The natural landscape of Mount Saint Michel

St. Malo Bay, where Mount St. Miel is located, is famous for its rapid high tide, and the sea level difference between the highest tide and the lowest tide is as high as 15 meters. Because there are few deep water areas in the bay and the bottom is flat, the sea surface is 15 to 20km away from the shore at low tide. Usually the speed at high tide is equivalent to a person's walking speed-4 kilometers per hour, and the speed increases to 30 kilometers per hour when the wind is downwind. Because the tides in St. Marlowe Bay are so fickle, there are many terrible stories, such as the high tide that will chase knights, the carriage full of goods suddenly disappearing into the huge quicksand, and the travelers who died tragically in the mud. Low tide in the bay often comes unexpectedly. Maybe a few minutes ago, it was an endless and unfathomable sea. Suddenly, the sea receded into the distance, and it was already a bare beach and quicksand with special color on the beach.

Almost all the masters of French classical literature, from Hugo to Mo Bosang, are puzzled by its diversity. Hugo wrote: If you fall into quicksand, you will be buried in a thrilling way. This process is long, inevitable and ruthless ... Indeed, the surface of these sands seems smooth, soft and safe, but once they slip down carelessly, the undercurrent inside will slide like a snake, and the soft surface soaked by the tide will turn into mud and haunt you like a swamp.

The sand here is actually more like silt. Once it is dry, it is very strong. Once it is mixed with water, it immediately becomes sticky mud. The seabed near St. Marlowe Bay is covered with large and small underground river beds, which are the chief culprit in creating danger. Because the ebb and flow of the tide easily washes away the sand, insidious and changeable quicksand is formed in and under the riverbed, and those overconfident travelers are likely to fall into it and suffer misfortune.

In the past 1000 years, the Atlantic Ocean has been ebbing and flowing, and countless sands have been washed into the bay, which has caused the coastline to move about 5 kilometers westward and closer to Mount St. Michel. 1879, people built a dam, from which vehicles can go directly up the mountain. Only two or three times a year, when the Japanese tide flooded the dam, Mount Saint-Michel was the real island. To some extent, the prosperity of local tourism should be attributed to this dam. Every year, as many as 2.5 million tourists visit Mount Saint-Michel through this dam, and TGV Express will bring day-trip tourists from Paris to Mount Saint-Michel. However, the Century Cathedral and La Merville Monastery, the highest point of Mount Saint Michel, can actually climb less than 1 1. The tradition of pilgrimage to Mount Saint Michel originated in the period of Bishop Robbie. Today, however, many people come here not only to follow the fashion, but also to stay in Mount St. Michel for a few days. As night falls, the "street" that has been noisy for a day gradually quietens down. Without the buses full of tourists coming and going, the crowded monastery becomes empty and quiet. At this time, it is the best time to feel the unique architectural complex of Mount Saint Michel. The island is conical, with a circumference of 900 meters, and consists of towering granite. At an altitude of 88 meters, it is often surrounded by large sand dikes and becomes an island only when the tide is high. The tide in St. Marlowe Bay is rising rapidly. Every evening, the tide of the Atlantic Ocean rushes in like Ma Benteng, drowning the quicksand on the side of the mountain, and the holy mountain suddenly becomes the Wang Yang, which is a wonder. However, in the19th century, when people built a long dam to connect with Mount St. Michel, the water flow was blocked, and the fluctuation of tides left a lot of silt and sediment in the sand. As time goes by, the terrain becomes higher, the shape of the island changes, and the miracle of tides disappears. Experts estimate that by 2042, this famous mountain will be surrounded by weeds, killing the scenery.

For centuries, Mount Saint-Michel has stood proudly, facing the wind from the sea, ups and downs, and experienced vicissitudes. St. Marlowe Bay, where it is located, is famous for its rapid high tide, and tide watching has also become a major landscape of Mount St. Michel. Every evening, the tide of the Atlantic Ocean rushes in with lightning speed, and the surrounding quicksand is instantly submerged, and suddenly a Wang Yang appears, with only a long beach connected with the land. There are two spring tides in spring and autumn every year, one on March 2 1 and the other on September 23. At this time, Mount St. Michel was crowded with people and was very lively.

The French authorities plan to spend more than HK$ 2 billion on construction to make the spectacular tides reappear.