Mont-Saint-Michel

 Apologies to all my regular blog followers - wifi at Mt-S-M was sketchy, and I've some catchup to do!

The Mont - with the tide coming in

Thursday - Whew! That was a serious cardio morning! My step counter said 9461 steps, but it felt like WAY more, and most of them were up or down stairs. I was very thankful I brought a walking stick.

Incredible building on almost vertical rock

I caught one of the early shuttles over – I decided I didn’t want to face the causeway walk and the climb in one session. The map is pretty clear that whatever happens, one has to deal with steps – there is no handicap access here (actually, for special occasions they do it with four porters, but I don’t like to imagine what it would feel like to be carried up/down those stairs!) There are three possible routes: up the main street, which is full of tourist stuff (I guess it’s been the home of pilgrim stuff since the start), along the ramparts, or up the Rue des Fanils, which is supposed to be longer but less stair-y. That got my vote.

Taking a breather - the gull and me both....

So I went left off the end of the causeway, and through a gateway that had a notice that it was under water at the highest tides. The tide was still coming in, but I don’t think it was likely to reach the gate. The path had a semi-cobbled surface and 15-20° gradient, most of the way till just after the first flight of stairs where it was closed for mending – so I had to drop down a level and find my way around it. Seagulls were all around; the inaccessible corners of the building are ideal sites for nesting, and humans were being carefully watched to make sure the youngsters were safe.

Young gull

The Abbey opens at 9am, and by then there was a big crowd waiting. I almost backed out, but I’d prepaid for my ticket, so I held back till the worst was past, and went past the barrier. And then we climbed and climbed and climbed.... middle of the stairs with no handrail (groups on the left, walk-ins on the right). Bag-check....climb, climb, climb....ticket scan... climb, climb, climb....welcome to the Abbey... long flight of stairs, though with some great pictures, so time to stop and look. Finally, we emerged on the west terrace, with a spectactular view.

Nearly there....

West terrace

Looking up at the abbey from the west terrace

The abbey church began construction in 1023 – built on top of the rock and resting partially on four crypts built into the slope. The classic Norman curved arches show in all three levels; the choir area which collapsed in 1420 was rebuilt in a more flamboyant Gothic style, but one which complements the basic structure. 

The east end of the Abbey church

The cloister - the ball in the middle is something for the daily light show at night

From the church we were directed out to a cloister which tops a building called La Merveille, built in the early 13^th century, and then to the refectory which currently houses an art installation by Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles – more than 5,000 books spread on the floor and open to pictures of sea-water. The work is supposed to be accompanied by a recording of whispering voices of all ages repeating the word “water” in thirty different languages. I don’t know if the installation is not complete yet or whether it’s only accessible at special times – the idea is that the watcher is able to stand on the wooden pier and be surrounded by it. Given the numbers that go through the Abbey, I don’t know how possible it is to allow that.

The refectory, with the water installation

Prisoners walked the wheel to bring up supplies

The tour led us through a couple of the crypts that provide a foundation for the church above and through to the Wheel Room. After the Revolution, the monks were turned out, and the Mont was established as a prison. In 1818 the wheel was installed – a replica of wheels used on building sites in the Middle Ages – to lift up supplies for the inmates, and powered by their walking inside it.

In the abbey garden with the cloister way above....

Through the scriptorium where manuscripts were created and studied (now preserved in Avranches), we went through the chaplaincy and the cellar which is now the gift shop (of course) and out into the Abbey Gardens. From there I could look all the way up to the cloister window three levels above.

Finally - at the entrance to Rue des Fanils

More up-and-down steps, all done very cautiously – I commiserated with an American woman who was obviously having similar problems, and steered her and her family to exploring the Rue des Fanils route to return to sea-level – I hope they took it too! I was sardonically amused by finding defibrillators on various walls; I wonder how often they get used, and how they ever get emergency assistance up there!

The best smoked salmon salad!

I thought I might return to explore the lower levels of the main street, but I decided I needed to go back to the hotel to put my feet up for a bit, have a protein bar and do some preliminary blogging. We’d had odd bursts of sun, but the skies remained gray, and while I was writing we had a good rainstorm. I’d thought about catching the bus to Pontorson, but decided I’d rather stay dry, and had a few hours of quiet time. Wifi is really bad here – I may end up having to take time on Friday to finish Thursday’s blog....   In the meantime, I treated myself with going out to dinner, and was grateful that I'd brought my raincoat!