The Grand Tour: An Island Abbey

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Our Grand Tour continued from Germany into France with a very early morning train. Things were going quite well until our first of three trains was delayed by about 40 minutes, causing us to miss our connecting train to Paris. A word of warning to anyone traveling by the Deutsche Bahn: delays and late trains have become more and more frequent over the last few months. Allow for disruptions to your journey!

Thankfully, we were able to be rebooked onto the next train - though there were no seats - and made our connecting train in Paris which took us out to Caen in Normandy. The next morning, Dad and I went to pick up our rental car and begin our first day trip to the Abbey on Mont Saint-Michel.

This island fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is well worth the visit for the views approaching the island and from the abbey's terraces - not to mention the history. Though you can take a free shuttle or a not-so-free horse-drawn wagon to the island, I would recommend walking if you can. It is an easy walk with beautiful views of the island and great opportunities for pictures.

Once we reached Mont Saint-Michel, my parents, cousin, and I started the steep and crowded climb to the abbey entrance. Best estimates put the beginnings of the abbey in 708 when Bishop Aubert of Avranches had a vision of the Archangel Michael telling him to build a church on the island. From then on, the abbey - and town that grew up around it - continued to grow and change. During the Hundred Years War, fortifications were added and the island withstood all assaults by the English. During the Revolution and until 1863, it was used as a prison. As we explored the abbey and encountered many blocked off stairways and locked doors, we decided that this would not be a good place to be a prisoner - not only would it be damp, dark, and cold, but if you managed to escape your cell, you would never find your way out. The architecture was amazing - tons of carving and gargoyles (always the best). If you are in the Normandy area and have the chance, you should definitely visit Mont Saint-Michel.

After the abbey, we walked the ramparts and watched a group of school children be led out onto the tidal plain for some games while the tide was out. Afterwards, my mom, cousin, and I went to the house of the knight Bertrand Duguesclin and his wife Tiphaine. The house was fine, but not a must-see. If you were to do all four museums, it would be worth a visit but probably not just to do on its own.

Our visit at an end, we adventured back to Caen. The narrow roads and edges of buildings sometimes being less than a foot from the road made Dad nervous - especially when our GPS took us on a very narrow unnamed road - but we made it back to Caen in one piece. Dad and the boys then headed off to the FIFA women's soccer match between the USA and Sweden while Mom, Gabby, and I enjoyed a nice walk around Caen and the first of what I am sure will be many crepes.

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Photos

The cloister
Used by the monks as a place of prayer and meditation

The refectory
It was here the monks ate - note the lack of fireplaces. The monks were supposed to live in poverty, so there was no money wasted on fires for warmth.

Refectory windows
Hard to see in the picture, but the glass is lightly stained in pastels, letting in a lot of light.

The Guests' Hall
This is the hall where royalty and nobility were welcomed.

Guests' Hall fireplaces
One doesn't want to freeze royalty...

The Great Pillared Crypt
This room supports the chancel of the abbey church.

The Great Wheel
Located in what used to be the monks' ossuary, this wheel and pulley system helped haul provisions up to the abbey when it was used as a prison.