Finders Seekers is a monthly puzzle subscription box for anyone who loves puzzles, escape rooms, Sherlock Holmes, mysteries, or anything requiring a little brainpower. Finders Seekers features a new destination each month, so in addition to the puzzle/escape room experience, you get a mini travel experience, too, exploring a new city and its culture every month.
DEAL: Save $5 on your first box! Use this link and coupon code BRAINQUEST.
FYI – there are SPOILERS in this post!
A thrilling adventure delivered to your door.
Explore world cultures solving puzzles, decoding cryptic messages and discovering underground societies. A new city each month!
As a subscriber (limited numbers can join each month), you are invited to join the Society of Seekers, a group of like-minded puzzle fiends who use their heads and a little bit of internet-search know-how to explore a city and solve a mystery each month. We’re going to FRANCE this month!
Everything that you’ll need to solve the case is inside the box, placed inside a large white envelope! We’re excited to solve this one!
Everything in the box!
Also included in this month’s box is a welcome letter and checklist of every item that should be inside the package, with all the clues you’ll need to solve the mystery. Plus, we now know where to start the journey! In this case, we are summoned to Mont Saint Michel in Normandie France, and visit the site of great historical importance and geographical interest.
The website took us to Mont Saint Michel.
For centuries, the mystical island village of Mont Saint Michel in Normandie, France has been the pinnacle destination for spiritual seekers who journey to the holy site where, according to legend, the archangel Michael (Michel) appeared to the bishop Avranches and instructed him to build a church there. The first monastery began construction in 708 AD while today’s surviving abbey was finished 400 years later. Since its early days, the island has always welcomed travelers and thrived as a tourist trap even in the dark ages.
The Society of Seekers has been invited to Mont Saint Michel to solve a series of puzzles at 10 different sites on the island. At each location, you’ll earn an ancient vial containing mysterious elements. Once you have all 10 vials, you’ll need to unlock their secrets to finish the ‘Find’.
At the bottom of the welcome page is another picturesque image of the place, at night! To finally start with the journey, Is clicked the “Get Started” button.
Then, it took us to the first location, the Road to Mont St. Michel.
The road leading up to the island of Mont Saint Michel wasn’t built until 1879. Before then, pilgrims had to risk the tide changes and quick sand surrounding the island. Even today, there are times at which the island is only accessible by boat when the tide rises and nearby rivers overflow during the rainy season.
In the first puzzle, we need to decipher the code using the curious characters drawn in the sand which can be found in the next image.
Image Of Sand With Shapes. This is the accompanying image that can be used for the first puzzle. It contains what seems like random shapes or even letters.
As always, each puzzle that you will be able to solve will lead you to another until you solve everything. For this box, after solving a puzzle, you will be given an ancient vial. Once you have collected all 10 vials, you’ll be able to complete the “Find.”
Here are more clues to keep us going (along with the website!):
Menu From Mère Poulardś. The next puzzle involves Mére Poulard’s cafe, the first place you’ll see as you enter the island. Since the year 1888, chefs in here perform their rhythmic whisking to create signature fluffy and delicious omelettes, paired with grilled lobsters and truffles. This menu will serve as the clue or key to the next vial.
Parish Church Puzzle. The third puzzle involves the small church that was built in the 11th century and dedicated to St. Peter, or in their place, known as St. Pierre. Inside the church, the visitors are invited to light candles for deceased loved ones and meditate in relative solitude. I will make sure to visit this place when I go there and see the sculpture of St. Michael slaying a dragon.
The third puzzle will require the use of this image of 3 paintings on the wall, and these paintings will reveal a code that will earn us the next vial.
Souvenir Sachet. If you’re looking for items and stuff that you can take home from this beautiful place, you can visit the Grande Rue, or the main street of Mont St. Michel that will lead to the Abbey, which is lined with souvenir shops that sell cheap stuff.
Here’s a souvenir sachet from one of the stores along the Abbey. It is printed with the place’s name, and an image of the island as well.
What’s inside looks like a pack of rice grains with the hulls still on. For this puzzle, we need to decipher the secret code and gain our next vial.
6 Recipe Cards. The next puzzle gave use for the 6 recipe cards for crêpes. Crêpes are Norman specialties that are served in a variety of flavors, and you can get them sweet or savory. The recipe card calls for a butter caramel crêpe. To gain the next vial, we need to decipher another cryptic message that can be found in the cards.
Crypt Maze. One of the puzzles included the Crypt of Mont St. Michel.
One level below the chapel is the Abbey’s crypt. It’s dark and musty chambers were used for various operations of the church, but likely never functioned as public worship space. Unlike many other crypts in France, Mont Saint Michel’s crypt has never served as a burial space. The winding rooms are connected by beautiful vaulted pathways that are dimly lit by an occasional sliver of sunlight.
Solving the crypt maze to reveal the passcode will earn us the next vial.
Illuminated Manuscript Page. This manuscript page can be used fo the Salle des Hôtes puzzle. Salle des Hôtes, or the Guest Hall, is an area that hosted high ranking visitors of Mont Saint Michel. It includes indoor latrines, a full-service kitchen, grand fireplaces, and all the modern facilities at that time.
To earn the next vial, we need to decipher yet another passphrase that is hidden in the manuscript.
Monk Dormitory Puzzle. Up to this day, Mont Saint Michel is still an active monastery, housing a small group of monks who have dedicated their lives to service and contemplation.
To earn the next vial, we need to solve the puzzle by connecting the words between each pair of words provided, and after determining them all, we need to unscramble the red-underlined letters to discover the password.
Cloister Puzzle. The Cloister is the pinnacle of Mont Saint Michel. Here, both monks and visitors can sit and contemplate the natural and spiritual worlds since it provides a link to both. There’s also a garden at the center of the place that is taken care of by the monks and vegetables are grown for food. Around the garden, there are pathways lined with arcades of columns.
The Cloister puzzle involves a piece of paper with a sketch of the arcades along with what looks like random lines. To earn the final vial, a passphrase must be deciphered from this piece.
Piece Of Paper With Stars On It. Another piece of paper includes a single arcade and some lines with connecting stars. I bet this one is still a part of the last puzzle for the last vial.
Search engines can help you a lot with unlocking some puzzles, and if you really had a hard time solving one puzzle, you can consult the Facebook fan page for hints. Don’t worry, there are just hints and there are almost no spoilers so you’ll still feel the thrill fully!
After completing the 9 vials and solving the last puzzle, it lead us to this page. There’s one more thing to do, get the prize! By clicking “Enter To Win Prizes,” you can get your price by providing information on the form.
This puzzle is really fun, we definitely enjoyed it a lot! France has a lot of amazing places where you can visit and learn more about history! This case introduced us to Mont Saint Michel. The puzzles have varying levels of difficulty which make them a nice mind exercise. The challenges and puzzles are amazing and the props are great! If ever we find ourselves stuck on some parts, there’s always the Facebook Group to help us with the puzzles. We all can’t wait for the next adventure!
Did you solve the mystery? How long did it take you? Let us know in the comments below!
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