Monday, July 22, 2013

Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France

I last visited Mont Saint Michel, the island fortification in Normandy, France, in the year 2000, while doing graduate studies in Bath, England. The third Jaya Jones treasure hunt mystery novel (that I'm currently writing) takes place in France, partly at Mont Saint Michel, so I'm excited that I get to plan a return visit. In the meantime, I pulled out my old photos, shot on 35mm film before I owned a digital camera. A few of my favorite old photos of Le Mont are below.

Dangerous tides and quicksand surround the Mont, which is why it was such a strategic location throughout French history. In past centuries, people used to have to wait for the tides to recede for a safe causeway to be above the water. A raised road was built, which has recently been replaced with a dam and small bridge. The castle-like structure that rises our of the center of the Mont is the abbey.








  




2 comments:

  1. So jealous!! My school in Tours organized a field trip, but I didn't get to go because the Sister Cities program I was travelling with scheduled a painfully boring (and mandatory) outing to Le Futuroscope de Poitiers for the same day. So, one more item languishing on my bucket list.

    Great pics. I especially like the one of the staircase.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed the pictures -- it's definitely worth a visit one day!

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