Cloister at Mont St.-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is one of the greatest achievements of western European architecture. I had been there once before (I don't think I have a blip), but we did not climb to the Abbey which is its crown. It includes a spacious church and this cloister, completed in 1228; it was restored in the late 19th century.  It was a wonderful experience, on a calm and sunny day, with only a modest number of visitors.

The connection to the island has been totally altered, replacing the road which reached to the base of the monument with a long bridge, which you see in the extra photo (taken from just part way up our climb).  Parking is now a couple of kilometers away, with shuttle buses for access; they proved to be very efficient (though one wonders how long the queues will be in summer).  Edit: I've added an extra image with a general view, including the horse-drawn vehicle which serves as an alternative to the shuttle buses for a select few. Edit II:  On our last visit to Mont St.-Michel (in 2012) my blip was taken from nearly the same spot as the one of the horses.

We went with Didier, our host in Rennes, as driver; Nine was helping look after their grand-daughter Eloise, who has a serious case of the flu.