Europe
mont st michel: a photo essay
There are quite a number of places in the world that we have seen photos of and have therefore decided that we wanted to go there.
Mont St Michel is one of them. It has been on our dream travel list for as long as we can remember. Plus the added bonus that it was on the UNESCO Heritage list that we are trying to tick off slowly. We missed going to see it last time we were in France. We were not letting it slip away again this time.
It is certainly not the easiest place to get to (particularly if you don’t have a car) so we decided to stay two nights – which turned out to be a double “thumbs up” decision. It gave us plenty of time to explore and relax without feeling like we were rushed.
After travelling several hours from Paris on a train and then a bus, we finally arrived! In the distance, we could see the outline. The feeling we often get inside when we get to finally see something we have been SOOOOO looking forward to: a tingle in our stomach and the goosebumps of “we are really here!”
It’s as majestic and grand as we have seen it in the pictures. Without wanting to sound cliché, we will be cliche anyway by saying that it truly took our breath away.
Once we were inside the walls after crossing the bridge, it was like we were zapped back in time to the Middle Ages (except for maybe the hoards of tourists in modern clothes).
Crowded as it was, we looked past that and found the entire place so surreal to witness. Walking up all those old stone steps to the top before exploring the inside. And the inside? It seems to carry that little bit of mystery, intrigue and plenty of history that we love when we explore places like this.
With the tide being out, we were able to walk around the outside of the walls on the mudflats. We didn’t stray too far as we were warned that there are sections of “quicksand”. It is recommended that you join a tour group before venturing too far.
To finish off our time there, we sat down for a local Normandy feed. We tried a soufflé omelette with bacon… let’s just say, it must be an acquired taste!
The other local dish we tried was creamy chicken cooked Normandy style and that was DELICIOUS 🙂
Mont St Michel was listed as a
UNESCO Heritage site in 1979.
To see the other UNESCO sites we have visited,
visit our unofficial bucket list
Have you been to Mont St Michel? Tell us your experiences/thoughts.
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our second month in review
It is just over 2 months since we flew out of Sydney for Europe. It only felt like a few days ago that we wrote our first month in review but here we are sharing our second month already. We are over halfway into this trip now and will be home before we know it.
After our last month’s post, we moved onto Carcassonne and Lyon before saying good-bye to France and hello to Switzerland.
Carcassonne has to be added as another one of our memorable experiences in France. Maybe it was climbing the 242 steps for a rooftop view of the citadel on an extremely warm day that made it memorable. Lyon was a little bit of a surprise package in itself with plenty to keep us busy (more posts to come about that).
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Switzerland and were very thrilled to be able to visit most of their UNESCO Heritage Sites. The scenery is just breathtaking and every day we seemed to be blown away by something different. There were many highlights in Switzerland (posts still to come) but the one that jumps straight to mind is the Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano. We had amazing weather so were graced with the most gorgeous views!
And on the flip side, our biggest disappointment was without a doubt, another unsuccessful trip to Jungfraujoch – at least we got onto the train this time 🙂
Then it was a quick stop into Luxembourg which is very quaint country. We didn’t see much except the old town but it looks like there are plenty of interesting hikes and things to explore outside the city.
From there it was back to France for a bit of Paris again, where we got to visit the Louvre and Notre-Dame this time. Back in 2006, we didn’t visit either. Despite the queues, we enjoyed wondering through the Louvre and getting lost – that place is a maze!
After the very brief stop in Paris, we went south to Bayonne before winding up in St Jean Pied de Port. There we started our epic 800 km walk of the Camino.
Day 1 – 3 was so unbelievably exhausting. That first day, climbing for almost 27 km to 1400+ metres asl over the Pyrenees into Spain, our bodies had never hurt in that way before! At dinner, we couldn’t even move our arms to feed ourselves. That was an adventure in itself! Our bodies felt so battered and bruised but we soldiered on.
We had a break day in Pamplona and although we didn’t get to run with any bulls, we did get to experience another fiesta (The Privilege of the Union) they had.
The atmosphere of rural Spain is contagious. We love how there are siestas in the afternoon and then the evenings is in a league of their own! The streets are deserted during the day and as soon as 6pm hits, hundreds of people pour onto the street. Where have they been hiding all day?
