Beautiful Europe: Mont St. Michel

 

I was wondering what I should sketch next for my beautiful Britain prints. Then I watched a TV show that I recorded a couple of weeks ago all about Mont St. Michel. That was it. Beautiful Britain could take a hike for the rest of the day – I knew that I was going to sketch Mont. St. Michel. 

I first visited Mont St. Michel in the mid 90s when I accompanied my first school trip to France as a teacher. Because the rest of the surrounding area is so flat, you can see it from miles away, and it just gets bigger and bigger as you approach it, and you see more and more detail. 

The Gothic building at the top is the monastery, and the monastery is the reason why everything else which came later is there. When you enter through the walls at ground level, the roadway gradually spirals up around the mount towards the monasteries. At the bottom it’s all tourist shops and stalls, and I remember standing behind two of our pupils who were looking at crucifixes. One girl held up one, admiring it, while the other held up one and said, “Ooh look! This one’s got a little man on it!” 

Prints are available from my Etsy shop

DaveClark Port Talbot Etsy Shop