The Mont St-Michel
No visit to Normandy would be complete without a visit to the Mont St Michel. I have been so many times but always manege to find something new to catch the imagination and make the visit worthwhile. The tourists shops are inevitable but a nuisance. So I often take the second entrance to the Mont and avoid these distractions and arrive at the foot of the Castle and Abbey.
Its only about 25 minutes drive from our B&B. If you take the river road from the A84 you are rewarded with some amazing views of the Mont as it gets ever closer. Le Mont St-Michel towers over the countryside for miles around like a mythical creature rising out of the sea and it is not surprising that there are over three million tourists visiting each year. From my experience about half of them – Japanese!!
Situated one kilometre off the coast of Normandy, the rocky island houses the famous eighth-century Norman Benedictine Abbey of St-Michel that over the centuries has been both a site of spiritual pilgrimage and battle.
Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, the island is one of the most exceptional examples of religious and military architecture from the Middle Ages – hardly surprising therefore that Le Mont St-Michel became the inspiration the mystical Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings movies!
During the tourist season try and get there in the early morning if you dont want to queue for hours. The Mont will surely provide you with a unique and memorable experience.
Tags: Mont St-Michel
