Mont St Michel

Today (Monday) we are taking a road trip to see Mont St Michel. This is an island commune located about 1 Km off the coast of France. There has been a monastery here since the 708 and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, having been a French historic site since 1874. People have been making pilgrimages here since 10th century and it is the start of the famous pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, that runs from here to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a distance of about 1400 KM.

This is the type of street and roadway we like to travel on, getting close and personal to the communities we are travelling through. The morning drive was a bit hazy with the promise of sunny skies to come.

The traffic can get heavy at times!

Note the street light below - there is not a light on the opposite side of the street and there is a small set of lights low down on the post so they are

visible by the driver

We stopped in Vire for a bite to eat. We sat in this little square in front of a 13th century gate and clock tower, once part of greater structure. Very inviting with benches and tables and chairs. We were shooed away just as we finished because the chairs and tables were the property of a coffee shop nearby and we had not purchased our coffee or food from them. Whoops! Pardonnez moi!

We have seen several church spires in Normandy that have this cloche shaped top instead of the usual squared and pointed top. I am not sure why.

Also saw this church with a wooden spire usually they are stone

Now, that is out of the way and we continue on our journey. This was our first view of Mont St Michel and we are still 7 KM away. Mighty impressive looking, wouldn't you say?

A little closer now, but still 2 KM away - luckily there was a shuttle bus that brought us closer to the entrance. Our objective is to make it to the top of the structure to the building to the left of the bell tower. It is all up hill needless to say with no elevators - it is going to be a test of my stamina, to say the least.

Off the shuttle bus now, still aways to go before we get there

My, it is big

This is taken from down below, on full zoom and STILL the people look small!

So we started our trek - the first part was a steady uphill climb on a circular incline that started at the entrance and made it's way around to the back side of the Mont. The street was narrow and packed with people, some coming down, some going up. There were tour groups, which I have a bit of a hate for, because they all travel in these pacts of 20 to 40 people, that seems to have little or no consideration for anyone around them And, there are certain nationalities, who shall remain nameless, who are particularly ignorant of others around them. If we see them we try to outflank them and get ahead.

Finally, 5 days, and we finally made it to our first church. By most standards this is a very small and plain structure, but is was built for and by monks who chose to follow a simple life.

According to legend,the archangel Michael appeared in 708 to Aubert of Avranches, the bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.

Message received and understood - The church was built soon after!

St. Michael the Archangel, also appeared to St. Joan of Arc calling her to save the homeland from the English invaders, thus she has a place of prominence outside the church.

Now on to the Abbey up the Grand Rue - this is the first part.......

.......here's the second

I stopped counting steps at 74 and hadn't reached the top yet!!

Look up, look way up, I think I see Rusty! (remember the Friendly Giant)

We are almost there - the view is magnificent from here -

well worth the trek, I'd say

We started out way down there - see the bus on the causeway,

just this side of the curve?

Tide's out

Mont St Michel in the 8th century

Mont St Michel in the 11th and 12th century

Mont St Michel in the 17th and 18th century

Mont St Michel today

Finally we reached the Abbey

There were numbers carved in several of the blocks on this terrace but I can not seem to find out why they are there - this was a prison at one time in its long history (Victor Hugo who wrote Les Miserables - or Jean Valjean as I knew it in highschool - was once a prisoner here) - maybe it has something to do with that??