Frivolities: Le Mont St. Michel

The sight of Le Mont St. Michel looming in the distance was a welcoming relief after a nearly 4 hours drive from Paris in our rented Fiat 500. Situated out of nowhere, atop an island, the abbey offers a unique setting for a short getaway. Controlled by the rhythm of tides throughout the year, the place at times appears like an island surrounding by sea and at other times a hill surrounded by vast tracts of swamp land. Cars and tourist buses are parked along the bridgeway leading to the island entrance, as there's barely space to move once one is within the island walls.

As one nears the entrance door, one is immediately greeted by a medieval looking retractable bridge door.

At the foot of the abbey, within the island walls, a small community of Le Mont St. Michel lives in quaint stonewalled houses and cobbled stones narrow alleys.

Hotel Mouton Blanc is only a short distance walk away from the entrance. One will not miss it as there are only a few hotels on the island. Many tourists will come here for a day trip or stay just outside the island where there are larger and newer hotels. However, nothing beats the experience of staying on the island itself. The picture below shows the facade of Hotel Mouton Blanc, which is one of the oldest hotel at the foot of the abbey.

The hotel reception has a small reception counter with a wall adorned with copper pots and pans. What a cute sight!

Checking-in was a breeze as the hotel was organized and had all our details in advance. We were given a set of keys to Room 103 which is on Level 2. There was no lift in the hotel, as one could easily understand, given that it was built a few hundreds of years ago. Room 103 turned out to be a dream room. It wasn't anything fancy, but the quaint interior decor, reminiscent of an English old cottage home, really set up the mood. It's a room that looked like one lifted out of a Harry Potter film. I squealed in delight!

The picture below shows the view outside the room window.

It was about 4pm by the time we checked in and had a warm shower. The sky was once again cloudy and gloomy like in many winter days in northern France. We were reeling from our long drive, and all we wanted at that time was a good meal and some rest before the climb. The restaurant in Hotel Mouton Blanc could be conveniently accessed from our room, where we needn't step out into the cold. However, dinner would only be served only from 7pm onwards. We took a short nap in our hotel room, with "Mumbai Attack" continuous reporting on CNN - the only English-language channel available.

We were so ready by dinner time. I ordered mussels cooked in cream while Yan went for seafood platter as appetizers. Presentation was generous and the seafood was fresh.

I then had roasted leg of lamb served with french beans and green salad. Yan ordered his usual medium grilled steak. The food was average, but we didn't mind it at all. We were in great holiday mood!