The Engineering of...the impossible

Last weekend, I went on a little adventure of my own to Mont St. Michel in northern France. Talk about an engineering feat! It has been rebuilt 14 times atop a boulder in the middle of quicksand and water that cuts it off from the mainland when the tide comes in. It used to house about 60 monks, but now 5 live there along with the numerous pilgrims who visit each morning.



The monastery was absolutely magical. As we approached it by bus, driving through the countryside, the pointed steeple of the Mont crept above the horizon line-- a domineering shadow against the cloudy sky. We stopped for lunch at a place with a great view of the island and munched on the famous Mont St. Michel omelet-- an odd, light, frothy dish.





Finally, we made our way to the base of the rocky site and wound our way up and into the monastery. Despite the dark appearance from the outside and the cold gray stone walls, the rooms are actually filled with light. The windows are angled in such a way that from either end of a room, you cannot actually see the panes of glass, but they still let in the sunshine. The monastery was a place of learning for the monks who knew everything from agriculture to physics and acted as doctors to the nearby villagers.



The main chapel of the monastery exemplifies the mixture of architectural styles that was necessary during its multiple renovations. The entryway is in the Roman style with straight, striated columns, but the altar area is framed by high, thin Gothic windows. Very Harry Potter-esque, overall.

I explored the town for a bit, sampling the also-famous Mont St. Michel apple shortbread cookies and squeezing through their "main road," which is as wide as an average person's shoulders!



On Sunday, we fought our way to the Champs Elysees where the Tour de France ended. After waiting for nearly six hours, the bikers finally arrived! They did five quick loops up and down the road. And by quick, I mean BLAZING FAST! We could barely see them as they zoomed by-- I was looking for Lance, but decided my search was in vain and took a video to analyze later, instead. Europe definitely has different interests in sports than the U.S.-- rugby, biking, soccer... So, the Spanish dude won in the end (the country is doing well this year, no?) and Lance said goodbye to the Tour for the last time.

And, shockingly, I only have three more weeks until I say goodbye to Paris! We have packed a lot in so far and I am planning on getting the most of my remaining time here...