I did a blog post on Mont-Sant-Michel, France for Thursday Doors  and had so many great pictures, I thought they deserved another post! My hubby and I have just returned from our first cruise and there were so many excursions to pick from we decided to go our separate ways to see more! Hubby chose to go to Mont-Sant-Michel from our first port stop, St Malo, France. The only pictures we had ever seen of Mont-Sant-Michel was from far away, a rocky outcrop of buildings. It is another thing to see it up close and personal! I won’t be explaining the history of the place, but if you would like to learn more about that, look at my previous post HERE. Let’s start from our first sight of the shore line of St Malo!

where a bus was waiting to pick up 30 passengers and take them to Mont-Sant-Michel…………

to a little village parking lot about a third of a mile from Mont-Sant-Michel…………….where you have the choice to walk the causeway or across the mud flats to get to your destination………

Hubby chose the Causeway…….once a day the tide comes in and the Mont is surrounded by water!

It definitely was built on a crop of rocks and in the feudal society that constructed it: on top, God, the  abbey and monastery; below, the  great halls; then stores and housing; and at the bottom, outside the walls, houses for fishermen and farmers.

After going through the entrance in the lower village it’s all steps, up and up and up from here!

And then after the first steps, through the drawbridge…… to reach the shops………

When you reach the shops and stores the narrow streets get very congested! It reminds me of a Christmas Market!

The village was a delight of signs!

And then up some more steps………

And More Steps……. look at the bright side you could have had to walk up those old steps to the door that is now closed off…..

Or taken one of the short cuts up through this very small door………

Getting closer to the top, I hope! Are those gargoyles?

Finally inside the Abbey!

There are many rooms inside the Abbey and in the rooms that housed the monks…..what thick walls!!!!!!

And here is the view when you look out! You can see where the causeway is taken out as the tide comes in….. One only has so much time here before the tide comes in or you’ll be staying in the village!

Some tourists prefer walking to and fro over the mud field!

Much of the Abbey has been stripped to the bare bones, since it’s last official use was a prison!  Pieces of the hand-made, beautiful interior, as it once was, is highlighted in some parts of the Abbey.

Now what have we here? Can you guess? It is a rope and pulley system, whereby several men ran in the big wooden drum, that in turn would pull the rope on the pulley, bringing supplies up the shaft. It saved walking up all the steps! But, how would you like to be the men doing the running?

Back outside the Abbey I wondered who they called with the bell?

And then back down a different set of steps…….

to a small church at the base of Mont-Sant-Michel that is used by the villagers. Not as many steps to worship here!

And it is richly decorated inside………

And then the bus ride back to the dock at Saint Malo…………This photo reminds me of a dilapidated parking garage!

And then taking the tender back to the Explorer. A day well spent I’d say!

Well I hope you enjoyed the walk through Mont-Sant-Michel today! See you next week when I’m on my excursion to Dinan, France. Be sure to check out the other walks this week HERE.