Normandy Day 3 - Mont St. Michele

Fun day!

After a full day of reflecting on WW2 we wanted to do something to lift our spirits. So we visited Mont St. Michel! M and I visited St. Michel last year with his mother and sister. We enjoyed it so much, we had to take my family.

Mont St. Michel is an monastery built on an island in the 8th century AD. When the tide is high it is completely surrounded by water. At low tide the water recedes and you can actually walk to the island from shore. However, unless you have a guide with you this is discouraged. There are some pockets of sinking sand so it can be dangerous.

Today it is a little city on an island with a board walk to the island. The boardwalk allows visitors to come and go regardless of the tide.

When we went last year it was fairly empty and we had no problems finding a place to eat or visiting the monastery. Unfortunately it was packed during this visit. We had trouble finding a restaurant that wasn’t at capacity and waiting in line for a table isn’t very popular in France. We finally found a place with room that served mediocre food, very different from our last visit.

The city is made up of one street that circles the island. At the end of the street is the monastery. We suggest buying tickets online. Otherwise you have to wait outside in the freezing cold for at least 30 minutes.

Following the monastery we got a few souvenirs and pastries for the car ride. Just a quick 30 minute drive down the road and we found ourselves at Saint Malo. A city much like Strasbourg. It is small with a large wall surrounding the city. We walked along the wall and watched the sun set over the ocean.

Then came the food. We found a chocolate store where we loaded up for the drive back. We sat down for a few drinks, hot chocolate & wine, cold beer and some Irish coffee. Then went in for dinner. The first restaurant we tried was either $60 bucks a plate or some weird foil gras with fish eyes. So we opted for a restaurant with more generic food options.