We are finally getting into the swing and rhythm of walking everyday. We have walked about 160 km so far and we have enjoyed every minute. Despite the aches and pains and searing heat, it has been rewarding and uplifting to meet other pilgrims. The feeling of seeing our “rest” town in the distance at the end of every day is like seeing a source of water in the dessert! So near, yet so far! So excited, yet such a tease! Imagine walking up a hill, mountain, slope, incline only to peak over the crest to see the town… HOORAY! Except, you still need to walk there. How many times have we wished for a zip-line at that point?
Oh but the satisfaction of accomplishing outweighs the day’s walk 1000 times over. The scenery and sunrise helps as well! Remember, if you want to read our Camino day by day reflections, just duck on over to our Camino Diaries or onto our Facebook page.
Have a great week ahead, folks!
We welcome your comments here
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is switzerland beautiful?
Yes it certainly is.
We have only been here one week so far but have fallen head over heels for Switzerland. It seems that they may have missed summer this year, and will explain why we’ve had hit-and-miss weather. There’s been sunshine, cloud cover, rain, and we’ve even woken up one day with snow covering the mountaintops when we were in St Moritz.
But it doesn’t matter about the weather because it is a wonderful country regardless! It seems that every which way we turn there is something different to be in awe about. If it isn’t the scenery, it’s the history or the shopping or the restaurants. There is something here for everyone!
It amazes us how this small-in-size country, covering approximately 41 000 square metres, can have 4 official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh) and everybody speaks at least one of these and English as well. It really is a melting pot of Central/Western Europe, being bordered by 5 countries; Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein.
Anyway, enough words from us for now as we don’t think any words are necessary to describe the natural beauty of Switzerland. We hope our photos (from our first week) speak for themselves and provide a glimpse into scenic Switzerland with its dramatic mountainous backdrops, lush green grass and expansive calm lakes!
If you haven’t been to Switzerland, add it to your list!
Tell us your thoughts here
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packing principles: our core 4
In 3 sleeps, we will be travelling for about 3.5 months! The last time we were away for that long, was back in 2006. This time, we are 8 years “wiser”(??) and travelling with backpacks. We have packed often for our travels but this time it’s different!
Packing what we need into backpacks seems almost impossible as we stare at our mountain of things to bring and the size of the backpacks. How to pack when travelling for several months? How to fit everything we need/want? Our walking boots for the Camino alone already take up HALF the pack.
And yes, we know… we should lay everything we want to take and then leave behind half! It goes something like that, right?
After packing for this trip, we have concluded that these would have to be our 4 core packing principles.
#1: If the item is not a MUST, it can probably be purchased along the way.
Items of “MUST” will be different for everybody but may include medicines, contact lens, at least a few pairs of underwear….
#2: Use packing cells!
They keep your clothes contained inside your luggage/backpacks. You won’t find that after getting off a flight, your clothes are in a jumbled heap.
#3: Make sure you pack at least one change of clothes including underwear on your carry-on.
If you are flying, it comes highly recommended to do this. Situations where you wish you had a spare change of clothes at hand include:
- bags going on their own vacations the minute they were put on that conveyor belt at airport check-in;
- you being stranded at an airport due to flight delays/cancellations and having to stay overnight but your bags are still checked-in;
- during transit being caught in the rain running from the tarmac or between terminals
These are possible as these are actual scenarios which our friends have experienced. In all scenarios, even just a fresh set of underwear can make the world of difference.
#4: If travelling with a significant other, make sure you split your clothes between the two cases.
This will be a life-saviour should one bag go astray. This is where packing tip #2 is helpful with packing cells to keep clothes separate.
Here is David’s pack with half of Le’s stuff inside!
So we are finally packed! This is the FIRST time we are travelling with backpacks – we will let you know at the end of it, how it all goes.
So long cold, wintery Sydney!
It is now official, we have been farewelled! Our families threw us a farewell party: a Christmas in July (with a lit fireplace, leg of ham and roast turkey). It was so wonderful getting both families together so we could just enjoy one another’s company before we head off.
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