Looping NZ Style: An Early Start on the way to Mont St Michel.

We were up at 5.30am in order to be out the door and on our way at 6am. Of course it was still dark, not getting light until around 7am. By that time we were out the other side of Rennes, which was our place to veer north on the motorway.
Plenty of traffic going to work in the big city, and we were glad to be out of it and back in the countryside, on our way to Mont St Michel.
We wouldn't have wanted to go there, on our own, but our friend Karen had asked if we would go with her. Being there this early had two things going for it. 1. The tide was out. 2. No crowds. The second was the most important, in my book.
Crowds usually consist of people with their dogs, big and small (poor things!) children in backpacks and strollers...really? up all those stairs?? what ARE you thinking???
Anyway...we were so early, we were 3 of 5 who caught the shuttle to the Mont.
What is significant about today, is the BIG mistake we made in our parking choice, but didn't know it until we went to pay. We kind of thought it was funny that all the spaces were really large, but there was already one car in there. No other cars anywhere to be seen, and certainly no buses. So, you can now figure out the rest of the story, no?
Wait...I have to go through the morning first, ok!

So, arriving by free shuttle bus (that's a joke, by the way...nothing FREE about it. Parking fees!!) we were spewed out onto the beautifully curved road that serves to take all the passengers and walkers and bikers onto the island. The tide was indeed out, which made for glorious photos of rivers in the sand...see later photos.
This is what we saw from the parking area, once we had parked the car. This is a HUGE enterprise, by the way. Everything is geared to the gazillions of tourists who literally CROWD here every year. In fact they are destroying the place.

So, now we are on the shuttle bus going across the causeway to the bottom of the Mont. We get out, take some more photos of the sand, the Mont and everything around us.
It really is a most extraordinary place, and I can quite see why it attracts so many visitors. That is has withstood the 100 year war and the British invasion is greatly in it's favor. :)

Yes, that really is GOLD on the top, and that is The Archangel way up there. They employed a Helicopter to lower it into place after recent renovation and renewal.

We had to be there at low tide in order to see the water come in, I guess. Still not quite sure...oh right...to see it as an island? hmmm...never mind! That was the order, and I was just the driver:) it is overcast, and the wind quite cool. We wore our sweaters for the first time since arriving.
That is another joke...We packed ONE pair of shorts and 3 t-shirts (short sleeved) because last year it got cold very soon after we arrived (same time exactly), and had packed way too many summer clothes, resulting in us purchasing winter clothes and therefore another suitcase! Sooo...this year we packed few summer clothes and more winter clothes for which we needed two suitcases instead of the one, last year (on arrival). So...what does the weather do? It stays HOT for two weeks, and we have to make do with the few summer clothes we have. No matter...we have laundry facilities!
Back to regular programming...

See that ramp thing right in the middle of the photo? The brown thing on the top of it is a little railway carriage thing. This is how they used to get goods up and down from the Abbaye. Inside the building is a huge wheel that the monks used to hop inside and walk, a bit like a hamster in a wheel, to pulley the goods up and down the ramp.

Below is the portal into the Mont and the Abbaye. When we came back down a few hours later, there were armed security guards checking ALL the bags coming onto the Mont. This rather amused us as we were here at 1/4 of 9 and nobody to talk to even!

Whoa! Back up the horse a moment....I had forgotten to tell you that at some stage we stopped for a Grand Crème in a Bar/tabac, where we also ate our croissants (purchased the day before and brought with us) while making ourselves feel more human. This was around 8.00am. Something of interest here: You can purchase food at another store and take it into a Tabac or Café with you, to eat while you drink your coffee. I guess this is because the café/Tabac generally doesn't offer food.

We arrived at the Mont, as I said, around 8.45am.
We actually had to wait to be admitted to buy our tickets to go all the way to the top and view everything.

On the way there, and the first street we came to.
Provisioning was going on all around us. There are Hotels along this stretch leading up to the main stairs.....oh, did I say stairs??? Well, we certainly got a workout today! PHEW! The OLD knees sure didn't like it, but we wont complain in public.!

it feels pretty crowded even without the people in these confined spaces. Coming back down was bedlam...literally every man, woman and child AND DOG were in the mix of those trying to go up, and those of us trying to go DOWN and OUT...yay!

