***
France 2010
Day 9 - 11th October - Normandy: Mont-St-Michel (Part 1)
Today we visited the gothic abbey of Mont-St-Michel, dedicated to the archangel Michael.
Mont-St-Michel and Wheat Fields
The desolate road we were stranded on the previous night when the car broke down. It arouded more consternation at night.
Causeway to Mont-St-Michel, and Mont-St-Michel. In the past MSM was really an island but now it's permanently joined to the mainland with this causeway.
Walking on the causeway to Mont-St-Michel. Notice the crowd at 9:13am. Consider that opening time of the complex-proper was 9:30am.
Notice the supplementary parking where the high tide is
UNESCO plaque. I'm guessing this was before they developed their symbol (MSM was the eighty-first place to be inscribed)
"Porte et logis du roi" (Gate and home [?] of the King)
Drawbridge - entrance to the gauntlet of shopping, restaurants and hotels, in what was formerly the village at the foot of the abbey. I'm amazed they squeezed so many inside.
The gauntlet
They have an ATM and post office there
The way got narrower, but there were still as many commercial outlets
Surprisingly, the restaurants were not as expensive as I expected.
Plaque to Franco-Canadian unity: the abbot of Mont-St-Michel had presented Jacques Cartier - a Breton who claimed Quebec for France - to Francis I
There were some shops with what looked like mannequins and animatronic displays, trying to con tourists into believing that they were important attractions. There was a church which looked more interesting: Eglise Paroissiale St-Pierre (Parish Church of St-Peter)
This should be St Michael and the Dragon
Strangely, there was a service in English going on, with a Filipino priest. The start of one hymn sounded like the Village People's "Go West", but went "Give thanks, with a grateful heart".
Church door. I'm not sure what Joan of Arc is doing here - perhaps both she and Mont-St-Michel (which the English never captured) are symbols of French power
Mont-St-Michel from below. In middle photo my camera screwed up again, but in this case the effect is not unpleasant
Staircase to get up to the ticket booth. Mont-St-Michel was free for the disabled and a companion of theirs. My theory is that they wouldn't be able to get up this flight of stairs anyway, so there was no harm giving them a free pass. It was also free for the unemployed. IIRC France is the only place I know of where the unemployed get this kind of benefits.
Soaring Stone
"Ne pas jeter les chewing-gum dans l'urinoir" ("Don't throw chewing gum into the urinal")
There were French tours at 10:15 and 1:15pm, and at 10:30 there was a 2 hour tour which cost a whopping 13€ (admission was only 8,5€). At 11 there was a tour in English, but I was "strongly encouraged" to take the French tour to save time, so I didn't learn that much.
The Causeway viewed from the top
Causeway and Bay
Causeway and Bay. The Bay is rich with wildlife.
Angel on top
Angel
"NO COMMENTS in this room. THANK YOU"
They mean "commentary"
Abbey church
The interior of Mont-St-Michel was totally empty - it must be the barest intact historical site I've ever been to. At first I blamed the Revolution, but I think it's more because it was a prison (even before the upheaval).
Nave of Abbey church
I wasn't feeling very well, but I did catch a few things. Among which: St Michael protects the fleur de lys (an important symbol of France). They were also proud that the English had built a fort 3km away but never captured the abbey - because St Michael was the guardian of the flower. In 1887 the statue of St Michael fell (?). Later a helicopter put it back, but it fell in the direction of England (I think).
Ceiling of Abbey church. It looks like wood (?!)
Coat of arms in wall
Pillars of abbey church. I like the stunned woman.
Cloisters
Cloisters
Carvings
Side of cloisters
Looking out of plastic pane in cloisters
I didn't catch the significance of the direction [statues, I think] faced, but Christ facing in cardinal directions had a meaning. North was the crucifixion and south was the virgin (?).
The spider web did not come out
Refrectory
Coloured glass on a stone ledge
"The archangel Michael appears to Aubert, bishop of Avranches"
Guests' Hall
This was another chimney in the Guests' Hall
Kitchen shaft, with sun at the top. My camera wasn't good enough to capture the shaft properly.
I was feeling a bit sick, so I didn't really understand the tour, especially as it progressed. Worse, there were no chairs.