An enchanted place: Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is one of the biggest tourist France's biggest tourist attractions (for the French that is).  The place is magical and managed to whisk us back to the Middle Ages with its fantastic architecture set against the backdrop of extroadinary tides.  I'm sure this place has been the inspiration for so many fortresses you've seen in cartoons:  Maleficient's castle in Sleeping Beauty, Skeletor's castle in He-Man and Dark Heart's estate in Care Bears.  Any more you can think of?  

Mont Saint-Michel from afar.  The dragons like to circle around the spire but unfortunetly
we visited the place during their migration time.  They had already left. 

Mont Saint-Michel is actually an abbey and the whole ensemble is connected to the mainland by one single causeway (see photo above).  The bay around Saint-Michel is known for having Europe's highest tidal variations.  Depending on the gravitational pull, the difference between low and high tide can reach an up to 15 metres!  Once every month (soon after the full moon), the tide is so high that this entire causeway is submerged.  However, regardless of the time of the year, the tide comes up really fast (said to be as fast as a galloping horse!)  During low tide, the Mont is surrounded by quick sand for kilometres around, but barely six hours later, the water comes up and the island is isolated from the mainland (even the car parks engulfed by the sea)  Wouldn't want to leave your car in the parking lot and be ignorent of when high tide comes in.  There are always a few cars that are swallowed by the ocean every year.  Insurance claims won't cover this as it is considered an "act of God".  Fair enough, it IS an abbey after all.

 

It was a Bishop who got the idea to build this cathedral in year 708 after being commanded by God's right hand man, Archangel Michael, in a dream.  One building led to another and until they finally built this huge abbey right on the summit (thank the crypts). A few building have collapsed into the seas since. They built it on the summit because they believed that the higher you were, the closer you were to God (hence why you see many chapels, churches, etc, on mountain summits).   On tip of the abbey's spire, there's a statue of the angel. 

 Archangel Michael on the vanquished dragon.  This is a copy of what is at the summit of the spire.  It has been hit twice by lightening but still survives. 

Mont Saint-Michel was one of the world'smost famous pilgrimmage destinations.  Some as young as 12 years old were sent by their parents to pilgrim to Mont Saint-Michel in the name of God. Some made it, others didn't.  It most certainly wasn't an easy stroll.  Many were doomed by quicksand or by the rushing tide right before arriving to their final destination.   This place was later turned into a prison during the French Revolution.  Quicksand during low tide,  crashing waves during high tide....a perfect place for prisoners. 

  

We had a quick visit at night (we did NOT want to lose our car) and went back the next day for a clear view on the place.  It was raining cats and dogs...but every cloud has its silver lining !  The place was empty (which, according to a man who worked there, is VERY rare).   Sometimes it felt like we were the only ones around.  Well, except for the 98 locals that live there.

 A view of the streets.  Yep, this place is definetly old.  I hope it's stable.

 This is inside of the cathedral. 

 The abbey's courtyard.  The place is actually quite big.  The summit doesn't look that big from down below but we were surprised.

The masonry used to build the abbey was brought to the Mont by boat and pulled up the hillside using ropes.  This contraption was powered in the 19th century by prisoners (think, human gerbils) who, by turning the wheel, hoisted the supplies up the side of the abbey.

This is a view off of Mont Saint-Michel.

Mont Saint-Michel was magical as it did bring us back in time.  It seemed like most of it remained untouched (except of course, the parts that were torn down by the forces of nature).  A place that is more than 1300 years old still stands and is appreciated for what it is, old crumbling stone buildings and all.  This place (well, France in general) has really shown us that no matter what modern advances we make, the work of the past will forever be appreciated and admired.