I, personally find both the French, and France, loverly. Provence is a dream; Paris, the Paris I saw was millenium old working parish churches, weddings, baptisms, funerals, and candles to be lit. Street food, the crepe vendor making me a fresh one because I ordered in French, fractured, but she knew.
And, relaxing into the french way of life, savoring wine and food, no hurry, with a street to watch, and lovely people wandering by.
Mont St Michel was one of the most amazing cities I've visited. It is so dense, and almost claustrophobic in the streets and alleys within the town, then these great vistas across the flats to France or out into the channel. Growing up in a walled city which has some original Tudor architecture and densely packed housing from the canal era and railway era I thought I knew tight and small, but MSM has a different feel. Of course such a place is packed with tourists, and the amount of retail space, in restaurants, gift shops etc was incredible. The whole place is pretty much closed to vehicles, but I guess local merchants are allowed in and there were the odd Acadyans and Type H citroens tucked in impossibly small corners.
There is a similar town in Britain, St Michaels Mount, though not on the scale of the one in, where was that Brittany or Normandy?
That's an old picture. The parking space seen in the picture has been closed and the area where it was has now been restored to its natural status. One can now only hope that the sale of plasticy souvenirs will be prohibited and that the junk food outlets will give way to proper eating places.
In the meantime, go there __very__ early in the morning and you have the place to yourself. An amazing experience.
My information may have been premature, but the parking will be gone by 2012 as part of a project to build an enormous dam to collect the water at high tide and the wait for the low tide when the water will be released in one go. It is hoped that that way it will the flush out some of the sand that has been collecting around the mount, making it less of an island and more part of the continent.
Overflow parking is now 2 km away and serviced by shuttle bus. In the future the service will be provided by small cabins travelling on rail, just like in big airports.
What the heck would this kind of town do today if it weren't for the tourist trade!? They would fall apart, everybody would have to move away, like Detroit.
In fact, how did they live in the old days? Fishermen?
It's linked by a tidal causeway to the mainland, though it seems to be quite a drive out. I seem to remember it was a monastery.
I don't remember plasticy souvenirs, well, okay those little calender and pennants, but craft shops too. I also remember the "junk food" was in the style of old fashioned patisseries or confisseries with regular sandwich shops, cafes and tabacs. Mind you I was there in the 80's looking at it through the eyes of a 12 yr old.
I, personally find both the French, and France, loverly. Provence is a dream; Paris, the Paris I saw was millenium old working parish churches, weddings, baptisms, funerals, and candles to be lit. Street food, the crepe vendor making me a fresh one because I ordered in French, fractured, but she knew.
ReplyDeleteAnd, relaxing into the french way of life, savoring wine and food, no hurry, with a street to watch, and lovely people wandering by.
Mont St Michel was one of the most amazing cities I've visited. It is so dense, and almost claustrophobic in the streets and alleys within the town, then these great vistas across the flats to France or out into the channel. Growing up in a walled city which has some original Tudor architecture and densely packed housing from the canal era and railway era I thought I knew tight and small, but MSM has a different feel. Of course such a place is packed with tourists, and the amount of retail space, in restaurants, gift shops etc was incredible. The whole place is pretty much closed to vehicles, but I guess local merchants are allowed in and there were the odd Acadyans and Type H citroens tucked in impossibly small corners.
ReplyDeleteThere is a similar town in Britain, St Michaels Mount, though not on the scale of the one in, where was that Brittany or Normandy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael%27s_Mount
That's an old picture. The parking space seen in the picture has been closed and the area where it was has now been restored to its natural status. One can now only hope that the sale of plasticy souvenirs will be prohibited and that the junk food outlets will give way to proper eating places.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, go there __very__ early in the morning and you have the place to yourself. An amazing experience.
Chris
Thanks, Chris.
ReplyDeleteWhere do the tourists park now?
(I did think that the buses sort of ruins the view.)
My information may have been premature, but the parking will be gone by 2012 as part of a project to build an enormous dam to collect the water at high tide and the wait for the low tide when the water will be released in one go. It is hoped that that way it will the flush out some of the sand that has been collecting around the mount, making it less of an island and more part of the continent.
ReplyDeleteOverflow parking is now 2 km away and serviced by shuttle bus. In the future the service will be provided by small cabins travelling on rail, just like in big airports.
Chris
Chris
Here is a link to the project. Zoom the small pictures.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.projetmontsaintmichel.fr/en/pont.html
Chris
Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck would this kind of town do today if it weren't for the tourist trade!? They would fall apart, everybody would have to move away, like Detroit.
In fact, how did they live in the old days? Fishermen?
It's linked by a tidal causeway to the mainland, though it seems to be quite a drive out. I seem to remember it was a monastery.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember plasticy souvenirs, well, okay those little calender and pennants, but craft shops too. I also remember the "junk food" was in the style of old fashioned patisseries or confisseries with regular sandwich shops, cafes and tabacs. Mind you I was there in the 80's looking at it through the eyes of a 12 yr old.