Archmere French Trip 2013: Back to Senlis!

This morning we awoke to a lovely breakfast buffet. Then we boarded the bus for about 1.5 hours to St. Michel. St. Michel is an abbey that was originally constructed in the 8^th century and is located on a rock surrounded by a causeway. During the Hundred Years War, the abbey became a bit of a fortress and took on the appearance of a medieval castle. It was claimed by the government during the French Revolution in 1789 and was used as a prison. It was handed back to the people in the 19^th century and later became a UNESCO World Heritage site. I read somewhere that a portion has been opened again to the monks for use again. We did see one monk on our way into the city. Personally, I felt a little like I was trapped in an Escher staircase drawing.

Unfortunately, the tour guides in this little city were apparently on strike and we were not able to go inside of the abbey. The people were striking due to the new roads being constructed which will change the city. We explored the little town, had lunch, shopped, and then headed to Claude Monet’s House.

Claude Monet's house and gardens were beautiful, just like his pictures. Although, we did notice a not nice smell inside the house.

Our last stop on the way home was at an in-use watermill/hotel. It was beautiful.