Absinthe – KEVIN CRAIG

How does one top Versailles? Easy, go to Mont-Saint-Michel the very next day…

This day makes me think of SAUDADE. This is a word I used in my novel THE CAMINO CLUB. People loosely describe saudade as the love that remains, but it is also so much more. Look it up—SAUDADE. You’ll love all it entails!

All this to say that September 20th, 2023 was a very otherworldly experience. I never in a million years thought that I would step down on the little island of Mont-Saint-Michel. Little ole’ me, the snot-nosed kid from Scarborough, Ontario who used to sneak under the turnstile and onto the subway with their big brother and ride it back and forth for fun on a Saturday morning visiting this mythical place on the other side of the world? No. Not me.

And yet, here we were!

I will always long for the return of this day!

I mean, look at it! It’s monolithic and gothic and impossible. And yet, there it is…REAL. Mont-Saint-Michel, in all its glorious gloriousness.

But first thing’s first. It was an EARLY day, as we needed to take an almost 5 hour bus ride to get to Mont-Saint-Michel. And we needed to get to the start point near the Eiffel Tower. Did I mention that the Eiffel Tower is in the no man’s land of the 7th Arrondissement? We decided to grab the Metro, which is SO extremely easy to navigate.

Don’t be afraid to take the Metro…it could not be easier to use.

This might give you some indication of how early we were making our way to the Eiffel Tower. Paris’s underground is arguably the busiest subway system in the world. During rush hour, you cannot move on the platform or the trains. This is what we encountered on the way to the Tower on this morning.

Enter the part where we spent over 4 1/2 hours on a bus crossing France’s countryside. One stop for a bio-break and a stretch.

I have never felt so inserted into history as I felt when we finally made our way into the little conical village of this mystical magical island. It is truly an architectural wonder. Awe inspiring!

If ever you get the opportunity to visit Mont-Saint-Michel, take it! You may not think it’s worth spending 9 hours on a bus for, but I assure you…it IS! When you walk its streets, you are in the presence of wonder itself.

Narrow and overcrowded, and a thousand times worth it!

Yes, it’s a tourist trap…but it’s also a marvel. Ground broke on the construction of the abbey in the 10th century…please let that sink in! It was completed in 1523!

The breathtaking view from the courtyard of the abbey at the top of Mont-Saint-Michel…

The abbey itself was just a never-ending architectural and archaeological masterpiece. It’s stupefying how this place was even built in the middle ages.

Michael, enjoying one of the many views from the Abbey.

We had time to wander the little spiraling village to its apex at the breathtaking Abbey, and then come back down to do a little shopping and have a meal in one of the tiny pubs near the bottom.

I did not take a photo of our lovely meal, as I noticed a sign that said PUT YOUR PHONES AWAY and I just know the woman serving us was a close relative of THE SOUP NAZI!

Being on the outside of the ramparts of Saint-Michel was just as magical as being in its narrow streets.

Enjoying an incredibly windy afternoon outside the fortress walls of Mont-Saint-Michel. This beach is often under water, yet here we were…

We decided to walk back to the parking area, as opposed to taking the shuttle. We wanted to take advantage of seeing Mont-Saint-Michel at various viewpoints as it faded away to nothing behind us. Such an amazing piece of history to be in the presence of…mind-blowing!

The inexplicable cow menagerie we met along the way back to the parking area. 🙂

It was time for the 4 1/2+ hour bus trip back to Paris. We were filled with the wonder of being at one of the world’s seven wonders! What was the inconvenience of a bus-ride now? We were blessed! The Gothic-style Benedictine abbey we had just been to was known throughout the medieval world as the ‘Wonder of the West’. And here were we, visiting it in 2023.

Soon we were dropped off very close to the foot of the Eiffel Tower…

The Tower at night is a treat to witness!

On our way back to the hotel that night, we decided to cross another item off of our Paris bucketlist. Yes, we sought out and found a place to serve us absinthe in the original theatrical way it should be served! They had the fountain of iced water, the fancy glasses that sat beneath the fountain spigots, the slotted spoon with the cubes of sugar! It was a moment! We watched as the process called louching took place and then we enjoyed the licorice-y burn-y sips of fire until it was gone.