Le Mont St. Michel

The last week of February I sat in the back garden in the sun with Noreen.  That pleasant week made the cold wind and rain that descended on the first of March that much more of a shock to the system.  The day we planned to visit Mont St. Michel there wasn't much rain, but the wind was fierce.  Have you ever ridden a bike in the wind?  It's a lot like running I suppose:  when it's at your back you feel like you could fly, but when you're pushing into it, it is hard-going.  

There was a fair amount of singing, "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything!" as we rode in a group down this path to the mont you can just see in the distance.

Seeing Mont St. Michel from a distance makes you feel like you've entered into the enchanted world of fairy tales.  It's so other-worldly.  

The stone streets at the bottom are filled with restaurants and shops to purchase memorabilia as well as swords and shields and books about the history of the abbey at the top of the mount.  Once you enter through the gate you keep climbing slowly up and up, gaining an ever-more-impressive view of the sand and water below you.

There are dangerous sections of sinking sand amidst these coastal flats.  

The smell of salt water is strong in the air, and if you want to visit the abbey be prepared to climb a lot of steps.

The church is really beautiful.

K.J. and I most enjoyed the cloister this time.  Maybe it's the bright patch of green in the middle that seems to be begging for a tree.

I loved all the white stones used in the path, and the colors of the sea reflected in the window glass.  There are many huge rooms to walk through, and it's always tempting to go stand in one of the enormous open fireplaces.

The size and scope of this room seemed the perfect place for a skirmish between the fellowship and orcs.

Outside the abbey, the Japanese cherry blossoms were just beginning to appear all pink and white on the trees.

I recently read a book published in 1942 that partly takes place at Mont Saint Michel.  When I read the author's description I thought, Yes!  That is exactly what it feels like.