Mont-Saint-Michel and au revoir from Normandy <3

The first time I saw a photo of Mont Sainte Michel, it was illuminated at dusk surrounded by an etherial body of water. The photographer had captured what seemed to be a real life sand castle and I was immediately certain that this was one of my top picks of places to see in Normandy. 

Unlike that image, the day we visited it was drizzling rain.

I was not disappointed in the least. 

Rather than a castle, we discovered the island has many surprises. While it can be an island at certain times, with a 50 foot variant between high and low tide, it is sometimes possible to walk to it and sometimes not. And the tide comes quickly. Also, the conditions of the sand include places of quicksand. 

We were surprised to see large groups gathered out in places and learned that local guides are necessary for such an excursion. They know the places where one should not step and they are knowledgable about the times of the tides as these rise quickly and can be deadly for the ignorant. 

In the 11th century, a priest received a vision that he first ignored and then followed, to build a chapel on this somewhat finicky island. He eventually did build a chapel which became a place of pilgrimage. From that grew an abbey, a monastery for Benedictine monks who cloister, and multiple layers built ever skyward on top of the original chapel. A medieval town grew at its base. There have been multiple additions to the abbey and monastery, but the streets of the village seem to be held in time.

To support the village on the island, canals were built to divert water away and provide farms and pastures to support the life of the island. It has been a prison, was used as a lookout point for the Atlantic Wall and was a major attraction for German tourists and soldiers.

It even served as inspiration for the set of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings.

Walking the streets, you would think not much has changed. We did learn that much of the grandeur of the abbey church and rooms where nobles gathered to eat and fellowship when on pilgrimage has been removed over the years. 

Interestingly, the engravings of individual brick and stone workers have lasted through time and you can still see their mark made to assure they were paid for the number of stones they laid.

Beaches of Normandy arranged a two hour tour which involved many steps, but these are spread out and very doable. We saw everything, learned so much and were blessed to be in the nave as the nuns and monks (no longer of the Benedictine order) gathered behind a low wall to begin their noon mass. 

We got to hear them sing. I recorded a snippet on a video I took as we moved out per request. It was so precious. Truly a gift from God in  His timing for us to be passing through. If you ever go, I do recommend hiring a guide. You would miss so much without that. I couldn’t imagine how we would be spending two hours and was so disappointed when she showed us that we were at the two possible exits that would take us back to the village below. 

The rain was picking up as we made our way back down. We got a sandwich and ate under the shelter of the church the citizens would use for worship.

Russ is standing with one of our new friends from the tour and Joan of Arc.

The birds evidentially are used to the flow of croissants from the over 3 million tourists who visit these narrow streets annually. This includes school field trips. Can you imagine? Your school field trip being Mont Saint Michel????

There are shuttles for the parking lot that is on the land. We stood in rain and marveled at our last glimpse of this incredible space that is home to only thirty residents today.

Our tour guide explained that when you look at the Abbey from afar, you can see the order established 

God at the top over all – the abbey and church are at the topmost place

Nobility – the rooms for visiting nobility are beneath the abbey and church

Common people – all around the base of it are where the citizens lived and worked 

We rode home, tired and happy and grateful to be in a dry and warm bus. That night we gathered for our last time together and enjoyed fellowship and stories shared and a last dinner in the wonderful dining room. 

The next morning we loaded the bus for the last time to head to Charles de Gaulle airport. Many had flights out that day, a few were staying in Paris and we had an airport hotel for the night to catch our morning flight 

As the bus left turned into the fields surrounding the grounds, someone called out – a rainbow. 

Sure enough, there was a full expression of God’s love for us all to see. Our host Severine said Normandy was bidding us au revoir. And then she said that it means – Goodbye, until we meet again, so she was expecting a return visit from all of us.

So sweet <3