Walking Through History and Mud: A Visit to Mont Saint-Michel

Travel guides, Disney’s Tangled, or Instagram posts; you’ve likely heard of Mont-Saint-Michel, a church and commune built on a tidal island off the coast of Normandy (or as some would prefer to believe, Brittany). Still, like any tourist destination, it’s hard for it to feel real until you’re there.

That was the case for me as we approached the island on the shuttle bus. Even being a bit tired from the early wake up, my eyes managed to squint hard enough through the morning sun to make out the stunning architecture built from the eighth through sixteenth centuries.

As we made it off the shuttle and approached the entrance to begin climbing to the top, I was quickly reminded that we were in one of France’s most popular attraction outside of Paris. 

A diverse crowd of travelers filled the steep, narrow street, enjoying the medieval citadel before making their way to the summit’s abbey.

Making it to the top, the church’s archaic beauty and much more relaxed environment was a welcome breath of fresh air. The group split up, and I made my way through the rest of the building with a few friends, stopping to admire the sights and take the occasional picture. 

I then entered a few shops to glance around at the various souvenirs, before entering a small restaurant. Lunch was a sandwich, butter-sugar crepe, and cherry Coke. I made my way down to the base again to eat, where the seagulls couldn't resist hunting our lunch like feathered thieves. Even so, that couldn’t take away from the experience of eating a meal at a historical monument.

Finally, it was time for the interesting part of the day. Since this was my second trip to Mont-Saint-Michel, I had already known what to expect for the village and church. What I had not done before was walk around the bay during low tide. So, we met at the base and promptly began removing our shoes. Then, we made our way onto the mud and began following our guide. 

The ground started off uncomfortably hard, with plenty of bits from shells. As we made it further though, it gained the pleasant texture of soft pliable mush, squishing between my toes with each step. There were even various patches of quicksand, something I’ve never encountered before while living in New York City my entire life. 

I didn’t pass up the opportunity to sink a leg up to my knee, a sensation that’s difficult to describe in words. The instructor then reached a larger patch and demonstrated how to escape, first sinking to nearly his waist, before slowly shifting his weight from left to right to elevate one leg at a time. 

Beyond quicksand, there was plenty of wading through knee high water as well, and I started regretting my choice to wear pants instead of shorts that morning. Still, we eventually circled around the island and made it back to solid rock. My feet were in pain and covered in mud, but with the help of my then-empty Cherry Coke bottle and a conveniently placed water fountain, I washed them off well enough to put my socks back on and slip into the comfort of my shoes. 

While I sat down and rode back to Rennes, my mind cooled down enough to think about what had just happened. Even for my second visit, the awe of visiting a place with an appearance ripped out of a fantasy story wasn’t lost on me. It’s certainly not the first church, village, or island I’ve ever visited, but combining all three along with the bay walk while being aware of some of the history behind the place made the experience unique and memorable.

Daniel Velazquez

Union College

CIEE-Rennes Liberal Arts FALL 2026