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Back then, before the causeway was built, Mont St. Michel was an island. Pilgrims would approach across this mud flat mindful of a tide that swept in “at the speed of a galloping horse” (well, maybe a trotting horse … 12 mph, or about 2 feet per second).
Adding to the peril was quicksand, the thoroughly disorienting fog, and the fact that the sea can encircle unwary hikers. Braving these devilish risks for centuries, pilgrims kept their eyes on the spire crowned by their protector, St. Michael, and eventually reached their spiritual goal.
Whether scurrying across the treacherous mud flats or just driving across the modern causeway, the sight of the distant silhouette of the Gothic island-abbey Mont St. Michel sends tired sightseers’ spirits soaring, just as it did the spirits of weary pilgrims in centuries past…
Hang out until after dark when the tourists are gone and the island is magically floodlit. Ramble on the ramparts. Ponder the promise of desolation and a simple life of solitude that attracted monks to this dramatic spot so long ago.
–Rick Steves, “Mont St. Michel: Magnificence on a mud flat”, CNN, March 28, 2008
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I’m afraid that Mr. Steves is a bit off on his calculation of the speed of the rushing tide. He says that it moves at “12 mph, or 2 feet per second” . . . I just looked up a conversion site for such matters, and 2 feet per second is only about 1.36 mph.
That’s pretty far off. I wonder which number is true? If it’s supposed to be close to the speed of a trotting horse, I suppose he meant 12 mph. But that is way faster than 2 feet per second.
This is really important. OK, maybe it isn’t.