05.05.2024 St. Malo, France

Welcome to St Malo. We are on an 8 hour optional Viking excursion to visit Mont-Saint-Michele Abbey.
The Mont-Saint-Michel monks, during the first century of their institution, (around 710) venerated the archangel Michael. The Mont became a place of prayer and study, but the stability period, known as the Neustria, during the reign of Charlemagne ended when he died. As the rest of Gaule was fighting invasions, religion and science found some welcoming in the diocese of Avranches and at the Mont-Saint-Michel.
When Richard 1st, son of William 1st, became duke of Normandy, he tried using his authority to return them to a more monastic life. After failing to do so, and with the approbation of pope John XIII and king Lothair, he decided to replace them with a monastery of the Benedict order, as mentioned in Introductio monachorum ("the installation of the monks"), a treaty written around 1080–1095 by a Mont-Saint-Michel monk trying to defend the independence of the monastery toward the state.
In World War II, the abbey and its surrounding area came under German occupation starting on June 20, 1940. A cable car facility was installed but the abbey was otherwise kept intact, with the German Armistice Commission recognizing Mont-Saint-Michel's historical significance. During the German retreat after D-Day in 1944, no attempt was made to defend the area, which was clear by July 31.
Mont Saint Michel as a whole and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979, and it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.
It was beyond beautiful. The climb to the top was extremely strenuous and the elevation again tells how out of shape we are, but we made it. We walked the hilly streets through the shops and stopped for beers and cheese with Tom and Tammy before Tammy and Diana discovered a very small Church with great views.
We had a late lunch at St Pierre restaurant and the wine flowed freely. Back to the bus and back to the ship. We attend our ship’s church service at 6:00.
Myron performed tonight with the Viking Guest Choir. It was the farewell show with all the singers and a big thank you to the crew.
Our trip is winding down but we do have a few more ports first.Weiterlesen