France Trip 2004

Normandy - Mont St. Michel

D Day Beaches | American Cemetery | Pointe du Hoc | Mont St. Michel

After driving a maze of roads from the D-Day beaches we approached the island of Mont St. Michel. From the distance it looked like a mountain in the sea, but as we got closer we could see the details of the Abbey that rests on top. This magnificent abbey and island juts from the tide that surrounds it. Rarely does the tide completely surround the island so we parked our car on the nearby causeway. Jamie was still a little nervous that we would find our car floating out to sea the next day.

Many other buildings lie along the spiraling road that climbs to the abbey. Our hotel was actually on the island and we had perfect view of the abbey from our bedroom window. As the night settled, with soothing musing playing from the street below, we rested in our bed and looked out to the illuminated abbey. It was a magical moment, and to think this was considered the cheap room.

The next morning we hiked up the path to the abbey. The monastery, build 1228, is still used by a dozen nuns and monks. It consisted of a church and several halls and cloisters. We got ahead of the other tourists and found ourselves alone in the last room with nowhere to go. Soon someone unlocked the exit and we completed our tour.

After our wonderful stay at Mont St. Michel we had hoped to spend the night at the city of Rouen on our way back to Paris. Unfortunately, this city had terrible traffic which made it difficult for us to find a place to stay. We ended up spending the night at a Paris airport hotel. Not the best ending to a trip, but the rest of tour made the last night not seem so bad.