Mont St. Michel

Years ago, I saw Mont St. Michel on a blog, which captivated me.  What is Mont St. Michel?  It is a small island off the coast of Normandy. On this island is an Abbey that almost defies gravity.  It is incredible, and in the summer, it is full of tourists.  We actually lucked out due to the weather, which wasn't as full as I imagined it could be during the peak summer season.  While that was a plus, it disappointed me as a photographer.  The photos look flat and dull. You win some, and you lose some. The Abbey goes back to the 8th century when Aubert a local bishop of the Catholic church claimed that the Arch Angel Michael told him to build a church atop the island out at sea. The Abbey became the center of learning and attracted scholars and pilgrims from great and afar. In 2015, the Abbey went under renovation, and now we have the Abbey to enjoy.  Below the island is an alley of what I assume used to be homes, but today, there are all kinds of shops selling everything from tourist items to crepes and the famous Omelet.

I saw you could order an omelet with truffles for 95$ in one restaurant.  This most famous omelet is whipped so that it is light and fluffy, nothing like one has ever had, and then one can include an arrangement of toppings. The price of the omelets ranged from 30$ plus. We made the rookie tourist mistake and ate on the island.  We ended up eating a very watered-down, expensive bowl of lentil soup. I like lentil soup, but this one was so watered down and had absolutely no flavor.  We left the restaurant hungry and then got a crepe for dessert.  Getting to the Abbey is no feat for the faint of heart. It is a thousand-plus steps to get to the top.  The view is well worth the climb. We arrived just in time for afternoon mass. Mont St. Michel concludes our time in France.  The following day, we drove back to Paris and caught a train back to Germany.