Mont St Michel Review
Mont St Michel is an awesome spectacle for visitors approaching along the narrow causeway that leads to this island fortress with its medieval streets and great hilltop abbey. The other name for Mont St. Michel is 'La Merveille' or 'The Marvel' and this is aptly given to tis UNESCO World heritage site.
Mont
St Michel is considered an outstanding example of Gothic architecture, crowned
by the abbey church which stands 250 feet above sea level. The church and
monastry are built on a great granite mound that sits about a mile offshore
on a sandy beach. The sand here can be dangerous, and even the bayeux tapestry
depicts a scene where King Harold saves 2 Normans from the quicksand at Mont
st. Michel.
The abbey of Mont St. Michel was dissolved after the French Revolution (1789-95), and Mont St. Michel was then used as a prison.
Visiting Mont St. Michel
If
you visit Mont St Michel we reccomend the audio guided tours of the abbey
which have lots of interesting information and are particularly informative
about the architecture of Mont St Michel which spans many centuries. The cloisters
at the top of the monastery have a great set of carvings and a spectacular
view down onto the sands below.
Mont St Michel is not only a place to visit during the day, but it also offers unique overnight accommodation opportunities and the chance to experience the mount in the eerie calm after the tour busses have left for the day. There are now many restaurants and hotels on Mont St Michel. The quiet of dawn is another excellent time to explore Mont St. Michel.
Restaurants on Mont St Michel
Many restaurants in this part of Normandy serve the local speciality of naturally salted lamb from sheep raised on the tidal meadows around the bay of Mont St. Michel. When cooked well, the taste of the Mont St. Michel Lamb is one of the finest gourmet experiences. Seafood is also a big part of the local cuisine.
La Mere Poulard was where we ate our meal. This restaurant, right by the entrance to the Mont is apparently famous for their soufle omelet which is good, if not stunning. This restarant has been open for hundreds of years and the visitors book is priceless. On the walls you can see photos of famous guests including, European royalty, Hollywood stars, french philosophers and politicians from all over the world. We particularly liked the fact they had placed their small photo of Margaret Thatcher directly below a huge photo of Leon Trotsky. Sadly when it comes to food, not much else on Mon Saint Michel lives up to the standard of La Mere Poulard.
Getting to Mont Saint Michel
Mont St. Michel is on the southernmost part of the French Normandy Coast close to the border with Brittany. Combine a visit with a trip to the Normandy Beaches which were famously freed by the allies on the 6th June 1944
More photos of Mont Saint Michel
Mont St Michel at Night
Mont St Michel from the entrance
