Last night we stayed overnight on Mont Saint Michel. We had been reading about how crowded the Mont is during the day, and how quiet and peaceful it is overnight. Seemed that the best way to see Mont Saint Michel was to arrive at the end of the day, stay overnight and leave the next morning when the tour buses began arriving.
With this plan we set off from Saint Malo in the afternoon and arrived at Mont Saint Michel around 4.30pm. There's a special overnight car park on a causeway at the foot of the rock. The regular day time car parking areas completely flood when the Normandy tide comes rushing in. So with Cecile safely parked on higher ground, we entered Mont Saint Michel
against the tide of visitors leaving for the day. We had no trouble finding the Auberge we had booked as there is really just one street on Mont Saint Michel - Grande Rue. It curls it's way up, up, up and around one side of the island, and is lined with 15th and 16th century shops, cafes, restaurants and galleries.
It really is the only way to see the Mont; by 7pm the Grande Rue was all but deserted. From the walls we watched the tide race in "like galloping horses", and from a romantic French restaurant overlooking the ramparts and the Bay we saw the sun go down and the sky turn pink.
With the day tourists departed you seemingly have Mont Saint Michel to yourselves for the evening and early morning. After dinner it was enchanting to walk all over the Mont, up the crooked stairs and around the winding alleyways. There are little gardens and old cemeteries, carved stone and ironwork. To see all of this and the beautifully lit Abbey in the moonlight was unforgettable!
We woke early to the Abbey bells and went out to walk around this beautiful masterpiece again. We were waiting at the great Abbey doors when they opened at 9am. The Abbey is a marvel of rooms, and again to see it with just a few other early birds was wonderful. It is no wonder that the French adore this place, it holds great national significance for them as over the centuries of its existence it was never taken by the English.
When we had finished at the Abbey we packed up our room on the Mont and walked back down Grande Rue against the incoming tide.....of tourists!
It was time to leave France and make our way.....home.
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| Even approaching Mont Saint Michel is spectacular |
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| From the ramparts - watching the tide rush in |
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The tide just about to cut off access and make
Mont Saint Michel an island again |
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Watching the chefs prepare the famous La Mere Poulard
Normandy omelet. It's nice of them to have the kitchen on
view so people can pop in a have a (free) look at the preparation
and open-fire cooking of these 30 euro omeletes! |
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| A lovely birthday dinner here |
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| Magnificent by day... |
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| ... enchanting by night |
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| the Abbey |
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| the Abbey cloisters |
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| it's simply magnificent! |
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