Mont Saint Michel is one of those surreal things. You look at the towering 80 -metre high monastery on top of a rock coming out of the sea and think maybe it's a magic eye, illusion or perhaps the inevitable has happened and you've lost your mind. The place is sheer brilliance, settled in the 10th century, a village grew up around it by the 14th century. Back then Benedictine monks entered the monastary for life devoting eight hours a day to prayer and the rest of their days to poverty and chastity. Kind of like ironman training (chortle, here).
Today it's a crowded Mecca for tourists replete with dodgy mementos all while a handful of priests and nuns maintain a constant vigil. It's a full-time job praying for the souls of tourists who arrive by the busload each day.