May 22, 2024

Mont-Saint-Michel is a small island located approximately a half mile off the NW coast of France in the Normandy region. At just 17 acres, it is home to a Benedictine Abbey with a current population that varies from 29-50 inhabitants. Last year they celebrated the 1000 year anniversary and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Known as a popular pilgrimage site, every year the faithful make the trip to petition favor with Saint Michael. Some choose to walk the entire distance, including the last half mile which, depending upon the tides, may or may not be underwater. When it is low tide, the island can be reached on foot, however, there are pockets of quicksand which must be avoided.

Read more: Mont-Saint-Michel: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and Pilgrimage Destination

The much preferred (and safer route), involves driving or taking a bus to a parking area 1.5 miles from the island and then taking a shuttle tram which takes about 12 minutes, or walk 40-50 minutes along a path.

Since we were with our tour group, we arrived by bus, then walked a short distance to catch the shuttle. Normally there is only an average of a ten minute wait in line to get on the frequent shuttle, but instead our fabulous guide, Ana, told us to all take a deep breath as she informed us that the line was not moving due to a safety/security drill being performed in preparation for the Olympic torch arriving. We patiently waited an hour or so, visited with other tour members, then eventually it opened again and we were on our way.

There is still a short walk from there along a raised bridge to reach the Abbey. But what stunning views as you approach!

The lower part of the island contains a variety of shops, including bakeries, cafes, a post office, as well as places to buy souvenirs. Ana recommended we try the mussels for lunch if time allowed.

There is no charge to wander this lower section, however tickets are required if you want to visit the Abbey itself. And I highly recommend that you do. There are a lot of steps involved, but you can take tour time and move at your own pace. To make the circle loop, (up, through the abbey sections and back down) takes most about an hour. We however spent two hours in the Abbey, enjoyed the views and of course took many pictures.

The chapel and cloisters area were both interesting. Our timing was perfect in that we got to listen to several nuns singing during a service. The sound of their beautiful voices was amplified in the space and made for a special moment.

Chapel:

Cloisters area:

There are so many wonderful places to take pictures that I was having a field day. Below is just a sample of more random shots we took throughout our visit. Thank you Brenda for sharing yours here as well:

By the time we completed our loop, we had less than an hour before we needed to meet back with our group. A quick lunch of crepes, or sandwiches was our best option.

Once back on the bus, we had a relaxing four hour bus ride to reach our next overnight in the town of Tours (which means towers in French).

We are staying at the Hilton for two nights.

We had an included group dinner this evening at a local restaurant, a 10 minute walk from the hotel. It is a set menu. The appetizer does not look very exciting, but was actually delicious. It was two poached eggs in a tasty sauce. The entree was pork, a cream sauce and potatoes. Dessert and wine were included.

Right outside the restaurant is this stunning building. Formerly the Hotel de Ville, it currently is Tours Town Hall.

After several nights with limited sleep, I gave myself a break and went to sleep without doing my blog post. I have been struggling on this trip to get them done and so unhappy with the results. My normal routine when we travel is to bring along my laptop. It is heavier, so this time I chose to only bring my iPad. The formatting and input is just different enough that it is taking me longer and the results less than ideal. So, my apologies that my posts are different, not as detailed as normal, and frankly odd. I took the following day to work on learning the new format, as well as allowing Tim to recover from an upper respiratory bug of some kind.

GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful that we got to check another item off of my “wish list”. Mont-Saint-Michel has been a place I have wanted to see for years, and I was not disappointed. I hope that my pictures will give you some sense of the raw beauty of the area, the size and age. As a 1000 year old fortress, one can easily imagine ancient battle scenes.

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