Mont Saint Michel, Normandy

" Build it and they will come"

The last two days of May and we're off for a bit of country scenery. We rented a car in Paris and drove 4 hours through the fertile rolling farmlands of Normandy to Mont St. Michel.

Other than the Eiffel, this is probably the next most iconic symbol of France. Set on the islet mud flats on a rock between Brittany and Normandy, this ancient abbey was started back in the 8th century and the additions just kept going through the centuries.

According to legend, it was the Archangel Michael that appeared to the Bishop of Avranches ( a town we passed thru ) in 708. The Bishop apparently kept ignoring the angel's instructions until St. Michel burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger. So now, the world is visiting this reknowned Abbey and it appears to us that the adage "if you build it ..they will come" must have originated here (not "Field of Dreams" per popculture)..over 3.5 million people come to the island every year and only 30 villagers live full time on the Abbey solely for the visitors.

                              Here is our first sighting of the abbey on the drive in - taken just off the road...the weather was very cloudy then and still drizzling

             After we checked in and started a trek to MSM on foot, the sky fortunately started to clear

                     

                           

    Mme Poulard's restaurant - we did not try this at the abbey as we wanted to go back to dine at Relais MSM since you can see the abbey at a distance when the lights come up at 10pm

                   Walking on the mud flats - the tides were quite low as it is not the time of full/new moon

                                           Night scene from our hotel Le Relais Mont St. Michel

                                                  Found the smallest alley way of the Abbey

                                                        Fish soup with cheese - sooo good!!

                                  MSM village specialty is their fluffy omelets & salt marsh raised lambs

  Some more pics as we spent the next morning revisiting the abbey before tourist buses arrive at noon

                                         Free tram shuttles visitors continuously from the causeway

           Touring the Abbey was like being transported back to medieval times - I almost expected to see Sir Lancelot swoop down with his sword  from atop the massive fortress walls

                                            The peaceful monks' cloisters

                                           The  two openings by the two guys are the stoves

                                                         Statute of Saint Michel slaying the dragon.