Mont Saint-Michel

From a distance

The shadow of the abbey
The island in the distance is Isle Tombelaine

The bay retreating
One of the places that topped my list of things to see while living in Paris for 3 months was Mont Saint-Michel. I researched taking the train to a bus, the bus to the abbey, but during the winter this was not necessarily a do-able proposition. One of the students found a reasonably priced tour that left Paris at 7 am and returned around 8 pm, so we signed on. We learned after boarding that the ride including rest stops each way was 5 hours, leaving us 3 hours at Mont Saint-Michel. While this seemed a bit daunting we made the best of the ride and enjoyed every minute at the Abbey.

At the peak of the fleche, 492 ft above the bay is the 13 ft tall gilded repousse copper sculpture of Archangel Saint Michael and the dragon, glinting in the sun. This is a fairly recent addition (1897) to this majestic place.

The Abbey Church was stunning, the windows were not tremendously colorful or intricate but are not the originals. Regardless, the light flowing into the church illustrated the "light of God" in mystical fashion.

The cloister is a place for contemplation, monks could and would pray and meditate while walking around this stunning collonade.

Flying buttresses and gargoyles were a later and lively addition to the rather sober interior. My fellow travellers and I would make the trip again, despite the long ride on the bus - but if you are going to make this popular pilgrimage, perhaps come during a time when you can ride the train and then take the bus and spend the night in one of the many little hotels nearby. I would also have loved to see the tide rise and fall and take photos that reflected the water that surrounds this gorgeous structure.