Mont St. Michel

If you want to see some amazing shizz while in France, then a must is: Mont St. Michel!

Driving up to it, the fog will part and you'll start to see this magical looking mountain with a 'castle' built right on top. Surrounded by fields and sand - this beautiful Benedictine Abbey dedicated to St. Michael was strategically built on a small quasi-island that juts defiantly above the ocean.

At high tide, water rushes in and fills the land below the mountain. Described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse".

At low tide, it is separated from the mainland by a kilometer of sand. Before a bridge was built in 1879, the only approach to the Mont was by foot over this land bridge.

More often, peeps waited for the region's high and swift tides to recede and "safely" walked across the freshly exposed sands. This was never a casual stroll, however. Many miscalculated the tidal cycles and drowned. Some were swallowed by the area's perilous quicksand.

Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by mediaeval pilgrims making their way across the tidal flats, the mount still poses dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighboring coast. The danger of drowning due to coastal tides after getting caught in quicksand continues to claim lives. Apparently, Pilgrims needed alotta' faith to visit Mont St. Michel!

A medieval village is nestled at the bottom and we were lucky enough to stay in one of the small rooms for let right at the foot of the Abbey. You walk up its steep and narrow cobble-stoned street filled with fun cafes and shops to reach the monastic compound.

To read up on this lil' treasure, go to:

http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/accueil_gb.htm

And if you wanna' see some more amazing photos of Mont st. Michel, just do a google image search - totally worth it.