Eating 'Foam' at Mont Saint-Michel, the Sanctuary Floating on the Sea
Eating 'Foam' at Mont Saint-Michel, the Sanctuary Floating on the Sea
Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, northern France, is a place that every travel lover hopes to visit at least once in their lifetime.
After a three-hour bus ride north from Paris, the sight of it suddenly appears, floating on the sea beyond an unobstructed landscape. Its divinity is reminiscent of the Heijo-kyo Palace in Nara, instantly overwhelming anyone who sees it for the first time.
Since its founding in 708, the island has undergone repeated expansions and renovations, taking on its current Gothic style in the 13th century, and it remains a sacred site where pilgrims from all over the world gather. As you cross the pier and step onto the bustling approach, the diversity of languages spoken makes you realize that this is a crossroads of the world.
However, the path to the sanctuary is by no means flat. Beyond the lively slope lined with souvenir shops, what awaits is a staircase so steep it leaves you breathless. It is as if it were the final trial given by God. The weight of history—the fact that many workers lost their lives building this massive castle in the middle of the sea—adds heaviness to every step.
There is a 'reward' that can only be savored after this arduous journey. That is the famous omelet.
Seeing the plate brought to the table, my eyes widened. It was completely different from the omelets we know; it was like 'foam' itself. When I put it in my mouth, it had a mysterious texture that vanished fleetingly before it could even hold its shape.
'Why is it so light?'
The answer lay in the history of this place. It was a crystallization of wisdom, devised so that pilgrims, exhausted by long journeys and steep stairs and having lost their appetite, could quickly absorb nutrition. That one bite taught me that this place is, after all, a 'town for pilgrims' before it is a tourist destination.
The next morning, after staying overnight, as I walked along the quiet approach, I felt as if I could hear a mysterious 'voice' that was hard to describe, different from the sound of the wind or the waves. I looked back many times with reluctance as I left that chapel floating on the sea.
History, prayer, and a gentle dish for pilgrims. Mont Saint-Michel was a World Heritage site that I will never forget, one that is etched into all five senses.