Dwelling on the vast Gulf of Saint-Malo in Normandy, in northwestern France and near the town of Avranches, Mont Saint-Michel is a pearl of France, a huge granite rock on which countless places have been built over time.
The location on the Atlantic Ocean gives a unique geographical advantage, which is to change their appearance depending on tides daily.
At flow, the rock walls are enveloped in the waters of a clear, calm blue, forming a whole with the sky. At that moment, broken by the rest of the continent, the solitary rock rises solemnly from the ocean waters and does not allow the traveler to approach. "Contemplate me from a distance," he seems to be shouting.
At reflux, on the other hand, it reveals itself in all its splendor and lures it into its enigmatic alleys.
The perpetual struggle between reflux and flow, where the "gain" - namely, this pearl of Normandy - is divided every day between the world of land and water, is the element that gives uniqueness to the rock of Mont Saint-Michel.
According to legend, the transformation of the rock and the history of this place was born in the early 700s, when Archangel Michael himself appeared to Bishop Aubert de Avranches, who cared for Mont Saint-Michel, a territory then called "Mount Tombe”(“ Tombs ”would also translate as“ grave ”). The angel ordered him to build a church, but he was not obeyed, and as a result St. Michael left his mark on the bishop's forehead, piercing his skull. Following this event, which finally convinced Aubert of the truth of the Angel's commandments, it was decided to build the church, and from that moment the island became known as Mont Saint-Michel.
The monastery, today called Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, was completed in the early 1800s, being given the role of a place of worship, and later that of a prison.
At the insistence of influential personalities (such as Victor Hugo himself), the church status of the abbey was restored, becoming, along with the entire island, even part of the Unesco World Heritage in 1979.
Leaving legends aside, let's talk about transportation. We arrived at the wonderful location finding a return train ticket, at a price of 60 EUR.
It took us a distance of 300 km, from Paris (where we were when we decided to visit Mont Saint-Michel) to Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny, a commune 50 km away from our goal. From Rouffigny, we had a bus connection included in the ticket to the coveted rock.
As a supplement that we consider necessary, we mention that in all the means of railway transport outside Romania that we tried, we found only "beautiful, clean, punctual and common sense".
This time, the "with a sense of humor" attribute was added to the train experience. The controller greeted us kindly, without a frown. Seeing that we were already delighted with the train journey, he decided that our simple happiness was not enough. He did not upset our day with a grumpy attitude, but made it more beautiful: smiling, he distributed Sudoku games, puzzles and colored pencils on behalf of the French railway company, proposing a contest: who solves the first a Sudoku page will have a sweet surprise. That's all we needed. The competitive Romanian spirit woke up from a deep sleep and we started to show our Sudoku skills, or, as the case may be, their lack. In the end, even the "loser" received the lollipops and candy. In Western countries, by the way, there are no losers, but the cooperative attitude is encouraged and rewarded.
As a result, Romanian Railways, please take a look here for the second time.
After this remarkable journey, we were very happy when at Mont Saint-Michel we found the streets modeled in the rock sprinkled with souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes, all patiently waiting for their visitors.
One of the boutiques that attracted us (especially the sense of smell) was the one that sold traditional La Mère Poulard biscuits, a unique brand, part of the gastronomic culture of Mont Saint-Michel. Inside, there was the smell of tender butter biscuits fresh from the oven. The saleswoman, like any professional with a mercantile spirit, offered us countless specific dishes and convinced us to buy her delicacies without any trace of regret. Remembering with longing even now the creamy taste of biscuits, we warmly recommend you to take, in addition to the classic fridge magnet, this sweet souvenir.
Otherwise, the walk on the alleys of the island is a tourist attraction in itself, permanently accompanied by the view of the Atlantic Ocean.
Everywhere, we are greeted by traces of architectural evolution over a whole millennium, a proof of the expertise of countless generations of builders and artists. A chic lantern here, an elegantly decorated door beyond turns our walk into an unforgettable experience.
The imposing element of the island, however, remains the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey that I mentioned at the beginning of the article. Built in Romanesque and Gothic style, it attracts an impressive number of visitors each year - over two million.
The ticket price and visiting schedule can be found here.
We ended our experience by enjoying a hot chocolate and a view that will remain imprinted in our souls for a long time.
The return to Paris took place in the same conditions of "beautiful, clean, punctual and common sense", which we will not stop mentioning, with the confidence that they will come to characterize the Romanian railway system.
In the hope that you enjoyed our adventure, we invite you to follow other experiences that we will share with the same enthusiasm.
À bientôt!
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