Purplelake: Day 11 – Aug 22, 2019 Jersey Island to Mont St. Michel

Of all the drives on this trip, today is the shortest drive. We took a ferry this morning from Jersey back to Saint-Malo on the mainland. From there, it was a very short one hour drive to one of the most iconic sights in France, Mont Saint-Michel. We were upset when we paid for the parking at the ferry terminal. Instead of going by 24h clock (we parked less than 24h), they charged us two days of parking! To add insults to injury, the machine did not give back our changes, making it one expensive parking lot!

There are several lodging options for visiting Mont Saint-Michel. Most tourists stay outside in towns outside the park and do a day trip by car or public bus. There are also accommodations on the island itself along the steep and noisy pedestrian streets leading up to the monastery but these hotels (should be called rooms) tend to be very basic and extremely overpriced. You also have to lug the luggage uphill yourself! We stayed in the small village La Caseme which is inside the park and right on the shuttle bus route from parking lot to the monastery. This allowed us to see Mont Saint-Michel during the day and in the evening at sunset, with a dinner break in between.

The iconic monastery, Mont Saint-Michel, is one of the top sights in France with 3 millions visitors every year

Mont Saint-Michel is a monastery built on a tidal island. Until a causeway was built in 1879, it was only accessible during low tide

During high tide, water covers the sandy flatland and changes Mont Saint-Michel back into an island once again as shown in this postcard

For centuries, it was a popular destination for pilgrims no doubt due to its awe-inspiring setting

Its strategic location also made it changed hands many times between England and France in its history

The monastery was converted into a prison after the French Revolution

The prison was closed in 1863 and the site was refurbished and protected as a national monument. Monks have returned since 1966 to the abbey

Three million visitors pass by this main street jammed with restaurants, gift shops, hotels, etc. leading up to the abbey every year

Modern day pilgrims!

This restaurant's claim to fame is the omelette invented by local chef La Mere Poulard

The price list to try this "famous" omelette is not for the faint-hearted!

For centuries, the few island residents have been staying in houses below the abbey

During low tide, some brave souls would walk out to the small island in the middle or all the way across the bay

The walking route along the wall helped us avoid the busy touristy main street

It was quite a climb to reach the abbey on top

This abbey was built in the Romanesque style in the 11th century

Tourists can no longer drive to the island nowadays. Instead, frequent shuttle buses would take tourists here from the parking lot located 2.5 km away

This new bridge has replaced the old causeway since 2014. Now the Couesnon River and ocean tides can flow freely around the island, taking away the silt accumulated in the years past