Day 1
Woke up extra early today just before the sunrise and made my way to Gare Du Nord station to catch my train to Mont Saint Michel. I was able to grab some breakfast and got on the train just in time. It was an opportunity to just relax and unwind after days of walking around. It was a very long ride taking more than 3 hours. It fell asleep for a bit and woke up to the sunrise before drifting back to sleep. I ate my breakfast and watched as the scenery of Paris switched to the French countryside. The weather was cloudy and rainy even, I was a dreading it a bit the day before but turns out the weather added a lot of drama to my shots and I learned to embrace it instead of working against it.
After arriving at the station, we got on a tram that took us all the way to Mont Saint Michel. The views were absolutely stunning. There were some Japanese girls on the bus seated in front of me, and I switched seats with another person so they could all sit together. Mont Saint Michel loomed larger and larger until we were dropped off a few meters away from it. Instead of going straight it, I went around the castle instead, it was low tide and its surroundings were just barren land whereas it would otherwise be surrounded by water. The backside of the castle provided amazing shot opportunities as well, it was my first time incorporating strangers to my shots. The landscape shots were particularly amazing because of the cloudy rainy weather.
I soon went through the gates of Mont Saint Michel, there were some people but I could imagine what this place must have been like during peak periods of tourism. I counted myself lucky as I walked the cobblestone road that soon split into several more possible paths. It was fun to explore and get lost, taking in such a unique atmosphere. The road goes up and they eventually lead to the Abbey. I wanted to take a peek but it unfortunately cost money to go in so I opted to just explore the castle grounds some more. I was able to circle around a lot of places and even saw some chickens in a nearby garden. Soon, the rain started to pour and I took refuge in one of the watch towers by the ramparts with some other people. It was tranquil, the sky was dark and the rain was pouring, nary a soul in sight. I stayed here for a long time before deciding to try to get some more shots when the rain stopped only to end up in the same place as the rain got stronger again. I dropped by an empty restaurant and got a snack and sat by the window at the back part. I took the tourist route backdown and I was able to get a stuffed bunny for Janelle. One of the shop owners was surprisingly Japanese so we talked for a bit. I walked around some more, getting some really nice shots of the moody atmosphere. After a couple of hours, I realized I should also get an early dinner as I would be getting home very late. I got an overpriced sandwich combo before going out back to the castle grounds. The weather provided better quality shots and I was able to find an excellent shot with a crevice for the foreground that led to Mont Saint Michel. It was quite chilly with the wind but it still felt pretty good, I waited for the tram to take us back to the station and I was dropped off somewhere near the visitor center instead. I asked for directions and realized the bus was still coming at a much later time, so I walked around town seeing that there were a lot of odd painted cow statues. I ended up in a giant souvenir shop. It was empty at that time as well but they had a lot of amazing objects about Mont Saint Michel. I waited for the bus for an hour or so and was now on my way to the train station. From there, it was pretty smooth sailing and I finally got to my train going back to Paris. There was a lady on the platform that seemed to be in trouble as there was no way for her to get anywhere from where she was. The train ride back was definitely tiring, I was able to rest again while reviewing the photos I took for the day. After arriving, I took another bus back to my hostel and slept like a baby.Read more
