Rocky checks into the marvelous medieval island of Mont Saint-Michel

Lads and lasses we are on the tail-end of our first journey across the lovely and dog-friendly country known as France.

We began the journey with a bit of exploring in Calais then off and did some sightseeing at the castles in Alsace and then up to the Normandie region for the D-Day experience. We are now going to finish this trip in style with an adventure on the tide island of the legendary Mont Saint-Michel.

Mont Saint-Michel is called a tide island because when it’s high tide the place becomes an island. During our visit the tide was low so we were free to walk over the flats.

I remember how excited I was and my tail wagged so quickly when I laid eyes on this majestic landmark. Even from a distance you can see how remarkable the island is. It didn’t even seem real to my eyes! My human also agreed that it looked like an illusion!

Driving toward Mont Saint-Michel…Is it a mirage?

The tide island is very tiny and so it’s not accessible by car which meant we had to park at a designated spot about a mile or so away and then we had the choice of either hopping on a bus, walking or taking a horse-drawn carriage.

View from our parking spot
It looks like it’s a few miles away but this spot is the closest anyone with a car can park

The bus was not dog-friendly so then our choices were walking or horse-carriage and horses are one of the few things that make this strong bull terrier a little afraid. Neither of us felt like walking so we chose the horses. Their giant galloping and loud neighing and whinnying makes me nervous and makes me tremble a bit. So in order to calm my nerves, my human carried me in the carriage until we finally made it!

On the carriage to Mont Saint-Michel
Feast your eyes!
A closer look at the island. Now let’s get on it!

It was as if we were entering a royal medieval village but one filled with visitors from all over the world. Makes sense because after all Mont Saint-Michel is a UNESCO world heritage site! I wonder how many of these I have already visited. I must come up with a list at some point!

Anyway, I was so excited to be setting my paws on Mont Saint-Michel and I couldn’t wait to sniff every corner of this island commune. Indeed once inside we couldn’t help but marvel at all the breathtaking architecture around us.

 

See these stairs? There were about a million more of them around the island but once you get up there, boy what a view it is!
A few of the buildings

Despite the island’s relative small size, it houses almost everything you need. We stumbled upon quite a few bed and breakfasts, hotels, cafes and more! I also learned that people do indeed live here and that the monastery is still home to monks.

Getting a bit exhausted!
Approaching the top where the abbey stands tall
I got so tired that my human Danny had to lift me up and carry me up a few flights of stairs
Danny walking through the crowd
Another look at Mont Saint-Michel
Me and Danny posing
The view from the top. There’s mainland France just across! Is that our car?
A look at the sandbanks

Even for a strong bully like myself, I still get pretty winded and I need energy! So we stopped by and grabbed some pizza at a nearby restaurant. As I said earlier, there’s a surprisingly vast amount of restaurants and gift shops on the island.

Pizza and beer!

After the long trek upwards it was time to walk back down a different path and see different monuments. We also found a great garden area to rest in and take in the sun. Not bad right? An island and the sun.

Such awe-inspiring buildings
We found a garden to rest in
Sunbathing tourists everywhere!
Taking it all in
Stuck between a Rocky and a hard place
We had the best views from our little rest area
Is that a spaceship above or just someone’s finger over the lens?
As we moved further down, it was important for us to keep looking up to see the beauty of it all and see how far we had come!

We entered quite a few shops and walked through many gardens but I wasn’t allowed inside the churches, however I did get to see the courtyards, which were all magnificent!

On the way out of Mont Saint-Michel we stopped by a gift shop where we found a small French flag that I used as a bandana to show how proud I was to take part in an adventure in this lovely country!

My new bandana in all it’s glory! Two beautiful sights! Mont Saint-Michel and of course, me!
The soft sand of the banks was perfect for me to walk on after trekking up and down Mont Saint-Michel.
Posing for the camera
A couple of tourists just enjoying the sun and the sights! How’s the flag looking on me?
Beautiful!
I wish I could live here!
A closer look!

As we walked out of Mont Saint-Michel we saw that all horse carriages had already departed so we had to walk the 1 or 2 miles back to our car! An exhausting endeavor, so I decided that if I were to exhaust myself walking, I might as well dirty myself up too and go all out! After all, I’ve got to do my Rocky dance in every city I go to!

Ready for my dance!
I hopped on my back and felt the soft sand then rolled back and forth several times!
Then I put my legs up to the sky!
And that’s how it’s done! But wait, there’s more! I’m not ready yet to finish!
Our road trip buddy throwing his arms up in surrender and letting me do my dance!
The outcome!
Okay, last one I promise!
The Rocky Dance!
What a lovely dance that was! I ended it with a little bully crawl! Now it’s time to go back and walk!

Au Revoir my friends! I loved Mont Saint-Michel but I don’t have to tell you twice! Just look at the beautiful photos of the island! Next time I’ll recount some of my favorite moments in France as I depart the country with a little visit to Dunkirk.

Until next time fellow travelers!

 

Rocky the Traveller

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