The Mountain of Saint Michael, called Mont Saint Michel in French, resides in the middle of a river. At high tide, no one is able to reach it. Well, they weren't able to reach it until the government built a bridge that silted up the river and ruined the whole effect. Now, they are working to remedy the problem by building a different kind of bridge and restoring the river, but that's beside the point.
This island has a grand total of twenty-five people who live there. Fourteen monks, three priests, and seven lay people. During the summer time, twenty thousand individuals enter the city in a single day. Crazy, crazy stuff.
Fortunately, it was not nearly so croweded today. Freddy, our bus driver, drove us to the city gate and dropped us off. We soon met our tour guide and she led us through the town and abbey. She was absolutely fantastic. I know I rave about Malcom Miller, our tour guide at Chartres, but this lady was almost as spectacular! Although French born and bred, she spoke english with an almost perfect British accent. She tapped Maile on the nose to prove a point, and rested Michael's hands on Jane and Chelsey's heads to demonstrate how the transcepts of the church were supported by crypts. She was perpetually cheerful without being annoying, and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear all of the interesting details she shared with us. After a long line of guides, except Malcom Miller, who did not talk loud enough, did not speak clear English, and did not have an engaging way to share information, she seemed to be an angel from heaven.
Mont St. Michel is eighty meters high and one kilometer around. Most of the island is covered by a large abbey founded to civilize the area. For eighty years after the French Revolution it was not an abby, but a prison. Sometimes it was refered to as the Bastile de la Mer-or the Prison by the Sea. I find it an enchanting name, especially considering that it is inaccesible at high tide.
The abbey is still functioning like it always had, though the Benedictine monks who lived there abandoned the abbey, even after it stopped being a prison. They prefer to live like hermits and avoid people. The daily flood of tourists was not conducive to their way of life. Instead, a new order has taken over. All of these monks have part time jobs in the city, as they dearly wish to bring peace to the world through their interactions with it. Should one desire to share their way of life, it is even possible to e-mail them because they have a computer. I found that to be particularly interesting.
Compared to most of the big churches we have seen, I found the abbey to be relatively simple. Limestone bricks in shades of yellow and cream made up all of the walls. Neither paintings nor tapestries adorned the walls-even the alter was covered by a simple white cloth surrounded by vases of flowers. Only the cloister featured elegant carvings between the columns. When the abbey was built there was not an actual garden here; carvings in the lime stone were the only method of bringing heaven to earth in that little place. It was not until much later that the lovely pink flowers, thick grass, and plump bushes were added. Being on the third floor, it did not surprise me that they did not have a gurgling fountain to create a calming ambiance.
We explored the sanctuary just before Mass and had the oppurtunity to watch a monk ring the bell, calling the others to orders. He wore a long white robe with a pointed hood that rested on his back. As he pulled the bell rope, we could see his dark wash jeans, fashionably cuffed at the bottom over top his sandals, though I doubt he was trying to make a fashion statement. Very methodically, he reached high on the rope and pulled it back down without pause. From inside the sanctuary the melodious tones were muffled, but as we stepped outside to make room for the crowd arriving to celebrate mass, the clanging could be heard loud and clear. I had never before considered that the church bell would be hard to hear inside the church. An interesting concept.
After our spectacular tour, I wandered into the gift shop and lost my usual lunch buddies. Instead, I ate kebabs with Michael and Ethan, before we walked down the hill to look at the shops. We soon lost track of each other in the maze of pottery and t-shirts, so I spent the rest of the afternoon alone. I found a christmans ornament with the island painted on it, and I am very pleased with that purchase. I have wanted one to commemorate the trip, but this was the first ornament I had found that featured something european, instead of just being an ordinary Christmas decoration. I know, Christmas is not for another seven months, so it makes sense that I would have that problem.
I returned to the bus and was met with a dance party. Freddy had found some techno music on the radio, so we took full advantage of the oppurtunity. It was fantastic!
I slept on the way to the island, waking up only to watch a shephard and his sheep dogs push a flock of fluffiness across the road. But the drive back featured lots of lovely, green countryside. With the sheep scattered across the fields, and the towering spire of Mont Saint Michel in the background, it was a highly picturesque scene.
Shortly after returning to the hotel, Josh, Tyler, Casey, Kayla, Melissa and I headed out for dinner. Everyone else decided to stop into a grocery store, but neither Melissa nor I were interested, so we ditched them. But in a very nice way of course. They went into the grocery store, we kept walking. You could almost say they ditched us.
Anyways, it was 6:30 when Melissa and I started looking for a place to eat, but people in France eat dinner late, so nothing was open until 7. In the meantime, we sat on the grass outside the castle walls and swapped stories. Eventually we found a place to eat. I had a crepe with potato, cheese, egg, mushroom, and meat inside, followed by a crepe with apple compote on top. It was a crepey meal that took two hours to eat. The whole time, Melissa and I probably learned more about each other than we had ever known about each other before. Suffice it to say, it was a really fantastic dinner. I just can't get over what a good time I had!
Upon returning to the hotel, Josh, Casey, Kayla and I watched Big Bang Theory. Now, it is again, long past my bed time and I need to sleep. So, once more, I bid you goodnight, from Caen, France.
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