Wine Country

After my large trip to Mont Saint-Michel, I felt a little too tired to go on any big adventures- but it seemed silly to spend what was going to be a beautiful weekend simply roaming the streets with nothing to do. As luck would have it, a lovely friend of mine mentioned she was heading off to Saint Emilion for the day, and I was welcome to go with her! I couldn't possibly refuse, so at 10 am the next day we rode the train out into wine country.

A small but beautiful city, Saint Emilion was exactly the kind of peaceful getaway I was looking for. The lack of people that day made it even more magical. I mean walking down empty cobblestone streets while hearing only the echoes of footsteps in an otherwise still afternoon certainly leaves one feeling like they've stepped into an alternate universe. It was all very Miyazaki/Spirited Away-esque, which is always cool in my book.

After an exploration stroll (which took us by an awesome cathedral situated on top of a hill of sorts), my friend and I decided to spend our lunch at a restaurant across the street from catacombs dating back to the middle ages.

No big deal. 

We even took the catacomb tour, which were actually carved entirely out of one rock. Aaand I'm pretty sure I saw a bone... just saying

Now I'm not really one for art of the middle ages- it was all so similar and religious- but I must say the fading images left in the catacombs really put into perspective how old everything was. Unfortunately for me, photography was not allowed, so I never got to document the coolness. Too bad, but it's nice at least to have the memories (sappy, sorry).

 

ps check out this super nifty car

A Trip Up North

With some quick planning and a lot of excitement, a few friends and I decided to make the long trek up to Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. And what an excellent trek it was!
My first day of travel started out a little rocky when my alarm didn't go off at 5 am like it was supposed to. Yet, by some miracle of the travel gods, I was lucky enough to wake up in time to rush out of the house and make it on the train with minutes to spare. It was very exciting.
After that little mishap the trip only went uphill. A three hour train ride got us into Paris where we then had two hours to meander throughout the city before the next leg of the journey.

 I enjoyed the short stop in Paris, but I must say, I'm proud to be living in Bordeaux. Paris was just a bit too urban for my taste.

After stretching our legs we got back on the train and headed off to Caen, where we then switched trains and rode to Coutances, hopped on a bus from there to Pontorson and, finally, were picked up via a large red van that brought us to the hostel out in the countryside

 The town we were staying in was definitely one of the cutest most picturesque places I have ever been. I half expected a horse and buggy to come rolling down the road.

 

The Team

 The next day was like Christmas. We got a ride (in the nice red van again) to bring us closer to Mont Saint-Michel. From there we were dropped off so we could walk up to the colossal land mass.

It was just incredible.

 We spent the rest of the day exploring the island city, walking through the 1000 year old monastery, and viewing the cheesy (but cute) wax museums that explained the history of the structure.

 

After a long day of non stop walking, we finally took a relaxing break to sit and watch the tide slowly come in and wrap its way around Mont Saint-Michel. Highlight= watching the not too smart travelers who stayed out on the sand too long and, after realizing they were cut off from land, had to be rescued.

I would definitely recommend Mont Saint-Michel to anyone interested in beautiful architecture of an historically fascinating origin!