Mont St. Michel is built on an island, and for hundreds of years was only accessible at low tide. Many a monk was swept away by a rogue wave. The causeway in the top right picture was built to bring the tourists, but I recently read that it will be replaced by a bridge, due to silting issues.

The island is shaped like a small volcano, with the church at the very top. Below is an old medieval city, with twisting streets, charming buildings and narrow stairways. Lots of narrow stairways. More stairways than you can count. As one of the most famous places in the world, Mont St. Michel is also a Tourist Trap. However, the little-known secret is that there are a few hotels on the island. and if you spend the night, you share Mont St Michel with a handful of year-round residents and a few cats. This is when you really get the flavor of it. You hear the wind howl and the waves pound, and you realize how incredibly isolated and lonely and cold and miserable the monks must have been. The red sign at the bottom of the stairs in the bottom right picture marks the lobby of our hotel. Then we had to climb several flights of stairs to get to our room, but the incredible view and the whole experience was worth every step.