The Abbey
The great thing about traveling to Mont Saint Michel at the beginning of January is that there are very few people. We felt as if we had the place to ourselves. It was wonderful.
We climbed up to the Abbey in the morning. When I say climb, I’m not kidding. This is the beginning of the “Grand Degré,” There are around 350 steps.
We had to climb stairs up to these stairs.
Once inside, there are more stairs. There are so many flights of stairs. The reward after a hard day’s climb is this view. Feast your eyes.
The idea is that the higher you go, the closer to heaven you are. Imagine how “brutal, nasty, and short” life was centuries ago. The only sliver of hope was a sweet hereafter and that’s why artists focused on heavenly scenes with Botticelli-like angels. The next life had to be easier because this one here on earth was pure torment.
The cost of admission for people under 26 is half price. So when I was charged 11 Euros each, I asked why (because Maureen is a teenager). “Are you American?” “Yes” “Then no. It’s for Europe”. “That’s not fair”, I said.
0 Comments