Mount St Michel, France

 

a picture of Mont St Michel, beautifully composed by JS
we only brought one camera to visit this place, while the other one was left in Paris
been using Paris as our base this trip.....even the bellboy at the hotel know us that we'll leave heaps of luggage for them as we journeyed to other cities and countries


I alwiz joked with them in my horrible french, not to hurt their backs with my super-heavy-can-die luggage bags *all 8 pieces*
they shrugged it off and luffed out loud coz it's part of their job

Since I dun have a camera, an iPhone can do too :P
make use of wat u have and surprisingly the iPhone 4s takes fantastic pics


oh...I should re-phrase my sentence...
with such FANTASTIC VIEW any tom dick and harry can snap amazing pics with any tom dick and harry gadgets :P
agree?? :))))

my friend told me it looked like Disneyland hahahahahaha
indeed....prollie Walt Disney got inspired by it?


Mount St Michel had been a fort since the ancient time 
against the...well who else....the English
coz this sea = English Channel
and from the top of this mountain, u can see Southern Britain

Okie Dokie.....time to scale the mountain!!!
yipeeeeee


I can say we've almost scaled every mountain we could during this trip
taken all sorts of jelly-fying cable car rides
eaten everything
drunk the best wines
hiked and climbed for the 1st time in my life
very rewarding :)))))


Looks like mission impossible
hey Mr. Sea Gull, can u take me up there????


the entire place was built around this rocky island back in the 6th century
due to erosion the surrounding rocks gave in to sea water and only stronger ones like granites remained
this erosion process took millions of years since the dinousaur age


so basically u r marveling at the creation of GOD and Nature
the rock island I meant....the rest of the structure was built by human's hands *of coz*
we are given the most precious thing = LIFE
with it, we can do a lot of wonders 
so folks never give up in life :)))))

Mr. Sea Gull tried to fly but the wind was too strong
he just flapped his wings and the wind carried him motionless like this
so cute :P


it's like flying a kite....where it stays motionlessly on the sky
but this one has got an altitude of 30 cm above ground *remember Johnny English and his helicopter ride?"

and Monkey must not give up too
started walking towards the fort at the top like a hero with JS tailgating behind

I felt like I was transformed back to medieval time

everything changes but nothing changes.....sounds familiar?

it's like ur lips changed, but ur kisses never age

as I stomped my feet happily I was brought back in time

to experience the same feeling as those ancient ppl did

how they went about life on this lil small rocky island

horses galloping on the rocky pavement

the sounds and sights of children running

and the harsh weather they endured here

Today, it's thronged with tourists and pilgrims around the world

rows after rows of souvenirs shop selling pointy pokey Mount St Michel memorabilia

this reminded me of Duomo in Milan case back in 2009

*click here to read how farnie it was*

so I guess souvenirs can be harmful after all huh?

While JS was tail-gating me.....Monkey was tail-gating this doggie

it was so wet and slippery, she fell down so many times

poor doggie

in fact the best shoes to visit Mount St Michel is actually gummy boots

coz this place is alwiz full of seawater :P

well u never know

admiring the rocks

stacked by men

survived through the centuries and WARS

I touched it and they felt so cold

it's as though it's telling me the stories it endured and survived

Bee Boo Bee Boo Bee Boo *sound of the ambulance's siren*
huffed puffed
taking a 30 seconds break


JS was rolling his eyes and comparing me with those white hair aunties and balding uncles
"look at them!!! they r so much fitter than u!!!!"
grrrrRRRRrrrrrrrrrr

Climbing the last bit before reaching up to the abbey

due to the weather condition, the rocky walls are alwiz covered in moss

wow wat a giant water tap!!!!!!!!

is this for the fire brigade????

and wat a tiny door

were they hobbits????

huffed and puffed

okie.....almost there.....the last few steps to go!!!!!

huffed....puffed......

u can see there's lesser ppl on the pic as we ascend...coz many of them gave up halfway and sat on those benches

ekekekekkekekeekkekeeekek

so folks, visit and walk the Earth while u care fit and able :)))))))

Okie to be fair....I took some short breaks too :P

pffffttttttttttttt

tee hee heee

what????

finally.....

