Dateline: Avranches Good Friday 22nd April 2011

Fine and warm.
We begin our day with a visit to the Scriptorial (Museum) in Avranches which explains the history of Avranches and Mont Saint Michel from the middle ages.  A monastic scriptorium has been set up to show the tools, inks and pigments used by the monks in their painstaking creation of the manuscripts.


Mont-Saint-Michel
According to legend Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet.  But Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger. That did the trick. The dedication to St Michael occurred on October 16, 708.
It appears in Bayeaux tapestry which commemorates the Norman invasion of England in 1066.  In 1979 it was added to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
Mont-Saint-Michel is connected to the mainland via a thin natural land bridge, which before modernization was covered at high tide and revealed at low tide, giving the mount a mystical quality.  The tides in the area shift very rapidly and comes in at one metre a second. The danger from quicksand and the rising tides claimed the lives of many medieval pilgrims making their way across the tidal flats.   It is still hazardous for visitors who attempt the walk across the sands.

 The climb to the top is difficult with 900 steps to the top.  It's very crowded since this is a holiday break for most people.  We climb several staircases and decide to go to one of the displays.  Quite well done but in French only so we don't really get the full benefit of the show.

A school excursion

It's strange to see quite a lot of people with their pet dog.  Difficult enough to climb yourself so it's an odd decision to take a pet.  Seems to be something the French do, we regularly see people leading their dog along in busy public places in the cities.
 
We drive back to Avranches and return to Mont-Saint-Michel just on sunset to capture some photographs.  Darkness falls around 9pm and as we stand on the beach we're startled by a loud roar.  Shining the car headlights onto the water we can see the water moving rapidly towards the sand as the tide rushes in.  
The lights on the mount are gradually switched on as we keep an eye on the water level. With the photos done we drive back to Avranches. 

Next:  D Day and the Normandy landing sites.

How do "Do not walk on the grass" signs get there?