Mont Saint Michel

On Tuesday we drove 45k to visit Mont Saint Michel. Founded around the year 600 after the local Bishop had a vison where the angel St Michel told him to build an Abbey on the island known then as Mt Toombe. The Abbey grew in importance both spiritually and politically. It became the most important pilgrimage site in Western Europe, and due to its location on the boarder between Normandy & Brittany, was prominent in almost every historical event right up to modern times. Somehow it survived all the various wars that it participated in, and remained a functioning Benedictine Abbey for 1400 years apart from the revolution years, when all church property was acquired by the state. When Henry I took over this part of France it remained unconquered, withstanding a number of sieges. At times during it history it functioned as a sort of independent state, with its own army and navy. It sent three ships with the French armada to Waterloo, presumably they didn't come back. It has the ability to dissipate the huge crowds that visit it daily so that, if you are patient you can get a sense of the atmosphere and mystery of the place. We spent the whole day there and left reluctantly at 9pm.