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Mont Saint Michel

was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

What would you do if u were here?

Mont Saint Michel in France

Magical!
Mont Saint Michel is a small island off the coast of Normandy in France.
About 40 People live in Mont Saint Michel.
More than 3 million people visit Mont Saint Michel each year!

Once upon a time . . . . It looks like a magical little kingdom as you approach Mont Saint Michel. There is an ancient abbey church at the top. Medieval walls and towers surround its base. Clusters of buildings along a narrow street form the village. And, after you wind your way up, up, up, you can look out over Mont Saint Michel Bay for a nice view . . . .

This is a narrow street!

It began like this a long time ago . . . . St. Aubert, who was the Bishop of Avranches, built a small church after a vision of the Archangel Michael (Michel) appeared to him. The small church was consecrated, which means that it was declared holy, on the 16th of October in 709, and Mont Saint Michel soon became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations along with Rome in Italy, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Benedictine monks settled on the rocky island in 966 and before the year 1000, the pre-Romanesque church was built. For close to one thousand years, men, women and children journeyed to Mont Saint Michel seeking the promise of eternity.

Some of the remaining houses along the narrow street were built as early as the 15th century. Imagine living in a house that is 600 years old! Today, the houses are mostly hotels where visitors can stay and shops where you can buy souvenirs and all kinds of interesting things, including toys! There are lots of restaurants, too, and some of them serve crêpes, the French word for pancakes, and even ice cream! Do you like pancakes and ice cream? YUM! If you were here, we could try them! Afterwards, we could visit the abbey, the museums and the parish church. You can find details at the official site for Mont Saint Michel. Please ask a parent or another grownup to travel with you, however, whenever you visit on-line sites. It’s much more fun than traveling alone!

Wet feet . . . . It used to be difficult to reach Mont Saint Michel without getting your feet wet! It was only possible at low tide because at high tide, Mont Saint Michel becomes an island! Now, a raised road, which is called a causeway, connects the land to the island. That’s good because it was not considered safe to walk on the wet, and sometimes sticky, sand or to wade through the water! And, the best part of all, now, your feet can stay dry!

Love, Oma

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Who will win?

Everyone wins when children learn more about the world around them!

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Thank You:

http://www.britannica.com
http://kids.britannica.com
Britannica and Britannica Online for Kids are excellent resources for information.

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://www.wikipedia.org

http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com

A special thank you goes to my daughters Alicia and Janella for their valuable input and to my husband Barthold, to Eveline, and to the Damen der Englisch-Gruppe in Marburg for their help with the German translations.

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All photos on this site were taken by me on my travels unless otherwise indicated.

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