My long-awaited visit to Mont-St.-Michel (photo by Kelly)
This was day with some surprises... one a disappointment, the other an unexpected delight.
I’ve wanted to visit Mont-St.-Michel since I was Kelly’s age, first seeing pictures of this magical island when I studied French in the 7th grade. In July 2004 we had visited St. Michael’s Mount, a sister abbey and island off the coast of Cornwall in England. Now we found ourselves two-and-a-half hours from Mont St. Michel… a very long day trip, but still possible. It was overcast on Wednesday morning and not a good day to go. It was still a bit overcast this morning, and since this was our last opportunity, we decided to make the trip.
We set off about 8:30 am, joining the steady stream of pilgrims who have traveled to Mont-St.-Michel for 1300 years. Our route was mostly on the autoroute, passing through Caen and then southwest toward the coast… almost to the border of Brittany. We chose an indirect approach to the island, detouring off the main road to circle around a few small villages and take a dirt road out through the salt marshes, past flocks of grazing sheep, and finally to a dead end at a sandy beach. And it was there that we had our first view of Mont-St.-Michel, sitting out in a huge sea of sand, the abbey spire rising high into the sky. From that vantage point, we understood why Mont-St.-Michel is considered one of the “marvels of the Western World.” The island is 984 yards around and 262 feet high, crowned by a large and distinctive abbey dating as far back as the 11th century.
We had lunch before we reached the island, a very good decision, as we found later. We ate at a simple creperie in the village of Beauvoir… one of the cheapest sit-down meals we’ve had in France… 33 euros including wine. We each had a galette—a local specialty of buckwheat pancakes with various savory fillings. I had fromage and champignons… cheese and mushrooms. To finish, we each had a sweet dessert crepe.
The day was still very overcast. We joined the line of cars and tour buses, headed to Mont-St.-Michel, two kilometers straight ahead of us, at the end of a causeway built in 1877. We walked out onto the sand to take photos in front of the island. In an awful moment for me, my camera battery ran out, leaving me dependent on Kelly for any photos. (Lesson learned: ALWAYS recharge the camera battery the night before a significant event!)
Once on the island, we didn’t have a very good experience—okay, I’ll admit that it was a big disappointment. We were caught up in a surging press of people making their way up toward the abbey, everyone jammed into a very narrow and steep street lined with tourist shops and expensive eating places. I know the street was lined with beautiful historic buildings, but it was way too crowded to appreciate the architecture… to appreciate anything but the displays of postcards. It reminded me of the scene last summer at the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa when we went to see the Leaning Tower, though it was much more frustrating at Mont-St.-Michel since all the tourists are jammed into a sort of a slanted funnel on the steep and very narrow street. We hadn’t expected the island to be so crowded and so commercial. It was a very different experience than our quiet day at St. Michaels Mount in Cornwall.
We finally reached the top of the island and the famous abbey, panting from the exertion of the climb, the summer heat, and the push against the crowd. Charley decided he didn’t want to tour the abbey, but Kelly and I continued on up a steep flight of stairs only to find a very long line at the ticket counter and then another long line waiting for tours. I was also anxious about a sign I’d seen at the bottom of the street about high tide at 2:30 pm. Kelly and I decided to pass on the tour of the abbey after all. I didn’t want to return to the parking lot to find our car floating out to sea. Perhaps I’ll come back for the abbey tour some day, I’m not sure. If we do come, it seems the best approach would be to arrive late in the afternoon when most of the tourists are gone and spend the night. But at least today I fulfilled my dream of seeing Mont- St.-Michel.
We managed to find our way down the island on a series of side passages, undiscovered by other tourists, perhaps because there weren’t any shops. The Green Guide says that 72 people live on Mont-St.-Michel. Kelly said we had found the residential district.. We did have to eventually detour back to the tourist-shop street, since Kelly was determined to get a souvenir and we at least needed a couple of postcards to prove we were here. I did buy myself a Mont-St.-Michel poster for my office… very much like the one I had admired in my 7th grade French classroom.
And our car was still safely on dry ground in the parking lot, not in any danger from high tides today. It seems that the highest tides-- sometimes up to 40 feet and moving 15 miles an hour-- happen just a few times each spring.
And so after just an hour on Mont-St.-Michel, we began our long drive back to Honfleur. About halfway down the autoroute, I spotted the sign for Bayeux, about 30 minutes off the highway and quickly consulted my Green Guide for the closing time of the Bayeux Tapestry museum. Our timing was perfect.
“Turn off right now!” I shouted to Charley, as we were about to miss our opportunity for the exit. “Let’s go to Bayeux!”
Our spontaneous detour to Bayeux totally redeemed our day, and I wish we had more time to spend there. We arrived late in the afternoon, when there wasn’t a single tour bus in the parking lot. We didn’t have to wait in any lines and had plenty of time to see the Bayeux tapestry and then to visit the nearby cathedral, part of which dates back to 1077.
I especially enjoyed the Bayeux tapestry, a very unique historical record that was made almost 1000 years ago. The tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s conquest of England in 1066, embroidered in colored wool on linen 19 inches high and 203 feet long. There are 58 detailed scenes. First we visited a museum to learn about the tapestry, then we watched a movie (in French) to learn more about the tapestry, and finally we saw the actual tapestry, displayed behind glass in a darkened room. There was an excellent audioguide that moved you along the tapestry and described the key elements of each scene, some of which were even humorous. The tapestry is beautifully preserved, full of rich detail, an amazing accomplishment. (We couldn't take photos of the tapestry, but here is a very good British website that shows the tapestry and recounts the story of the famous battle.)
We got back to Honfleur about 7 pm…. a very long day!
The Bayeux cathedral (photo by Kelly)