WOW~~~~~~ I was so scared but still wanna look down

the mainland with a temporary connection/bridge to the rock island

this will be destroyed soon bcoz the government will be building a small pedestrian hanging bridge to connect this small island

They realised with this connection road, it has jeopardised the environment

water and sediments sat on the bank

nothing moves....

really bad for the environment

a small stream of water heading out to the sea

years ago, u can only reach this island by foot when the tide is low

due to tourism and commercialisation they have built the connecting road

and now they have decided to destruct it

well.....

let's hope they'll find a solution soon before all the sediments gonna accumulate here till Mount St Michel is an island-no-more!!!!!

the Abbey of Mount St Michel

the gold statue of Archangel Michael at the top of the spire

he was mentioned in Christianity, Judaism and Islam

it has alwiz provoked such curiosity in me when it comes to these 3 religions

a friend actually encouraged me to do more readings and learning on those 3

being a lazy me...I opt to visit Israel anytime instead :P

ok ok ok I've promised u, I'll go and do more readings about it :)))))

jelly-fied terrified horrified look

:P

GAH!!!!!!

those ppl down there were so tiny :P

on a clear day u can see the southern port of Britain

it's such a strategic point as a fort

no wonder it was never conquered even during the hundred year wars

with smaller fort posts surrounding this tiny island

"Hey look we can walk down there!!! I wanna go I wanna go I wanna go!!!!!"

JS -_-"

we spent about half an hour up here

speechless

nothing to say when ur mind, eyes and soul were busy absorbing all these

the winter chill air hit our face

moisture and humidity fr the sea coated our hair till it's damp

beyond this....we stood motionlessly staring at the view

:)))))))))))

JS said if he's an soldier, he wanna be stationed on this post/corner

hahahahahahahahaha

coz it has got the best view of both sun rise and sun set

but I was bz pointing at those small lil ppl down there walking on the sandy banks/beach

and yelled..."hey come back!!!! the tide is gonna come up soon!!!! come back!!!!"

JS: "Don't think they understand english.....someone will get them...dun u kepoh."

next to the abbey was a beautiful courtyard with an even more beautiful garden

this garden has got a beautiful view too...

wat a bliss

I just wanna sit down here with a cup of coffee and a good book

perhaps it's time I get down to those books on religion

just the right ambience

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

okie don't worry, there was a sheet of glass there

else the wind alone can blow me outta this courtyard

trying his hands on some mechanism

it actually moved!!!!!

shhhhh pls don't tell the caretaker of this place...

we were not supposed to touch anything :P

the wheels is a pulley system to transport things from the bottom of the rock island up here

it has got a wooden track

Later, we explored the whole place including nooks and corner where no tourists go to
its beautiful herb garden
its storage
catacombs
inside the medieval abbey
basically everywhere


I'm still as mischievous as alwiz
since young I'll walked all over my school which was an old convent
including areas forbidden to anyone
coz there's just too many ghost stories that certain corners were sealed....
but this Monkey....tsk tsk tsk....she's the GREATEST GHOST in school lar!!!!

then we arrived at the back door of the rocky island...
"Hey look....more paths to more places....let's go!!!!"

leaving civilisation behind, which was pretty medieval as u can see fr the pic above
both JS & Monkey walked down to have better look and feel of the English Channel

then JS stopped Monkey
nope...he didn't see any ghosts or some dead ancient warriors without his head

it was this....DANGER KEEP OUT!!!

we checked our respective watches...and saw that there's only one more hour left before the TIDE comes in!!!!!!

yea there's a tidal schedule/table, u must alwiz check before going anywhere around this island

and that includes parking ur car at the right place

u dun want it to go drowning in the sea water...

insurance dun pay u know!!!!

