MARCH 9

Today we woke up early, at around 6:30 in the morning, and got on the bus to drive to the wonderful island of Mont-Saint-Michel. We arrived just outside the island in order to get on a small shuttle bus that would take us to the main attraction. When we arrived at the base of the island, we were able to walk around the top of the outer wall. From there, we were able to get a tour of the Abbey, which is the church located at the top of the island.

After we finished that, we had the opportunity to eat lunch and visit fun stores located at the base and center of the island. After visiting Mont-Saint-Michel, we took a long bus ride back to Paris. We arrived, checked into our hotel, and then had an amazing dinner at Madame Pampa, where we had a salad with chicken for the main course and tiramisu for dessert. After this, we got gelato from a place across the street and headed back to our hotel for a long-awaited sleep.

— Alex Brown '28

I started my day early at 6:23 AM. Our 6:00 am alarm never went off, and a mystery caller saved us from certain tardiness. My roommate Blaine and I did a final check of our room before walking out to grab a delicious breakfast and a café au lait. I slept through much of our bus ride to Mont Saint-Michel, and when I finally lifted from my slumber, I was greeted with a foggy but alluring view of a castle in the distance.

The cold air was refreshing, and by the time we had shuttled a little closer, the towering monument was dauntingly visible. Dr. Imperial gave us a taste of home with a lecture about the history of this mythical place and its origins as a pilgrimage site, which I found incredibly interesting. Blaine and I got lost in the Harry Potter–esque road of shops and completely forgot our directions. A text from Dr. Imperial jogged our memories, and we somewhat shamefully found our way back to the rest of the group and began our hike up the symbolic stairway to heaven.

I was amazed by how many rooms were hidden inside the Abbey walls. It seriously felt like a Hogwarts hallway that would never end; the stone and cold air felt mystical. When we finally emerged from the castle, Blaine and I walked the bridge back toward the shore and stopped in the grass to take in the scenery. By then the fog had lifted and the castle was on full display—it was truly straight out of a movie.

— Lucian Wingate '26

At 6:30 in the morning, we got up, got on the bus, and drove to the island of Mont-Saint-Michel. When we arrived, we stopped about a mile away from the island and then took a small bus that brought us to the main attraction. At the base of the island, we were able to walk around the top of the outer wall that makes the island look like a fortress. From there, we took a tour of the Abbey, which is the church located at the top of the island.

Once we were done, we had the opportunity to eat lunch and visit fun stores located at the base of the island. After visiting Mont-Saint-Michel, we took a long bus ride back to Paris. We arrived, checked into our hotel, and then had dinner. For dinner, we had a salad with chicken for the main course and tiramisu for dessert.

— Haakon Miller '28