‘By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.’- Mark Victore Hansen
I have been very fortunate to visit France on multiple occasions. I have been to Paris five times, spent a two weeks in the South of France, and walked the solemn grounds of Normandy on the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. What I had never done was visit Mont-Saint Michel, a small island, centered by a monastery, just off the coast in Normandy. It was something I had always wanted to do but never managed to make it work. Until this trip.
One of the benefits of visiting Paris multiple times (it’s one of my favorite cities) is that it elevates the pressure to see everything! I was able to just enjoy and hit some spots I had always wanted to. While Mont-Saint Michel can be done by yourself, I did not go that route. I had planned my entire trip and just did not have the bandwidth to figure out how to get to rural Brittany without a tour. And why should I when Paris City Vision made it really easy (not sponsored). They had limited dates (all tours did during December) but offered a coach to get me there and back plus a ticket to the abbey. Some tours offer your traditional tour experience, that is not what I was looking for but explore your options to find what is best for you. It is expensive and all the tours were similarly priced. I did benefit from a great conversion rate and it was something I had always wanted to do, so worth the price and ease of getting there.
December is off season for Mont-Saint Michel so not as many shops and cafes open. The flip side is that there weren’t a lot of people. Truly, sometimes I was all alone in a space, which allows you to really feel the it. I don’t know what it would look like during peak season but I was able to eat a delicious crepe and the famous omelet…which was weird. The island is very famous for how they do these omelets. It reminded me of a fluffy yorkshire pudding but not as good. I love eggs but this did not have a ton of flavor. I’m glad to have experienced it but wouldn’t order again. I would eat all the crepes though, lol.
It is quite the hike up to the monastery/abbey that center the island and the reason for its existence-a lot of stairs on the final push to the top. It is still a working monastery so parts of it are closed and, as there were so few there, you would hear the occasional door close or a shadow down a corridor of the fairly cloistered community. A bit creepy but also brought the church to life as it is a bit stark, ha! Since it was December, there were decorations for the holidays so that was really pretty and a unique experience.
It was a truly magical way to spend a day, in total about 5ish hours. Just a note of caution, I went onto the sand at low tide. It is slippery!! Almost fell a couple of times which would have made the fourish hour ride back VERY uncomfortable. So you should definitely do it, great views of the island!
