Bitterroot and Bergamot

Mont St. Michel, Normandy, originally uploaded by Bitterroot.

Continuing with the spires theme...this fat round turret is one of my favorites. It guards the ramparts of Mont St. Michel, a Benedictine abbey and medieval village built on a rock in the sea off the coast of Normandy. This wondrous place is 1000 years old, and has endured many buffetings of history.

Beyond the turret you can see the stretch of sand that is covered by the tide twice a day. Pilgrims visiting the abbey had to wait for the tide to recede before they could cross from the mainland.

There is something so stalwart about this little spire, sitting solidly on a gloomy winter's day. The muted colors, the emptiness of the surroundings, and the weight of its history imparted a magical quality to Mont St. Michel that I'll not forget.

# posted by Bitterroot @ 10:05 AM