Mont Saint Michel - France Travel 2020

Mont Saint Michel – The Lonely Monastery in the Wadden Sea

So here we are in Pontorson, the little town as the last stop before the lonely monastery mountain. Due to traffic conditions, we arrived at 4 pm and were a little pressed for time. Due to Corona, a guided tour in the monastery could only be booked online. The tour we booked was scheduled to start in 30 minutes, and we had to find a parking space, walk 3 kilometers towards the Wadden Sea, AND climb all the way up to the monastery mountain. Did I mention that my internet problem still wasn't resolved and I couldn't access the online tickets in my cloud? You're probably thinking that's crazy. Well, you're damn right, but we actually made it. How? With a lot of luck! But let's start from the beginning!

So we arrived at the parking lot and immediately started walking towards the island. Due to the pandemic, we deliberately decided against taking a bus to the island and started walking. In a quick stride, we struggled across the bridge, meanwhile unsuccessfully trying to access the online tickets. At 4:28 (!!), we arrived at the gates of the monastery mountain and now had to climb the strenuous path towards the monastery within 2 minutes. Mind you, wearing a face mask. You can believe me when I say that for a brief moment, I felt like Reinhold Messner on my way to the roof of the world. When we reached the top, I searched in vain for an oxygen tent. But just before reaching the end, we still had the little problem of the non-downloadable online tickets. I tried unsuccessfully to convince the security guard that we had tickets but unfortunately couldn't access them. So, feeling disappointed, we joined the line to buy tickets on-site. When we finally reached the end, we suddenly couldn't believe our eyes. We had reception for a brief moment and were able to download the tickets. Simply unbelievable! So we set off again and actually made it inside with a 5-minute delay, YES!!! Once we reached the top, all I can say is that the view is very beautiful. From up here, you can see people walking in the mud flats and seagulls circling around. The crypts and gardens are also worth seeing, and you shouldn't miss them on your tour of the monastery. After our approximately 1-hour tour, we had to start our way back as the tide seemed to be coming in, and we didn't want to be stranded on the island. What an eventful day it was!

The next morning, we set off towards Cancale. The town situated at the end of the Bay of Saint Malo has one of the largest oyster farming areas. And so, we would come to my next culinary experiment. The oysters. After about 1 ½ hours drive, we arrived in the small fishing village, and we could hardly believe our eyes.

What looked like a white sandy beach from a distance was actually a sea of empty oyster shells. After consumption, the oysters are thrown back into the sea, where seagulls compete to pick the leftovers out of the shells. Oysters are considered a luxury product, and accordingly, the price paid for this delicacy is absurd. So it's a good thing that a shell with 14 oysters only costs 12 euros here, which is a reasonable price. At the small market, you can get all kinds of oysters and indulge yourself here. I have to say that personally, oysters are not for me. The taste of saltwater and the slimy stuff didn't agree with me. But it was still an experience that I will remember!

On our way along the Brittany coast, we arrived next in the small fishing village of Plougrescant and spent our lunchtime on the rugged coast. It was time to launch the drone and capture beautiful shots of the landscape.

The rugged coast with its unique vegetation and wild animals appears rather inconspicuous at first. Not far from our resting place is a bizarre house that seems to be trapped between two large rocks. Honestly, I have never seen anything like it.

After a walk along the coast, we embarked on the final leg of our journey towards the Cote de Granit Rose, crossing over into Brittany.

The Cote de Granit Rose, also known as the Pink Granite Coast, has its name for a reason. The granite stones found here shimmer pink in the twilight and turn this area into a mystical place. The smooth granite rocks that can be found here in abundance create a fantastic image with the blue sea in the background. Once again, I couldn't resist flying my drone and capturing some shots of the coast.

But now this long day has come to an end, and we made our way to Brest on the Atlantic coast.