We are starting to climb now... Yes, that is a bicycle with pack.

A lovely little church on the way, but very low down in the scheme of things.

We have barely started on the stairs! That portal at the top, is at the entry to the Entry to the Abbaye.

The higher we climbed the better the views...of course! The tide was just turning as we made our way up, and it created some stunning patterns in the sand.

The area is really quite extraordinary, and we spent long moments just looking our at these ribbons of water across the sands.

The Archangel really is Gold Plated! That is a looong way up!

Further down near the beginning of our journey, and if only we had known (no, good thing we didn't) JUST HOW MANY STEPS there were ahead of us....

Real people live here, which is quite extraordinary considering how many tourists pass their doorsteps every single day.

Higher still, and the views just keep getting better.

Looking UP was just as much fun as looking DOWN. This classic structure with it's towers.

Finally, at 9am on the dot, the large doors opened and we were allowed to enter the ticket hall. For the price of 8 euros each, we were allowed to progress onwards into the depths of the Abbaye and beyond. I say beyond, because the Abbaye isn't the only thing on that rock!
This is a copy of the sculpture of the Archangel that is now in gold, sitting atop the steeple of the church. This one is in the entry /ticket hall.

Those gargoyle type things that stick out are actually drain pipes. Ancient type, but they work really well!

These are only the few of the more than 400 photos I took, but it would take too long for me to show you everything. More, it is a taste of what you will see when you go there yourself! Incentives:)

This amused me. Here, you have a very structured building, and every now and then, they left he granite to remind you that you really are on a granite rock in the middle of the ocean...in this case, the English Channel or Manche, as it is known in France.

Getting closer to the prize!:)

Hand wrought door locks

...and this on the outside of a faucet. Fascinating. Scallop shells feature large all over France. Coquille.
At least here is ONE legend.
COQUILLE ST. JACQUES

Many legends abound as to the origin of the scallop shell as a symbol of St. James. According to Waverly Root, a nobleman described as the Lord of Maya, who, about to be married, was riding in the wedding procession on the coast of Spanish Galicia when his horse bolted, plunged into the sea, and swam to an approaching vessel. It proved to be carrying the body of the apostle, St. James the Greater. Horse and rider returned to land, escorting the body of the saint, both by then covered with scallop shells. The Lord of Maya, convinced that he had participated in a miracle, converted to Christianity. And as the story goes, for several centuries in the Middle Ages, the devout in Europe made pilgrimages to the Galician shrine of Santiago de Compostela to pray before the body of St. James. Starting in the important cities of Europe, the pilgrim network of routes converged in Santiago- one route was and still is the Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris-thus the name Coquille St. Jacques.

We were very high, now. Looking down towards the entry to the Island and Mont. The tide had just turned and we watched the basins fill with water, slowly.

Yes, those are people down there on the sand to the left.

the glorious sweep of roadway across the sands, from the small town that serves as Hotel and restaurant base for the Mont St Michel. The land surrounding this place is fertile alluvial plain. It is flat.

The keys that unlock the most sacred places. A docent appeared at a side door, and we asked him to leave his keys for me to photograph. Well, we do these kinds of things, lol. He was very obliging. Pity I didn't get them in focus! More haste, less speed!

We are now on a high level, but not quite at the top level that you could climb to.That is the roof of the Abbaye, though. Don't you love the decorations! All of which are different. Amazing!

This is what the Abbaye looked like in the 10th Century. Practically nothing there. There are parts still here from that period, but mostly it has all been replaced.

Here is a link to the History of the Mont St Michel. If you click on it, you will be able to read about it. If you cant click, copy and paste into browser.

http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/histoire.htm

So, this is what the Mont looks like from the 20th century until today. Quite a difference, no!

Now we are wayyyyy up top, as high as you can go, and this Abbaye was in front of us. To say that this is extraordinary, is an understatement. The huge halls where knights of old gathered around Humungous fireplaces, the colonades, the cloisters...the list goes on and on, and the marvels nearly blew our brains!