Mount St Michel’s shadow, Bay and Normandy coast in the background.
Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the ‘Wonder of the West’, a Gothic-style abbey, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site. Captions: UNESCO
Photo source: ©© Cross Duck
Excerpts;
Parts of the French coast are on alert for the so-called “tide of the century” over the weekend with tidal coefficients of 118 and 119 respectively on Saturday and Sunday.
Brittany has witnessed a month of exceptionally large spring tides but they will rise to their top level over the weekend, the maximum scale coefficients being 120.
The Mont Saint-Michel 11th century abbey is expected to be entirely surrounded by the English Channel with waters rising by a staggering 14 metros…
Rendez-vous pour la marée du siècle, Le Figaro
On dit qu’au Mont-Saint-Michel, la marée monte à la vitesse d’un cheval au galop. L’histoire est belle. Dommage qu’elle soit fausse. «L’eau avance plutôt à la vitesse d’un homme qui court. C’est déjà bien assez rapide si l’on ne veut pas se laisser prendre. Quelle que soit la vitesse de la marée, la plus grande prudence sera de mise le 21 mars prochain. Ce jour-là, la côte atlantique connaîtra la marée dite «du siècle » (qui revient en réalité tous les 18 ans environ), avec un coefficient de 119…
Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, the island is situated one kilometre off the coast of Normandy. The rocky island houses the famous Norman Benedictine Abbey of St-Michel at its peak. Photo source: ©© Djof
