The Magnificent Mount St Michel

We were away to an early start to drive to Mont St Michel on our way to the Loire Valley in the hope of beating the crowds. Arriving just on opening time the early start certainly paid off as we did not have to queue to get into the Abbey. What a stunning sight as we drove along the country roads approaching the Mount. I have seen pictures but seeing the reality was quite different.

A shuttle bus took us from the parking along a bridge to a point close to the mount and it was a short walk from the drop off point to the entry. The view only got more spectacular as we got closer. I can't imagine how they built such an immense Abbey on top of such a small island and got all the materials required transported there.

The narrow street up to the Abbey is not wide enough for a car and is quite steep. It is lined with souvenier shops and eateries designed to woo even more euro away from the tourists but quite pretty. Already feeling breathless we arrived at the foot of steep stairs taking us to the Abbey entrance. I was certainly feeling like I had not done enough training in preparation for travelling! Little did I know that within the Abbey more flights of stairs awaited.

Words fail me to describe to immensity and beauty of the Abbey so I will let pictures do the talking. The tour takes you through so many different spaces with different purposes and every now and then you have a view of the sea and land around. Peering over the edge is a bit sick making as the walls drop straight down such a long way.

Stephen was a little taken aback to find that 'his' chapel (St Stephen's) was the mortuary were bodies were kept and prepared for funeral.

We took the route down the ramparts to descend the Mount

We then decided we had time to visit a couple of the museums before our car parking time expired. This involved walking up the steep street again and, you guessed it, more stairs! These were interesting but somewhat overpriced for what you saw and,in my view, did not add greatly to the Mont St Michel experience. One was a few rooms showing how the home of a knight connected to the Mount looked and the other had a few waxwork scenes of how the Mount as used as a prison. I took a few photos anyway.

After a long drive we arrived in the lovely town of Fontevraut l'Abbeye and our cute hotel with a bottle of bubbles to welcome us. Delicious dinner of the region followed with a view of the cute town square. Perfect end to a great day.