After paris we still had a week left.  What to do, what to do.
There is a place just of the Normandy/Brittany coast which is mindblowing.  Out in the bay there is a rocky outcrop and on top of this is a Cathedral and small town built.  To see this in a book or on TV it just doesn't look real, it looks like it's come straight out of Lord of the Rings, Minas Tirith, infact without doing any internet research I would be positive that this place was the inspiration for the design of the Minas Tirith by either Tolkien or Jackson.  As it has been on my to-do list for quite some time it seems logical to head that way.
But first we stopped in to visit Nico and Anne-Sophie, a couple that we knew from New Caledonia.  It's funny when you catch up with people again as you are not sure how it will all go and you can be a little nervous, but there was nothing to worry about as both Nico and Anne-Sophie hadn't changed a bit.  Their children were a few years older though.  We stayed the night and had a BBQ and a good chat and caught up on the last few years.
The following morning was an early start for the 4 hour drive to the coast.  It started off nice and sunny in Chaudon but by the time we got to Mont Saint Michel the cloud were dark and forboding and it definately looked like rain.  We didn't have the code to get into the Hotels carpark so we had to park in the large paid parking area and then walk in.  About 20 minutes later we where at the Reception and got the code.  I looked at my watch, did a quick calculation and thought that I'd have enough time to run back to the car and exit the parking within the 30 minute free time.  As I've said before, I'm unfit but even with that I was making good time back until just about havle way when the calf muscle went 'ping'.  Shit.  I half hopped, half hobbled on, got to the car and made it out of the parking with 30 seconds to spare.  I just saved myself 6 Euro ....
Mont Saint Michel, to me, is a marvel.  The rock that it is built upon is in a tidal bay that has the largest range in Europe, upto 16m but averages around 10m.  This means that in the olden days when this place was constructed, the builders has to carry whatever they needed to out to the island in only a short time frame before the tides came rushing back.  The trip out is hazardess because of the 'quicksand' like areas that can and do occur regularly and for the fact that when the tides do return, they come at a speed that is hard to run from.  Over the years a low water causeway was built to make the trip easier, the land around the bay was reclaimed for farming therefore the distance that you needed to walk was reduced and then eventually a fully exposed causeway was constructed.  This obviously made the trip to Mont Saint Michel a lot safer and easier but by doing it it took away the sense of completion, of connecting with the past and to get some feeling of what the pilgrims had to put up with before.  It also meant that it was no longer an island which totally took away that 'oh my god, how did they do that' feelling.  Over the past 10 years the French Government have started to reverse this and have spent Millions on trying to desilt the bay.  Today we have the island back, it's still easy to get to, sore calf muscle and all, with the help of the bridge and free buses but you can now see it clearly.  You can even walk to the island during low tide over the mud flats (expert guide recommended) if you so desire.  Unfortunately people are still risking their lives on the flats and people die every year because they don't take enough precautions.  My advise; walk along the bridge, get there safely, enjoy the area, stare out into the bay and imagine what it was like.  Or HIRER a guide.
The actual town and church are like a lot of others in France and Europe once you are inside them.  The streets are narrow, the buildings are old and there is a lot of souvenior shops to waste your money in.  But here there is one thing that you don't get in other places and that is the 'wow' feeling more in regards to 'wow, how did they do this' than to 'wow, why did they do this'.  The why is easy; is very easily defend.  It was bombarded by the English during the Hundred Year War but didn't get close to being captured despite only having a small group of defender and with a natural barrier like to tides, it cleaned up any assault from the coast ever 12 hours.  Perfect for defence.  But it's the how that so compelling.  Just like we found in Meteora in Greece, if you have enough faith in something then you can pretty much get anything completed no matter what obsticles are placed in your way.  This place took years and years to get to this point, I hope that it can stay this way for the future generations to marvel at.