Le Mont Saint-Michel

 In the north of France in a small cove on the sea lies the magical Le Mont Saint-Michel.  Many people who do not know about this island monastery will still recognize it.  Stationed on a large rock outcropping just far enough into the ocean to make it inaccessible during high tide, the Mont seems straight out of a tale of King Arthur and his knights.  Most likely, it has been used in a few movies of such tales.

We arrived at night and it was a remarkable sight to see.  Walking the dimly lit streets of the citadel was like a dream.

The next day we were able to explore the Mont more thoroughly.  The streets and alleys of the citadel are a maze of stairs and narrow paths.  Many ending abruptly and others arriving at locations which were quite unexpected.

At the top of the Mont is a monastery.  We paid the entry fee and began our walk around.  The monastery is beautiful, but not the most spectacular we have ever seen.  One of the most interesting things about walking through the monastery was our ability to look down on the city below almost completely surrounded by sea.

These days there is a permanent path to the island that makes it accessible during high tide, but it is interesting to think about visitors to the island several hundred years ago.  The danger they faced to cross the sands at low tide to reach the citadel.  Their need to await for the sea to grant them passage.