Mont St Michel

Today we ticked a 'bucket list' item: Mont St Michel.

It is a truly remarkable site, started in 708AD bu Bishop Aubert of Avranches as a devotional chapel on the summit of the island following his vision of the archangel Michael, whose gilded figure perched on the gilded dragon is perched on the tip of the Abbey's spire. (Incidently the gilt statue was only added in 1897, 25 years after it was classified as a historic monument in 1874, and subsequently listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1979).  It was  expanded and rebuilt pretty much continuously for the next 600 years.  It is very well preserved and maintained.  But, predictably, it is not for the faint hearted.  There's a four kilometre walk just to get there from the car park, then there are countless up and down stairs all day.
We wandered through the Grande Rue, the main thoroughfare of the small village on the way to the abbey.  There were lots of tacky souvenir shops and all sorts of food outlets in this area. 

We decided to do the English speaking guided tour of the abbey, which was very comprehensive and informative. We learnt that the abbey has three levels which reflect the monastic order, the monks lived in the church and cloister at the top, the abbot entertained noble guests on the middle level, and pilgrims were received in the basement.   Both of us marvel at the workmanship and engineering feats of these ancient artisans.  The abbey has been built on a ridge atop the mount, with chapels north, south, and east which support it on the steep rocky slopes.  Perhaps the most remarkable part is the section known as La Merveille (The Marvel).  This is the cloitre (cloister) and is surrounded by a double row of carved arches. This is atop the refectoire (dining hall).  There is still a presence of monks, albeit minimal.
After the tour of the Abbey, as we descended we decided to wander around the ramparts, which date from the 13th to 15th centuries.
How all this was done with the tools that were available at the time is amazing.

In the evening we went for a drive to a nearby village, known for its oyster farming, and had a delightful dinner in one of the local restaurants.