05 – First sight

... And There it is.!...

My hunger sated by a bountiful breakfast of fresh meats, cheeses, eggs , breads and hot chocolate – and following a most enjoyable tour of the splendid chateau at Carrouges (yes,  I WILL cover that later) we re-boarded the coach. Eagerly pressed up against a window, my camera at the ready (for readers of Paris…In My Pocket! I had by now gone digital) and having ensured easy access to left, right and rear coach views, I anticipated my first sighting of the mount. I half hoped it would lie over the horizon of a hill, and would unexpectedly and instantaneously loom in all its full majesty into view as the hill was crested. But no – little by little the distant outline of its familiar silhouette revealed itself. At first I saw a small but unmistakable shape on the horizon, and then gradually, as the kilometres passed by it grew as if in slow motion.  We’re nearly there.

The day was relatively clear. Against the streaked azure blue of the sky and the verdant green pastures of Brittany, the stone of the mount and its abbey stood out quite clearly from quite some distance. Occasional glints of gold flashed from the top of the spire. St. Michael was surely beckoning his next batch of pilgrims as he has done for the millions before me – for with some 3.5 million visitors each year Mt St Michel is second only to Paris on France’s list of ‘must sees’.

Have you ever wished a moment could last forever, and yet be over at the same time? 

That was how I felt. I wanted to be there at once to start my exploration, and yet the getting there is a great part of the enjoyment of any travel experience (as much as some airport authorities today try to ensure that it is not the case ;-)