We awoke this morning with
great anticipation for our trip to Mont-Saint-Michel. Classified as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, it truly lives up to the hype--there's nothing
quite like it.
In route to the Mont, we
heard about the rich history from our guide, Fabien. The story of the
Archangel arriving to instruct the Bishop of Avranches to build a church on a
rock is a touching one. As you can see below, the view from afar is just
as stunning as the view from just below the abbey. Since the construction
of Mont-Saint-Michel, the site has served as a religious site, a prison and a
home to many. The population has dwindled over the years, and is
currently holding steady at 36 inhabitants, many of whom are monks or
nuns. There are also several hotels on the Mont, so the population
certainly fluctuates from week to week, season to season. You can see from the photos that we were visiting at low tide, so the students got the opportunity to see the bay area, famous for the salt grass-eating sheep, religious pilgrimages, and dangerous quicksand! Mont-SaintMichel is known for having the highest tides in Europe, and is truly a "merveille" at high tide when the abbey is completely surrounded by water. It was a rare 85 degrees and sunny today at the Mont--our students were blessed to avoid the infamous Normandy mist! Before beginning our ascent to the top, we stopped to take a few photos:
The trek to the top of the Mont is no small feat--350 rather uneven steps stand between tourists and the top; but once you reach the gorgeous views of the bay, the cloister, music in the chapel and the seemingly infinite spaces of worship, you forget all about the 28 floors you've climbed and 10,000+ steps you've taken today! Once we reached the top, we took a group photo, and I implored Gabby to recreate a photo that I take each time I visit Mont-Saint-Michel--island in hand! We were also treated to some spiritual music as one of the religious orders finished their mass.
On the way down, students were able to do some shopping and buy lunch on the one and only commercial street.
It's important to remember that Mont-Saint-Michel was and is a town. There is an old school house, a cemetery, and even a post office! Here are some photos of the town from the remparts:
On our way back to Senlis, Mme Cooper pulled a few strings and had our driver stop at the Biscuiterie de Mont-Saint-Michel, where students purchased all sorts of edible goodies from the region. I said to Mme Cooper, they must anxiously await our visit every 2 years....they did quite a good business today! The visit to the Biscuiterie was extra special for me, as students presented me with the most thoughtful gift for my birthday, which they picked out in Montmartre just a few days earlier. (They must know me well, because I love art & Paris!) Since arriving at Archmere, I have always been grateful for the sense of community and friendship, and I certainly felt that even more today--thank you for raising such thoughtful and giving people...I truly felt spoiled to celebrate my birthday amongst our wonderful students in one of my favorite places.
My gift: a painting of Sacré Coeur
Speaking of gifts, Lauren kept busy during our 4 hour bus ride back to Senlis. She drew an incredibly detailed representation of Mont-Saint-Michel to present to her host dad for his birthday...once again, I am in awe of our students, their many gifts and their generosity. Tomorrow we're off to Giverny with our French correspondants! It's supposed to be a beautiful day!
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