Mont Saint-Michel – The French Wonder of the World

July 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Mont Saint Michel is the name of an islet that not many people outside of France know about.  With its towering presence in the coastal background its no wonder why the French consider the island the wonder of the western world.  The castle on the island imposes the heart of a bay that is surrounded by intense tides, some of the highest in Europe.  

Located on a small rocky island just north of Normandy its amazing to see it stand the test of time, this just shows how hard pure granite is which is what it is made out of.  Mont Saint Michel was built as a medieval castle and has two large towers.  This island has a lot of Kodak moments even if you were to take a picture from the towers car park you will still get a brilliant shot of it all.

The location of Mont Saint Michel has lead to a regional rivalry between Normandy and Brittany but in the friendly kind.  Breton claims that the it lies on the Normandy and Brittany border and that it is only  because the river has adapted its course over time.  Which has lead the mont  to be shown on the Norman side of the border.  Although it is situated in Normandy it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit from region, for example you can rent one of the many gites in Brittany to make your holiday base.

The only way around the Mont Saint Michel is on foot, there are two gates into the walled city.  They are  the Porte de l'Avancée which is the main gate at the end of the causeway.  This is considered the commercial gate as it is lined with souvenir shops and tourists.  The other gate which isn't used as much is the Porte Eschaugette, just left of the main gate is the quietest route through to the abbey.

You have to be careful when you visit because the tides in the area can be unpredictable as they change very quickly and because of the unpredictability they have been described “as swiftly as a galloping horse”.  The tides can change greatly ranging as high as 14 metres.  So what can look like a safe walk can turn life threatening experience.  Over time the tides have caused occasional floodings, which have lead to salt marsh meadows being created, this is ideal for grazing sheep.  Grazing sheep this way results in a well flavoured meat that is a local speciality agneau de pré-salé (salt meadow lamb) which is found in restaurants.

The Mont-Saint Michel has been heavily utilised in filming – for example it featured in the landscape for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.  Also other fantasy films have featured mont in the background and it has appeared in numerous cartoons and music videos.  Disneyland Paris pays homage to the mount in their attraction The Timekeeper and has inspired a few pieces of music from Debussy's dreamy preludes to avent-garde electronic tracks by Aphex Twin.  

In 1979 the Mont Saint Michel was officially made an world heritage site by UNESCO and gets more than three million visitors a year - maybe it should be listed as one of the wonders of the world.
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