"Are you ready to see the castle island?!"

Sunday was another day of travel, this one bringing us back to France finally. It also brought a day of high winds, making the already flight anxious me go crazy on our flight into Nantes. Seriously folks, that flight was TURBULENT, even Katie said so after the fact.* We arrived Sunday night, grabbing dinner at a local brasserie, which may have been the best burger I have had since coming here. Alright France, you got something right.

The following day we decided to explore Nantes. Honestly, when I booked this trip I picked Nantes because it was the cheapest option to fly into and still reach Mont St. Michel. After spending the day exploring, I couldn’t help but liking the city the more I saw of it. It was quite small but still had copious amounts of shops and restaurants, as well as La Loire running along one of its main streets. The architecture and lay-out of the city reminded me of Paris (which makes sense as Wendy Anne told us that the designer of Paris also designed Nantes). Quite fun to walk around and get a little lost in.

At one point, we turned a corner and saw a massive cathedral. We took ourselves inside Cathedrale de Saint Pierre and we enthralled by the massive height of the sanctuary. One could find chapel after chapel, filled with paintings and sculptures. The sheer beauty and feeling of peace within this building truly moved me, drawing me to sit down at one point and be drawn into prayer. It was a great find that we just happened to run into while wandering, or maybe something drew us there.

Later that evening, we took the bateau bus across La Loire to the Ile de Nantes. It was like we had entered a different city entirely. The architecture reminded me a little of Provence, and everything was incredibly residential. You even found palm trees – I don’t know how they survive in the cold weather of the North of France, but hey, they were there!

Waking up early Tuesday morning, we took a train and bus to Mont St Michel. As the day before had been mixed with sun, rain and cold winds, Tuesday started out more promising with a clear blue sky that warmed all of us waiting outside. Upon arriving at the Mont, I was awestruck by its size. Maybe that is in relation to everything around it, as there was just sand around it due to the season.** But besides that, it was amazing to see it just as I imagined, looking exactly like a castle island.

After taking a few obligatory photos, the sky opened up and decided to pour on us. And blow us around with freezing cold wind. By the time we ran into the Mont, we were frozen to the bone. However, one nice thing about the Mont is that there is only one way up to the Abbaye – down one main alley-road. I am calling it an alley-road because it obviously is a main street, filled with shops, restaurants and museums, but it is about the width of 5 feet across, leaving one to squeeze in between other tourists trying to make their way. Needless to say, we warmed up pretty fast.

Once getting to the top of the Mont, we explored the grand Abbaye du Mont St Michel. It was wonderful to wander around this old abbey, exploring the copious amount of rooms, again imagining what people did when they lived there. It is amazing that this whole island is basically just the abbey, with one little road attached to it – quite a quaint place to visit. And another great thing? As we visited the abbey, the sun started to peak through the clouds, making it a beautiful day once again.

After enjoying some lunch and souvenir shopping, we headed back to Nantes. We decided to stop at Lieu Unique for a nice last dinner in Nantes. Lieu Unique*** is one of the biggest attractions to see in Nantes – it boasts a restaurant, bar, theatre, art and much more. It even has a tower you can climb to see a wonderful view of the city. As we got there too late, we couldn’t climb the tower. But I had some awesome canard instead!

Wednesday was a day full of travel to return back to Apt, including a bus, flight, bus, train and another bus to reach home. It may sound like a lot, and trust me it is, but somehow I didn’t mind it too much. I just know that when I stepped back into the apartment in Apt, I felt an overwhelming sense of home, which I haven’t felt in a very long time. Sitting in the kitchen, eating an amazing pizza from Pizz’Eric (the cart that sits outside our school), and reflecting on my trip made me realize something that I take for granted quite often: I am extremely blessed to be here.

*Also, note with this trip I completed 4 flights, 4 train rides, and copious amounts of bus rides/shuttles. I’d say my anxiety has gotten better, as I am not nearly freaking out as much as I used to. Hooray!

**In some seasons, you will find the Mont completely surrounded by raging water from La Manche.

***Lieu Unique can be shortened to LU, which is a popular cookie making company here in France. Nantes is the birthplace of LU, so they are very proud of the delicious butter cookies they produce.