Day Three- Mont St. Michel

Mont St. Michel, among the top four pilgrimage sites in Christendom through the ages, floats like a mirage on the horizon. It sits in the middle of a vast mudflat, connected to dry land by a two-mile causeway. Today, 3.5 million visitors- far more tourists than pilgrims- flood the single street of the tiny island each year.



Upon arrival, visitors must read the signs carefully in the parking lots. They outline when the tides are high, which means that they cover the parking lot...where your car is parked. It is a bit problematic and frightening. From our room we could see our car and I must say that we did check in on it a few times. There are many stories of cars getting swamped by the tides. If you squint, you can see our car below.

The one street on the island is made up of half-timbered buildings, cute signs, touristy stores, over-priced restaurants, and over-priced hotels. From 10am-4pm the island is flooded with bus loads of tourists but at 4pm sharp, they mostly leave. At that point, the island was all ours and I must say it was a very special experience to watch the sun set over the mud flats. The island is lit up at night and quite beautiful and we were free to quietly stroll around the island in peace and quiet.

You can hike all around the ramparts of the island and from those points, have beautiful views of the mud flats. Apparently when the tide does come in or out, it moves at the pace of a galloping horse. So you are warned not to hike too far out into the mud flats and to know for sure when the tide is coming in.

Here's a shot from our terrace off of our room.

This picture is from the abbey, perched on the top of the island. We took a tour in the morning and it was really magnificent. Apparently Mont. St. Michel has been an important pilgrimage center since A.D. 708, when the bishop of Avranches heard the voice of Archangel Michael saying, "Build here and build high" and "if you build it, they will come".

Today's abbey is built on the ruins of the previous versions. There is a church, cloisters, a refectory, a guest hall, and the list goes on. The tour takes you through many floors, tunnels, hallways and the like. In the end you can't help but marvel about what wonderful architects and masons these medieval craftsmen were.



And here is Michael the Archangel himself, sending us off at the end of the tour.

Here's another lesser island on our drive to Brittany after a wonderful stay at Mont St. Michel.