Mont St Michel, etcetera

First thing Thursday morning we were up and headed for the station, catching the early train to Pontorson, famous for being the closest accessible place to Mont St Michel, our humble destination. On disembarking, we found ourselves accosted by an English-speaking Frenchwoman who took half the tourists under her wing and proceeded to instruct us on the ways and wherefores of getting to the Mont. She helpfully told us where we could leave our suitcases for the day, and made sure we were all sorted for catching the 'bus. We were slightly nervous that she was going to coerce us into hiring her as a personal guide, but managed to tactfully distance ourselves in the hope that someone richer would catch her eye.

The bus ride out took twenty minutes or so, and the view as we approached the island was lovely - just like one sees in the pictures. We were deposited at the base, and quickly made our way to the information centre to find out if we could walk around the island (it's a tidal thing). Unfortunately you can only go in a group, with a guide, as there is quicksand. Doing our own thing was more appealing (and more budget-conscious!), so we set up walking along the winding street towards the abbey. Somewhat disappointed by the multitude of extraordinarily tacky tourist shops lining the narrow road, and getting slightly damp by the gusts of rain, we hustled up to enter the abbey and learn about the history of this magnificent fortress. The audio guides here were very informative, and it was fascinating to see the layers of the buildings as they were remodelled and rebuilt over the centuries. We ate our lunch in a little courtyard garden just outside the buildings, and then wandered slowly downhill, finding an old family graveyard and a little chapel dedicated to St Michael, with a silver statue of him slaying the dragon. We finished waiting for the bus in a little cafe, waiting for the rain to stop while writing postcards.

Back in Pontorson we had an hour to wait for the bus to St Malo, which we spent sitting on our suitcases by the bus stop, with umbrellas over our heads, singing hymns. No doubt we provided amusement for the other travellers.

We didn't see much of St Malo, alas, but what we did see was very nice. The Youth Hostel is terribly up to date, with all sorts of activity rooms, and we spent our short evening there, getting early to bed in preparation for an early trip across the Channel in the morning. Setting out at 8am, we had a 45 minute walk in to the port in town, trundling our cases over cobblestones (not fun) along the beachfront (beautiful). We didn't make it into the old walled town, but at least had a nice view of it from the outside as we hurried along. Finding the hdferries terminal was a bit of a mission, but we made it, and there were seats left on the ferry we wanted! We even had a lovely calm crossing over to Jersey. . .