Mont St.-Michel

Perhaps the highlight of our trip, however, was the last stop: Mont Saint-Michel. I guess you could describe it as an "island city" which varies with the tides. On the Atlantic Coast right on the border between Normandy and Brittany, one can walk across the mud flats for several miles in order to get to the city, which houses an amazing old Benedectine Abbey as its centerpiece. However, when the tides rise, it completely surrounds the Abbey and its surrounding buildings, looking like an island. I've included pictures of when we were there (low-tide) as well as what it looks like at high tide. Apparently in the past people making the pilgrimage during low-tide would occasionally get stuck in quick-sand and perish when the tides rose--I have been told by Claire's father that the tides rise faster than horses! Now, however, there is a road leading to the city, which is slightly raised and therefore always above the water. There is a sign at the parking lot along the road which tells drivers what the tide is going to do that day, so you know when you have to move your car out of the way so it doesn't get flooded.