Saint-Malo, France

Up in the North-West of France, in the Province of Brittany, we found this awesome coastal city. Fortresses, stone walls, beaches as far as the eye can see, beautiful homes, all the boats and even a few casinos - this place has it all. This is where we spent the first day of 2017!

Just over an hour drive North of Rennes is the fortress city of Saint-Malo. Known as the "walled city', its origins date back to the 1st Century B.C. with cathedrals and chateaus dating back many centuries.

Saint-Malo Tourism!

Mont Saint-Michel, France

"A magical island topped by a gravity-defying medieval monastery/ For centuries, the dreamscape of gothic Mont Saint-Michel has lifted the spirits of visitors."

Europe and castles - we've all seen those incredible pictures on Instagram or heard about the amazing stories in history and the castles that just always seem to be in the background. Well, with Alex in Rennes for a study abroad semester, we found ourselves in some pretty unreal settings.

Exhibit A: Mont Saint-Michel.

We drove north (just over an hour by car) from the provincial (Brittany) capital city of Rennes through some dreary fog and into the farmlands of France. If you're ever in the country you'll notice a lot of the dairy products (milk, eggs, cheese) will have the Bretagne (Brittany) mark on them. This meant some lush fields, lots of animals in the pasture and some beautiful old farmhouses - you wouldn't have to twist an arm or a leg to convince me to live in one.

Torbay Point, Newfoundland & Labrador

It's been a while since the last post but don't worry, we've been busy exploring and taking pictures! One of our favourite, shorter hikes, is definitely a close-to-home portion of the East Coast Trail (ECT) called Torbay Point which is actually only a section of the Cobbler's Path segment. 

In total, Cobbler's Path is 8.2km and suggested time is 3-4 hours. For this smaller section it is only about 15-30 mins depending on your pace from parking on a local road to the beautiful, scenic point. The trail first takes you through the woods all the while heading toward the ocean and this long, narrow jutting bit of land - stairs included.