June 15 Mont Saint Michel
Awoke to steady rain, which looked set in for the day, so we opted to take a bus.
The Abbey, soaring skyward atop the small granite outcrop, 2 km into the bay (apart from the current above-sea-level causeway) is quite spectacular. Thought to date back to 708. It became a focus of pilgrimage. In the 10thC the Benedictines settled in the abbey while a village grew up below its walls, eventually extending to the foot of the rock. It was an impregnable stronghold. During the French Revolution the religious community was removed and it became a prison until 1863. The achievement of building this huge structure at the top of this steep rocky outcrop is awe-inspiring. The huge span of the high ceiling; the high windows; the network of worship areas and chapels; the refectory with its huge tables where the monks took their meals, the guests' hall immediately below; the monks' rooms; the enormous wheel which was used to hoist supplies up a steeply angled 'slide'.
The steep cobbled road from the bottom of the mount up to the abbey now houses hotels and shops aimed squarely at the tourist trade.
As the rain had stopped we walked home across the causeway.