Exploring Mont St. Michel and a short ride to Bazouges
Our first experience staying at a Chambre d'hote, Les Caprices de Fifi (Fifi is the resident dog). Good value at 50 euros including breakfast: lovely room with ensuite and swimming pool. Located in the centre of town and convenient to take the bus to Mont St. Michel tomorrow - breakfast was very nice - homemade baking, coffee, fruit. We enjoyed the care and artistic detail in the decorating of their wonderful old stone home.The only problem was the soundproofing - our neighbours returned around 11 pm from sightseeing and sleep was not possible for some hours.
We had been advised that Mont St. Michel is so busy and popular that you should only go first thing in the morning when it opens...so that's what we did. A good decision as we had no line ups, our complimentary tour (highly recommended) had only 6 people) and we were able to enjoy the ambience and spiritual side of the Abbaye As we left around 12:30, the line ups were huge - people were lined up inside the monument along hundreds of steps for tickets to the Abbaye also outside the monument and down the causeway just to gain access to the commercial portion at the base.
Another recommendation is to take the bus (2 euros) as it delivers you to the entrance, instead of having to walk the 2 km causeway from the parking area. Interestingly the community of Mont St. Michel is only 42 - the close by communities are like a strip mall of tourist attractions, including an alligator collection. For that reason, we stayed out of town, 10 km south in the village of Pontosoron. We had looked the previous day for Camping Mount St. Michel as it is at the entrance - and indeed it is as we saw from the bus. The visual impact of Mont St. Michel from the surrounding area is impressive. As we got closer, we truly appreciated the reason it has been deemed a Unesco World Heritage site. Approaching the islet, we are reminded of the Bayeux Tapestry as there is a depiction of Harold rescuing two Norman knights in the quicksand of the tidal flats of Mount St. Michel.Over 3 million people visit it every year.
Our tour guide gave us an excellent 90 minute tour with much insight and humour. We were going to pay for an audioguide, but we were advised to take advantage of the free tour - good advice! Our guide explained that according to legend, Archangel Michael appeared to Saint Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the Archangel's bidding until Michael burned a hole in the Bishop's skull with his finger - he got the message and began building. Looking at the impossibly small foundation for the monument, you are struck by the impossibility of the task confronting him.
During the 100 years wars, the English made repeated assaults on the island but were unable to seize it. We were also fascinated that during the French Revolution, the Abbaye was used as a prison and much of the treasures, tapestries, glass floor tiles, etc were destroyed.
Visiting Mont St. Michel is unlike other cathedrals and abbayes that we have visited in that it is not adorned by any decorative touches. The grandeur and the history is present in the architecture, the setting, the natural lighting and the superb stonework. The blend of Romanesque and subsequent Gothic architecture also tell its own story about the vibrant history of Mont St. Michel.
Our tour guide was unreserved in her requirement that all visitors respect the silence and spirit of the Abbaye. This is in stark contrast to the commercialism of the lower levels where you must walk through a gauntlet of shops, restaurants, hotels, tacky gift shops and museums - up countless steps - and then you have arrived at the calm of the Abbaye. One of our favourite places was the Cloisters -a landscaped oasis in the midst of grandeur.
Didn't get away from Pontosorn until about 4 pm as we met some fellow cycle tourers from Belgium who were finished their holidays and on their way home. So good to connect with other travellers and hear about their experiences.
Set off south along the river and found quiet roads which led us to the village of Bazouges - the tour office was just closing, but Sylvie - the excellent information worker, would not leave until she had found us accomodation. I had underestimated the size of the village as I was using a map with 1cm=1km scale. This small village of 500 people was charming, known as a centre of experimental art but clearly off the beaten track and limited in accomodation. As the owner of the chambre d'hote was not home, she walked me to a local inn and made sure we had a room.
The view to the causeway - to protect the environment and integrity of the foundation, a suspended bridge is being built to replace the causeway (causing silting)and restore Mont St. Michel to be an island.
Our intimate small tour group - in the dining room that the monks used. Like at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Bayeux, an English speaking group has this advantage.
