Mont Saint-Michel

We arrived at our lodgings fairly late last night, well after dark. Despite being tired from the long drive and the long day, we drove toward Mont Saint-Michel and parked at a restaurant near the causeway. We walked the kilometer from the car to the abbey and spent a bit of time exploring the island.

Mont Saint-Michel is an island in Normandy, France. The island boasts an impressive abbey, monastery, and village. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mont Saint-Michel is currently under some construction in an  attempt to correct the land alterations that have occurred over the centuries. Originally on dry land, Mont Saint-Michel is currently on a rocky tidal island; over the centuries, sea levels rose, and erosion changed the shoreline. Now, the abbey is connected to the shore by a causeway. The idea is to turn Mont Saint-Michel back into the island it was before the built-up causeway changed the landscape dramatically in a fairly short time. The causeway is currently still intact; the project is meant to be finished in 2015. By that time, the causeway will be removed and only a small bridge that allows water to pass under will exist to link the coast to the abbey.

We went back to Mont Saint-Michel this morning to visit the abbey. I don't know exactly why, but the entry happened to be free today.  Somehow I managed to plan to be here on the right day!  We spent some time touring the abbey and the surrounding village before we left to make our way to west to Dinan then south to Amboise where we would be spending the night.

Despite the construction, the island is both impressive and beautiful. I had originally seen Mont Saint-Michel on a list of the top 10 or top 20 most beautiful places in the world several years ago. Since then, I've been dreaming about coming here. I feel incredible to have had the opportunity to finally see Mont Saint-Michel and to be able to mark it off of my list of places I want to see.

Honfleur

After leaving Rouen, we stopped in Honfleur on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. Honfleur is a port town in the Lower Normandy region of France. 

On the water, the picturesque town boasts cute shops and restaurants along the pier. The city was originally on a significant trade route between Rouen, France and England. Although the city is no longer booming as it once was, the port still functions today.

Greg managed to park a few blocks away from the old town. Greg was still trying to get used to the manual transmission of the vehicle. The city was surprisingly busy with tourist traffic, so we didn't even try to park to closer. We strolled through old down and down the pier. 

We didn't stay long; we had only put about an hour and a half into the parking meter.  Additionally, we still had to drive to Mont Saint-Michel, and we knew the trip would be harder in the dark. Although we didn't have much time, I'm glad we stopped.