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Even though I lived in France for three years while doing my doctoral studies, I never managed a visit to Mont Saint-Michel, the mysterious, mystical, and hauntingly photogenic abbey situated on a promontory just off the Normandy coast between Caen and St. Malo.
But last week, in connection with the filming for my Pivotal Players series, my team and I made the pilgrimage.
I first spied the mount from the backseat of the van, when we were still many miles away. It looked like a great ship, moored on the line of the horizon. As we got closer, the place became increasingly impressive, sometimes looming like a fortress, other times seeming to float on the sea.
When we entered the gates this morning to commence our work, we stepped out of our world and into the Middle Ages. Our climb to the top —arduous and steep — mimicked that of thousands of pilgrims and monks and spiritual seekers over the centuries.