On June 19, 2010, Jackie and Madeleine embarked on a very special adventure; they finally decided that they wanted to go to visit the Mont Saint Michel, the small rocky island about 1 km from the north coast of France at the mouth of the Couesnon River in Bretagne. The mount is best known for the medieval Benedictine Abbey and steepled church that occupies most of the 1km-diameter clump of rocks jutting out of the waters of the English Channel. The island is accessible when the tide goes out, by the means of a small causeway and road. When the tide comes in, however, at the speed of a galloping horse to quote Victor Hugo, the small rocky mount becomes an island, accessible only by the narrow path between the mount and the land.
The Mount is about a 3 hour trip (via train and bus) from Paris, and so we left early in the morning from la Ville Lumiere for the coast. We left Paris in gloom and rain, and within 3 hours, we saw the Mount eerily emerging from the clearing mist in the distance. Soon, we were at the foot of the Mount, looking up in absolute awe. It was stunning--possible one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Now, I can understand why my dad proposed to my mom here so many years ago (good job, dad. How could she say no?). The first sensation I had was of the salty sea air filling my lungs. We were lucky because the sun had started to peek out from behind the clouds by the time we arrived. The Mont Saint Michel stood out like an incredible tower against the bright blue sky, and the water of the coast was a perfect grey-blue that melted into the white sand.
After surveying the area, we made our way to the walls of the city. Right away, we were surrounded by swirls of tourists who crowded the little cobblestone streets. Thankfully, however, we were not victims of Eurocrush (for definition, read Jackie and Madeleine go to Versailles) in spite of it being a Saturday afternoon. So, we slowly made our way up the steep and winding street to the mid-point of the Mount, where our efforts were rewarded with a truly stunning view of the distant town.
Our next step was to go in to visit the Monastery right at the top of the Mont, which we thankfully got into for free with our student cards (Win!). The view from the top was absolutely incredible. You could see for miles around, and the horizon was a gentle blue that faded into the blue of the sky. The monastery was really wonderful, and we walked around for a couple of hours, making our way through the labyrinthine corridors of the building, before going back out into the sunshine again. 
Unfortunately, on account of the time of the last bus' departure, we did not have that much time to spend there, but we did have enough time to visit the Monastery, have lunch in a nice little creperie, and walk along the sand for a while. We found a little path that was off the beaten path, and made our way to the quiet side of the island, where there were rocks and a path along the beach that led to a tiny abandoned chapel. The winds were incredible. I was actually afraid that I was going to fall over as we were walking across the beach. But at the same time, I was so happy to be there, enjoying the sunshine and feeling the sea air whip across my face and through my hair. The beach was unlike any I had ever seen: the water was neither blue nor dark, but a clearish grey color, and the sand was like clay. I later learned that that was because it sometimes turns to quicksand. Oops.
At the end of the afternoon, we hopped back on the bus, and went back to Paris. What a whirlwind of a trip!
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