the Tide comes up to this level 2x a day

there's 2 tides a day

well if u wanna read more about tidal system, pls google it

certain seas in the world has got one tide a day

while some don't even have TIDE at all!!!!!

but on a normal one it's usually 2x

at the back of the island there's more post guards tower like this
with really large hooks to anchor big ships
so this was a dock back then
:))))
I'm so glad we walked here and discover these


only set back was the sand was soft and muddy
there's a lot of warnings of quick sand
so we didn't wanna take the risk
after all there's only 2 of us back here and even if we yelled, no one can hear us except Mr. Sea Gull

so we watched sun set together
and watch the tide comes in
:))))))))

what a beautiful sight......
aaaaaAAaaaaaaaa


later we hurried ourselves to catch the last bus back to Rennes
else we gonna be stranded on this rocky island for the nite
the last bus leaves at 5.30pm


What a memorable journey up to Mount St Michel
We were so happy to be here :)))))
and hope u had enjoyed this posting


for more readings, go to their official website:
www.ot-mountsaintmichel.com

Journey to Mount St. Michel, France

*pic stolen fr the web*

Remember this??? when I posted about it months ago *click here to read*

gosh how time flies and that was almost 2 months already

so today we will share with you on our journey to this wonderful mystical place

Mount St. Michel

It's alwiz wise to ask a local where to go and what to do

in fact this place was never in our itinerary until we asked Monsieur Denis of Bollinger Champagne

we wanted to venture somewhere new in France and of interested worthy sight seeings and FOOD!!!!

food alwiz have to be part of its package hahahahah

Monsieur Denis then recommended a few small town

especially Rennes a lil town in North West of France

it's a place where he'll go for relaxation

and so after that conversation, we hit the internet to find more information

JS was so eager n keen that he dragged Monkey straight to the kiosk to get First Class train tickets

it's alwiz good to plan early bcoz when u purchase early, ur First Class ticket is only half price

HUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

booked our hotel in Rennes and read more about interesting places there

soon pics of Mount St. Michel were plastered all over my iPad

"Hey look!!! I saw this on TV before!!!! we must go!!!!"

yeah I know we were so prompt rite?

it's alwiz our style to hit one city, find out more from locals and venture to a new place.

it happened in Barcelona and now in France.

so 2 weeks after the above conversation....and also after venturing to other places in France, UK and Spain.....we were once again back in France and all prepared for Mount St. Michel!!!

the fast train takes about 2 hours to Rennes, one of the most connected city in Brittany

from there u can hop onto a bus to Mount St Michel

Bus station was just across the road fr the train station

here I was waiting at the bus with some tourists from Japan

Mount St Michel is very famous among the Japanese bcoz it is a sister city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima

the surrounding, topography and visuals were highly used in Japanese Games

some games also featured a replica innit

Remember the lyrics to Year of the Cat by Al Stewart?

"and the bus and the tourists are gone"

heheheheh if u dun plan ur trip well and check the schedule, this will happen

we were reading on some travel forums, some tourists were stranded coz they missed the last bus or train at certain smaller towns

JS & Monkey alwiz alwiz alwiz find the most efficient connections between trains to trains or to buses

well even flights so that we dun waste time

our 11.30 bus came early and left on the dot!!!!
very punctual :))))
u need to prepare exact change for the driver
they dun speak english but one can communicate in the international universal language - hand and sign language.....hahahahahahaahahaha


the bus was very clean and comfortable....
even the windows were spotless!!!!!
can't remember the last time I took public bus but this ride was a very comfortable one
they even make us wear seat belts.....no standing up while the bus is moving...
else the driver will stop the bus and come to ur seat until u r buckled up!!!!
Safety is no small matter here >.<

the journey was a pleasant one with beautiful sights along the countryside
weather in Brittany is alwiz like this
over cast sky, gloomy and wet
coz it's near to the sea, to be precise the English Channel

an hour later.....we skipped happily outta the bus and screamed...
"WE ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!"


