee, seeing what we have in front of us, we decide that it is time to take some more photos and withdraw from St. Bad.
We say again that it is a city that we liked, with a very special atmosphere, but we know that we will have to return at another time of the year to finish savoring everything it offers us.
It's 4:00 in the afternoon when we return to the parking lot to pick up the car and after paying 5.60 euros and placing our GPS again, we make our way to Dinan, which will be the last place we will visit today.
Traffic in St. Bad It is crazy in the center and until we leave this area, it seems that we are in a funnel.
Lucky that after a few minutes of tense wait, we managed to move forward and finally reach the road that will take us to Dinan.
When we get to the detour of Dinan, we meet again with a caravan. It is clear that we have chosen in this trip to Normandy All summer destinations of the French.
Before arriving at Dinan, we took the opportunity to fill the deposit of our rental car in Normandy for the first time, for 56 euros. The price is not bad 😉
At the end between caravans, stop to load the gas tank and entrance to the city, we arrive at Dinan at 5 p.m.
Luckily, at this time of year, we have more daylight hours and we can afford to extend the day longer.
We park in the city center, in a paid parking lot and go straight for a walk through one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen.
And that we just arrived ...
Dinan
Above the fast Rance River, the old town of Dinan, full of narrow cobbled streets and squares flanked by winding half-timbered houses, it seems fresh from the Middle Ages.
Amazing Dinan
And although it seems a lie, despite the avalanche of tourists, this feeling of medieval village, taken from a story, does not disappear.
Dinan's details
The half-timbered houses that stand out from Place des Cordeliers and Place des Merciers point to the heart of the old town.
Half-timbered houses in Dinan
Walks in the streets of Dinan
Dinan
We do not stop to find art galleries, creperies, small bars, that represent a delight for our eyes and that make us remember what we have said so many times during these days: we have to return to Normandy, but with more time to enjoy of everything it has to offer.
Enjoying Dinan
Creperies in Dinan
Trying to soak up everything we are seeing, makes us walk the streets of Dinan for more than two hours, until we stop at a creperie for dinner before we go to what will be our accommodation tonight, in Val de Reuil.
Creperie where we dined at Dinan
We ordered a couple of crêpes, a coffee and a coffee with milk for 13.55 euros that leave our stomach toned until the time we reach Val de Reuil and decide if we are hungry or not no
Our dinner in Dinan
The end of our is coming trip to Normandy.
After dinner we return to the parking lot and reconnect our GPS, this time with the last point of our tour of Normandy: Val de Reuil, where we have 2 hours of travel.
The truth is that this journey at this time of the afternoon-night does not seem to make much sense, but counting that tomorrow we have to be at noon at Beauvais airport, we prefer to do half the way today and the rest tomorrow morning to go with more time and especially with more tranquility and not have to do tomorrow, before the flight 4 hours of travel.
On the way to our accommodation we pass through some sections of the highway, where we pay three tolls, one of 5 euros, another of 3.40 euros and the last of 2.10 euros.
This last part of the trip is getting quite heavy, especially since we have been on our feet for many hours and we begin to feel tired.
Our accommodation, the Hotel Balladins Rouen, is at the foot of the road, in Val de Reuil and we arrive about 9 at night or so.
We check-in quickly and although we are not very hungry, we prefer to have dinner to avoid waking up at midnight, starving!
Next door we have a restaurant and while we have dinner a couple of dishes of roasted potatoes with different sauces and side dishes, we make real efforts to keep our eyes open.
We had said that we are busted?
Before asking for the bill, we drink a couple of coffee, to see if they encourage us a little and seeing that we have hardly been tickled, we pay the 18 euros that the bill goes up and we go straight to the hotel.
East trip to Normandy It has been a non-stop, but as we always say ... we will rest at home!
The trips are to know and not stop. As long as there is movement, there is LIFE.
With these thoughts we lay in bed, ready to continue dreaming.
Mont Saint Michel, awesome !!
Saying goodbye ...
Day 4VAL DE REUIL - BEAUVAIS AIRPORT - GIRONA
