ONE: MONT SAINT MICHEL There is only one possible number one. Though more intimately connected to Brittany’s wild coast, Mont-Saint-Michel remains the absolute top-of-mind wonder for any escape in Western France. It is an island fortress of faith, an ethereal vision, a pilgrimage of the sea, a place where tourist guides seem inadequate and only a magnificent mystery remains. I wrote more about “the Wonder” here. TWO: THE ALABASTER COAST AND PAYS DE CAUX The Côte d’Albâtre is the French counterpart to the famous white cliffs that define the English Channel coastline. It’s a road trip of striking beauty, with quaint villages and the high falaises. Stop in Etretat, Yport,…
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A story of tides: Mont Saint Michel, revealed
The mountain has always been a place of awe; beautiful and inaccessible, it caused many to perish at the mercy of tides. And as it happens with so many places of awe and beauty, it has always been a site of worship. In the early days of Christianity, monks were using Mount Tomb – that was the first name of the island – as a sanctuary. It was in 708 that Saint Michael appeared to the bishop of Avranches, commending to build an abbey on top of that mountain. The abbey was consecrated in Saint Michael’s name, and since anno domini 708, Christians continue their pilgrimage to the holy mountain,…