103. Mont St-Michel

Where: Haute-Normandie, France
When: July 18, 2013
With: Dave and the family

While our tour of Normandy was very focused on recent events within the last century, the region has played an important role for thousands of years. As the birth place of William the Conqueror (future king of England) and a major settlement for the Romans, there is history everywhere you turn in this province. And one of its most notable sites for the last few hundred years has been the famous island on the sea, Mont St-Michel.

Sitting on the coastline (just opposite the English Channel from its sister island, St. Michael's Mount), this monastery turned village has been around since the 700s. After a bishop reported seeing St. Michael on this spot, he decided to build a monastery in his name. The village then grew up around it, and now it is considered one of the most visited sites in France.

Similar to St. Michael's Mount, the tides around this island are intense, changing up to 50 feet between high and low. However, the tide change here is far more intense than the English one, with the rolling waters equated to "galloping horses" charging in at up to 12mph. A causeway was built to allow people to cross from the mainland, even in the high tides. However, nowadays, the causeway has caused (no pun intended) a sand build-up that over time has kept the water out to sea more often than not. This makes it less and less an island, and more and more a structure on the beach. A project is underway to destroy the current causeway and build a bridge which would allow the waters to do their thing the way they did back in the day. 

The village around the base of the mount maintains its medieval charm, despite the overabundance of tourists and shops. Small cobblestone streets wind up the mountain all the way to the top.  Wherever you go, the monastery looms over you. 

One item in the town that gets a lot of attention is the omelette. Made from a special recipe, they tend to be fluffier than a regular omelette. La Mere Poulard is the most famous, though their omelettes cost EUR 30! We tried a much less expensive version, but it ended up being terrible. Not sure if it was the restaurant or the recipe, but very glad we didn't splurge for that!

At the top of the main street is the entrance to the monastery. As if you didn't already climb enough, many, many more stairs await you. But as Dave says, oh well!

The monastery was very well-preserved and gave great views of the surrounding terrain. 

 One part of the courtyard was burnt down years ago, revealing small numbers carved into the exposed stones. These numbers are a rare sight as they indicate how much each brick cost to purchase. 

The cloisters had a beautiful setting, in the center of the abbey with the tall spire sat behind them. 

Throughout our tour of the abbey, Professor Dave taught us the history of each room. His students had varying levels of interest. I'm being scolded at this moment for taking photos instead of joining the class.

This was the dining room, where the monks would eat and sing prayers. The acoustics were greats for monk chanting. 

This famous relief depicts Saint Michael appearing and telling the bishop to build the monastery, a sort of medieval "if you build it, they will come." FACT.

Next was the main greeting hall of the monks when they were entertaining their most fancy of patrons. Large fireplaces lined the room that was once decorated extremely lavishly. 

It was a long way down to the bottom, but using this wheel, the monks were able to  transport the necessary goods up the mount. 

Paying homage to the room where the monks would draw/color/paint their scriptures were dangling calligraphy letters. 

On the other side of the structure, the defence fortifications were very apparent. 

A lovely place to explore, though I think I'd prefer St. Michael's Mount. At least now I can say I've been to both of Saint Michael's creations.