It All Sinks In at Mont Saint Michel

This past Saturday, the French Honors group went on an excursion to Normandie, specifically to the culturally important UNESCO site of Mont Saint Michel.

Students enjoyed wildflowers and views of grazing sheep as they strolled to the base of the Mont. Many students stopped to take pictures and marvel in the views of the towering Monastery and adjoining village.

When we reached the Mont, students were able to learn about the history of the site using interactive, immersive tablets. Some students cited this as a highlight of the day, enjoying being able to see how the inside of the Monastery looked during ancient pilgrimages and as a war hospital. Did you know that multiple times in it’s history, the Mont also served as a prison?

Host families packed picnic lunches for the students, which they were able to enjoy in the village and at the front gates of the island. Many students explored during lunch time, finding delicious ice cream, souvenirs that they’ll treasure for a lifetime, and gifts for loved ones back home.

In the afternoon, we met up with Bertrand, our guide for our tidal flat exploration. Excitement mounted as students took off their shoes and took to the sand. Cries of wonder and surprise could be heard as we crowed together and started to jump, and the sand became “le sable movant”, the fabled quicksand of the bay. Students had a great time sinking in and extracting themselves from the sand, and then rinsing their legs in the river before repeating the process.

We continued to learn about the history of the bay and the safety provided to the Mont by the quicksand, and while en route students collected shells and found fast-moving crabs. We took group pictures as the day came to close. The bus was quiet on the return to Rennes, with tired, happy students chatting and napping after a fun day filled with exploration.