Third day

Arrived in Douville/Trouville. The places are touristy, urban, and maritime. It is lively, relatively large; we park after quite a long drive and sit down in the nearest restaurant due to urgent needs. The restaurant was okay, and our mood was good again when we left.

There is a large marina and a wide sandy beach, which we didn’t see. We still want to go to St. Malo today, and we need almost 3 more hours to get there.

On the way, we crossed the Normandy Bridge, which is very beautiful. It is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Seine. While crossing, 'Non je ne regrette rien' by Edith Piaf was playing from our playlist.

And what else did we see?

Etretat. This is an old little village with a long fishing tradition. In the past, the village smelled of cod. Then a railway connection from Paris to Etretat was built, and tourists replaced fish as the main source of income. We climbed the famous chalk cliffs, from where there was a beautiful view of the village, the bay, the cliffs… and the seagulls.

Another hour of driving to St. Malo, and we take a break at a rest area on the highway and see a sign to a viewpoint. We walk there and see Mont Michel for the first time, very, very far away and very, very tiny, but we are excited!

We have arrived in St. Malo. Our accommodation today is the youth hostel near the beach. We walk to Intra-Muros in the old town.

The huge sandy beach and the Breton sea at sunset were overwhelming.

Tomorrow is a rest day. We will be in a hotel with a garden and will relax a bit and read…