Wednesday 18 May 2016

hither and yon

Nearly eight years ago (and I must not forget my blogoversary), this little blog was created as a travelogue to document our adventures in Normandy and Brittany, crowned with a visit to otherworldly Mont Saint-Michel, a sight I could not believe actually existed until we spied it on the horizon.
A complementary destination, we discovered with a similar sense of wonder and disbelief, was to be found just across the Channel on our recent trip through England.
Saint Michael’s Mount, just off the coast from the town of Marazion, chartered since the Middle Ages and once wealthy from copper and tin deposits, is a tidal island—accessible by a footpath when the sea ebbs—whose summit has been adorned with various institutions since the eighth century, having hosted a Benedictine abbey, just like Mont Saint-Michel and inspired by the same apparition of the Archangel Michael appearing to local fishermen.



Though battered over the centuries by tsunamis and earthquakes and significantly smaller than its French counterpart, there was no shortage of exploration to do through the tiny village, harbour and the gardens that trellised upward towards the more recent castle and priory, which is still a royal seat and sometimes entertains distinguished guests.