Tour de France coverage always includes the most glorious images of Mont Saint Michel when the tour passes that way. And I wanted to see it in person. Adam did not want to pay for parking, or a shuttle bus. What we could agree on was that neither of us could face the prospect of a night in a soggy tent so it would be a B&B for the night given that we were caught in the tail end of tropical storm Henri. And so it was that we found lodging sort of close to Mont Saint Michel, crossed the road into a muddy sheep-filled field and began trudging toward the island town. It was an impressive sight, all shrouded in mist, but it didn't seem to be getting any larger, or closer. I will thank Adam for taking care of my physical fitness, but I do wish we could tackle the matter in smaller, more discrete exertions.
We finally reached Mont Saint Michel itself with just enough daylight to poke around the ramparts then begin our return walk into the dusk. At kilometre 13, I insisted on dinner at a crêperie and there we first made our acquaintance with Normandy cider. Excellent apple cider it is too, as we would continue to find in days ahead as we sampled the offerings of local grocery stores. Mont Saint Michel is worth the visit, though I would suggest paying for parking at the end of the causeway even if you skip the shuttle bus. But don't bother eating or staying in the island town itself, these would be costly propositions. Do try the cider.