I took the 7:30 am train from Bayeux to Pontorson, arriving at 9:15 am.  After that, I took the 10:00 am Ligne 6 bus from Pontorson to the Beauvoir-Caserne stop (2 euros, had to ask the driver to stop), right in front of my hotel, Motel Vert.

This was my little "bungalow" at Motel Vert.  It was the combination of a school portable and a cruise ship cabin.	The room contained 2 beds, a TV, a small closet, and a bathroom.  The very thin front wall had windows that opened (but not very securely).  No free Wifi!
The bathroom was very, very small, containing a sink, shower, and toilet.	My room was ready when I arrived around 10:15 am (amazing!), so I left my luggage and walked to the Mont.  It was drizzling.  Sheep graze on both sides of the causeway, and they are allowed to cross.  Here, they were causing a traffic jam!
It was so fun to see Mont Saint Michel for the first time!  WOW!	It took less than an hour to walk from my hotel to the Mont, even with the rain, lots of photo stops, and a brief browse at the Mont Saint Michel public works info center (working to make Mont Saint Michel into an island again--with parking off-site, much like the Grand Canyon).  Drivers were met with this semi-reassuring sign.
This was my first sight inside the walls.  To the left of the photo is the Mont Saint Michel tourist office.  Through the gate is the touristy street up to the abbey.  It was 11:25 am at this point, and I decided to attend the 12:15 pm mass at the abbey.	The main drag of Mont Saint Michel, Grande Rue, is tourist shop and restaurant after tourist shop and restaurant, much like Macau or Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls.  It was early in my trip, though, and I like touristy areas, so I enjoyed my walk up to the abbey.  It feels like there should be a fudge shop around the corner!
Up near the abbey, there are wonderful views out over the mudflats.  This was my first view of the tide being out.	Here you can see the causeway, the Couesnon River, the parking lots, and the distance I walked from my hotel.  (The off-island hotels are all behind those trees in the distance.)
This was the first sight I had of walkers out on the mudflats.  If I ever go again, this is what I will do.  It looks so fun!	After attending the mass (a Catholic Mass in French, *very* difficult to follow, but still worth attending), I decided to go get some lunch.  I ate at La Cloche, a crêperie.  As their facade says, their dining room is on the second floor.
This was my delicious buckwheat galette filled with ham, onions, and mushrooms.  The prices was 5.90 euros ($8.30), standard for an amusement park.  After all my trips to Europe, this was my first European crêpe!  (I ate my first crêpe of all in Helena, Montana, though.)	After lunch, I paid 8.50 euros ($11.92) to tour the Abbey as a tourist, not as a worshipper.  The skies cleared, and the weather turned hot.  It was in this building I went to mass.
Another part of the tour was the abbey cloister.  Cloisters are always pretty, and this one was no exception.	After the tour, I walked back down along the ramparts.  It was fun to be able to look up and see the magnificent abbey!
Here you can see the walkway along the ramparts.	This was my last view of the Grande Rue from the ramparts.
I couldn't come all the way to Mont St. Michel and not walk on the mudflat, so here I am, in my new leather shoes, walking a few feet out.  Fun!	A beautiful look at the Mont on the way back to my hotel.
After buying a snack (brownies and strawberry water) at the grocery store and resting a bit in my hotel room, I rented a bike from Motel Very for 5 euros an hour ($7) and rode to the German cemetery.	It was not the mother-and-father-statue cemetery, but it was interesting to visit.
After walking through the first building, there is an open round courtyard ringed by graves.	Many of the soldiers' families had recently placed memorials at the cemetery.
Directly behind the cross, there were stairs to walk to the top of the cemetery.  There was a nice view of Mont Saint Michel from there.	All along the ride back, the views were amazing!!  Here you can also see my bike.
Since it was only 6:30 pm when I left the cemetery, I decided to ride longer than an hour.  I went back to Mont Saint Michel, took off my sandals, and walked in the mud.	The mud felt so good on tired feet!
Looking out over the mudflats I was too scared to walk alone.	I walked to all the restaurants near my hotel, scoured the menus, and ended up choosing La Bergerie, the restaurant of the St. Aubert hotel, a long block from my hotel.  The restaurant was non-smoking!
I was hungry, so I went with the 18 euro ($25) menu.  First I was served a carafe of water with bread (and butter!).  Next I was served my mozzarella-and-tomato salad with lettuce and corn.	My main course was salmon and rice in a delicious cream sauce.
Dessert was a slice of hot apple tart with whipped cream.  A wonderful meal!

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