We thought this may be the city hall or a government center.
"The Church of Notre Dame was built by the companions who built Mount Saint Michel. Roman and Gothic transition of the XII and XV centuries, it imposes itself in its environment by its massive aspect and its porch. The latter is framed by two Romanesque towers at the time of the happy passage of the Coesnon by the men of William the Conqueror, in danger of bogging down going to take the fortress"
During the evening we decided - after much debate - to check out Mont Saint Michele at night. It is said to be a site to behold. Well went we arrived, we had no idea we had to walk over a mile just to simply get a long-distance view. It was a stunning view - don't get me wrong, but one we thought we could simply drive to. At least we knew how to prepare ourselves for the next day's visit. We had to take a shuttle bus, bike it, walk, or take a horse-drawn carriage (after payment of course). Those were the only options - no motorized vehicles allowed within the actual streets. People live within the walls and have their shops and restaurants. Truly an amazing experience and stunning views.
View at night. (Sorry about the graininess of the shot)
The causeway surrounding the area fills in with sea water at tide so the entire area appears like its an island in the middle of the sea.
A very pleasant couple took our picture after we took a couple of them. :)
You just keep going around and around and up and up.
We got a bite to eat when we first arrived - this was our little companion when we were eating. :)
Flowers growing everywhere - even out of the walls!!
The views are spectacular no matter what angle they are taken from.
This area will be all water after the tide comes in.
Pictures from the lower/first level with unique shop signs
There was also a cemetery behind a smaller chapel
Views from as far up as we got. There were many (and I mean MANY) school fieldtrips in progress on the same day we visited. We decided not to wait to get into the actual church as it would have been a very long time with all of the different schools there. We got to see more than what we could have expected and plus we left with several treasures we couldn't live without. :)
Our next stop was Rouen, France - the capital of Normandy. That was a shocker -- did not expect what we received as far as a hotel room. Our view was dead plants and wire to keep the pigeons off the ceiling. The hotel was right off the freeway --- you make a right hand turn off the freeway and there it was. Parking was nerve-wracking, no air condition, no Wi-Fi, and we didn't dare leave to find the Joan of Arc Church or the memorial of her, which was what we had planned. And to top it off, our room was on the fourth floor ---- the elevator didn't work to get to the fourth floor! It was crazy. We were only booked for the one night. However, we did eat dinner in their restaurant and it was delicious - that was it's only saving grace. The next morning we were on our way down to check out. When the elevator wouldn't come up, we decided to take the stairs down only to come upon a reception desk with no one there. We were actually standing at the desk at least five minutes before the elevator actually came down with the two people who were waiting on the fourth floor when we decided to take the stairs instead. So very glad that was simply a stop over point. So hence - no photographs were taken in Rouen, France.
Onto the next stop ---- Belgium!!
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