Day 7: June 30, 2024

This morning we went to Mont St Michel, one of the first places in France to get World Heritage status. It is a monastery and village built on a rock just off the coast of Normandy, and has been there for more than 1000 years. We drove from St Malo to the parking lot opposite the Mont, and then took the shuttle bus provided to cross the causeway to the entrance of the Mont. Passing through an ancient gateway, we climbed a steep street lined with shops and cafés to the Abbey (l'Abbaye de Mont St Michel) at the top. Inside there were yet more flights of stairs to a panoramic terrace looking out across the bay. We then visited the cloisters and the church, living areas for the monks and areas that were used as a prison after the French Revolution, before coming out in the gift shop and then the gardens. There was some time for taking more photos and shopping before meeting again at the bottom to take the shuttle bus back to our bus. We drove back to our hotel in St Malo and the afternoon was free for exploring the town, going to the beach and shopping. We met again for dinner, which was in a creperie. Crepes are the traditional pancakes of Brittany - the savoury ones are made of buckwheat flour and are a darker colour, whereas the dessert crepes are wheat flour and are thinner. After dinner some people stayed in town, and were lucky enough to see a St John's procession - a traditional midsummer festival in France, and then watched the sunset from the beach.