As we get closer the island so the crowds got bigger and it really wasn't a busy day. Then Sharon read an article that said one day in 1300, 30 some people died in the crowded Abbey.
We took Rick Steves advice, once through the gates we took a sharp right and went up on the ramparts and looked down on the narrow street of tourist shops and the seething mass of people trying to spend their money on Abbey snowglobes and fridge magnets.
Then Sharon read from the good book once more and said that these shops had been virtually run by the same families since the place was built. Presumably then selling holy knuckle bones and splinters from the original cross!
It's really a remarkable place but I felt cheated when I saw that the statue of St Michel and spire right at the very top, was "erected" with help from a helicopter and not holy skyhooks from a fiery chariot.
It realy is a 'long, long' way up filled with literally thousands of stone steps all hollowed out with the millions of feet that have travelled up and down over a thousand or so years.
The different stages of building make for an interesting architectural experience.
When they constucted the crypts that hold up the actual Abbey and cformed a level platform up from the island rock, they built columns to support the weight. Unfortunately the engineer's calculator let him down, the columns crumpled and the west wing of the Abbey went several hundred feet down to the sea. I'll bet he was embarrassed!!!
They redid part of the crypt constucting these 13 foot diameter columns. Some arty priest has placed a shiney plastic sheet between the many piles and in the low light of the underworld it gives a wonderful reflection not unlike an underground pool.
This is inside the Abbey itself and worth the fivethousandthreehundredandtwentythree stone steps, Sharon says 25, I don't mean to be pedantic over this but I left sweat on every one.
Yeh, I had to post two pics just 'cos I liked the light!
This is interesting. The sloping wall down the centre of the photo is actually a medaeval freight elevator. A wooden platform on skids that slides up and down stone tracks and powered by a giant "Squirrel cage". Seriously there's a 20 foot diameter cage with wooden 'steps' around the inside perimeter for prisoners or priest pentinents or just people who spoilt the abbotts breakfast worked the 'lift'
Yeh, I had to post two pics just 'cos I liked the light!
This is interesting. The sloping wall down the centre of the photo is actually a medaeval freight elevator. A wooden platform on skids that slides up and down stone tracks and powered by a giant "Squirrel cage". Seriously there's a 20 foot diameter cage with wooden 'steps' around the inside perimeter for prisoners or priest pentinents or just people who spoilt the abbotts breakfast worked the 'lift'
I believe that the architect who engineered the original crypt columns is still working there...!
Part of the 'street of shops'
A few years ago a Scottish bus driver parked his bus, left his load of people to shop for holy knuckle bones and such, then left for a beer. When he returned the secrurity people had ropes and anchors around his bus trying to stop the tide and current from taking it away. 
We found a quiet road out to the west of the Abbey hoping for a sunset shot. We got showers and this nice photo.
6:30 in the am. before we left for Paris, from our bedroom.
A few years ago a Scottish bus driver parked his bus, left his load of people to shop for holy knuckle bones and such, then left for a beer. When he returned the secrurity people had ropes and anchors around his bus trying to stop the tide and current from taking it away.
Its a 50 foot tide that comes in at 18 feet per second. More than one party of pilgrims have mistimed the tides.
That bus driver, well he's been keeping a certain architect company for the past couple of years.
We found a quiet road out to the west of the Abbey hoping for a sunset shot. We got showers and this nice photo.
6:30 in the am. before we left for Paris, from our bedroom.
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