what a beautiful sight!!!!!
beyond words....
in fact the bus went all the way and stopped us at the foot of this mount
but we walked back towards the mainland to snap more pics

it was very windy, even JS's short hair were flying in flurry

hahahahhaahhahahahahhahahhaa

he couldn't open his eyes

it was indeed very very very windy~~~~~~~

even the seagull can't open her eyes

kekekekekekkeke

and when they fly.....they just flapped their wings....and stay motionless on the air

they dun move.....coz the wind was so strong they had to flapped harder to move

else it's just a stationery flying bird on the air

it was a weird sight hahahahahahahaha

it almost noon and we were hungry

kluuuuu kluuuuuu kluuuuu~~~~~

with only 41 inhabitants on this island

meaning to say only 41 ppl live in this island u can't expect much right?

but wrong.......

there's hotels and restaurants and facilities

we went to the famous La Mere Poulard that specialised in omelette

u must be wondering....wat's so special about it

created by Annette Boutiaut in the late 19th century, this place is also a hotel

she invented this quick egg omelette to satisfy hungry visitors and it became a staple of the restaurant these days

we took some time to watch the process :)))))

hmmm the Chef has got such good complexion

flawless almost like he's wearing makeup with a tint of rose blusher....

:P

see that huge tub over there? 

it's a damn HUGE TUB of BUTTER!!!!

Brittany is also famous for butter

the best butter in the world comes fr here :))))

beautiful fresh eggs were cracked into the copper bowl to be whipped ferociously by the Chef

he used 2 whisks to add more power to his whisking efforts *macam double motor hahahaha*

and whipped in as much air as possible to make them fluffy

it's almost like making egg souffle :))))))

each cast iron pan were dunked with a generous spoonful of butter

then the whipped eggs were poured in...

and cooked in the open wood fire!!!!

wuahahahhaah my stomach(s) were crying in joy!!!!

can't wait to sink my teeth in them :))))

our appetizer of vegetables terrine and tartare
nothing to shout about coz our minds were so locked onto those EGGS!!!!!!

my LOBSTER OMELETTE!!!!!
ohhhhh look at that :)))))
it's fluffy and airy on the inside
while the outside was crusty with some burnt off the cast iron
while the lobster was so fresh and delicious

when u tear them apart....ohhhhh myyyyyy gaawwwddddd

while I was hearing "oooiissshsiiiii des ne" fr the next Japanese table...

u can only hear OMG on my table :P

if I have this for breakfast every morning...

sigh....to die for....totally worth coming here for :P

the omelette has got sufficient seasoning and taste

u can actually smell the eggie goodness innit...

each omelette is served with potatoes bacon casseroles
French prefer to use Staub instead of Le Creuset
I see more of Staub at their departmental store

I'm a slow eater...coz I enjoy my food thoroughly
every morsel every bite
and I'm alwiz appreciative towards invention, creativity, taste and ingredients being put together for any dish


while JS is the total opposite, he eats everything in such lightning speed
so usually he'll spend the rest of his meal time, snapping ugly pics of me chomping food in such unsightly manner -_-

again we were seated next to very important ppl
but don't think they are alive anymore hahahahahhaa
the above autograph was signed in 18th June 1910

the wind was crazily strong outside
while we were in the comfort of a warm room with a nice fireplace
:)))))


there's also an open air terrace/courtyard at the top floor which u can sit
but on that day it was closed due to the weather

JS ordered an apple dessert done 3 way
some apple mousse jelly, apple crumble and baked apple

I had a really yummy gooey chocolate cake :)))

well after all these yummy food we need to burn off all the calories intake

wat's better than to climb up Mount St Michel

:)))))

to be continued tomorrow.....

so do come back to read about it :))))))

Hey take some time and visit their website below

watch the video on the preparation of the omelette....

oh so heavenly :))))

c'est delicieux!!!!

La Mere Poulard

Grand Rue BP 18,

50170 Mount St Michel,

France.

Tel: 02 3389 6868

http://www.merepoulard.com/en