(Please scroll down for text in English)
E’ senz’altro il magnifico Mont Saint Michel, che sorge su uno sperone roccioso al largo delle coste francesi dove Normandia e Bretagna s’incontrano: vi si trovano un monastero benedettino fondato nell’VIII secolo, circondato da un paesino con tutt’oggi circa 40 residenti, ma visitato da milioni di turisti ogni anno. Per secoli e’ stato praticamente un’isola, in quanto accessibile via terra solo con la bassa marea, quindi posto sicuro e difendibile; dal 2009 e’ collegato alla terraferma da un ponte lungo circa 2 km.
Le spettacolari foto sopra si riferiscono al nostro arrivo: in quel momento splendeva il sole e la marea era alta, per cui le acque dell’oceano arrivavano a lambire il cortile interno. Le maree che caratterizzano questa baia sono fra le piu’ alte d’Europa, arrivando fino a 14 metri nei giorni vicini alla luna piena. Per rendere accessibile il Mont si e’ costruito non solo il ponte, ma anche una diga che fermasse le acque del fiume Cuesnon; tuttavia nel 2015 durante un eccezionale episodio di alta marea, ponte e diga sono stati completamente allagati.
Man mano che la nostra visita proseguiva, la marea andava calando e quando siamo usciti buona parte del territorio attorno al monte era libero dalle acque. Va detto che comunque il terreno non e’ calpestabile ovunque, poiche’ e’ costituito di sabbie limacciose che in alcuni punti diventano pericolosissime sabbie mobili. Purtroppo nel frattempo il cielo si era rabbuiato e dalle ultime foto si intuisce la forte pioggia che sarebbe caduta poco dopo. Il clima e’ estremamente variabile in quella regione.
Il titolo del post e’ tratto da un film di Barbra Streisand del 1991. Le foto sotto sono piacevolmente rielaborate. Per la visita all’interno del Mont rimando i miei lettori ad un post successivo…
The Prince of Tides.
This title (taken from a 1991 Barbra Streisand’s movie) belongs definitely to the outstanding site of Mont Saint Michel, located in the French region of Normandy, in a spectacular bay off the Country northwest coast. In this unique place you can find a benedictine monastery and a small town; today about 40 people are living there, but millions of tourists visit every year. Through the centuries the mount has been an island, accessible by surface only at low tide; since 2012 it is connected to the main land by a 2 kilometres long bridge.
The first few photos above refer to our arrival, when the sun was still shining and the tide was high: the ocean waters reached the inner courtyard. Tides in this bay are among the most consistent in Europe: up to 14 metres high, when the moon is full. The bridge was not the only structure built to make the Mont accessible: a dike was necessary to control the waters of the river Cuesnon. In spite of this, in 2015 the bridge and the dike were flooded over in a moment of extraordinary high tide.
During our visit the tide lowered and when we left a good amount of land around the mount was water-free. Still it is extremely dangerous to walk there, as the land is marshy and there are quicksands. Unfortunately the sky gathered big dark clouds as well, so my last photos are quite gray. The weather in that region is extremely changeable and in a few minutes a lot of rain would fall.
My very last 3 photos are of course colourfully edited. More details of the interior of the monastery and town in a future post…
****
Linked to: Skywatch Friday. Travel Tuesday.
luogo affascinante
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Davvero…ed emozionante!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Marvelous photos of this wonderful place.
Best, Synnöve
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thank you, Synnöve. Really wonderful. It was great to visit. Have a good day!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Incredible!! Love your photos and all the rich history. Thanks so much for sharing!!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I am salivating. This is one spot I dream of visiting someday.
http://calrat.blogspot.com
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Yes, it is worthy a visit! Historical and evocative…
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thank you for visiting. Have a great weekend!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Lovely photos of a fascinating place, Luisella.
The ones taken from less usual viewpoints are especially interesting.
Keep up the good work! 🙂
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Grazie per l’incoraggiamento, Sara. It was difficult to photograph among all those tourists…but I have a few more shots, not less unusual. Have a happy weekend!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
I have both read the book and seen the movie The Prince of Tides. It is a cruel story though. But this castle is from a fairy tale of some beautiful princesses!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Well… the title merely refers to tides. The place deserves: it was my wish to visit it for many years!
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Fantastic shots of this amazing place! Always fascinated by the wonderful architecture and the layers of history in places like this!
Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Yes, a very special place, indeed.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"