[i am thinking with that many thoughts and photos i have in my memory and my folder, what should i write first. then i remember this interesting encounter with mount st michel that has leave a very deep impression in me until today. it was interestingly this chinese verse of job 42:5 came to both my mind and his at the same time, it is only later when we talked about it we realized God has given us the same scripture verse in chinese about the same place that we visited. i decided ot youes the chinese verse in the title of this blog entry because it trully depicts how i feel (and my reflection later) when i first saw the cathedral spiking up from the sea.... i am also amazed how God speaks to me through this manner and then by embracing the mount st michel, i have a feeling that i am embracing God...]
Job 42:5 "My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you".
le mont saint michel
twenty eight august
the most amazing thing is to see her suddenly appearing from a distance as you drive toward her. she becomes bigger and higher in your vision even though you are still a distance away from her. suddenly this bible scripture in chinese resounding in your ears “从前风闻有你，如今亲眼见你”, you can’t remember which book this verse is from, you will check it out later, but for now this is the best verse that describes your emotion and a perfect quick introduction with her. you heard so much about her, but now you see her in person.
but you leap and jump with joy, as it a very first time you see someone so dear to you. the thrill in your heart is quite lasting…
you don’t have time to visit her today because you need to first reach your final destination which is about another 60km to go. so you have to move on...
thirtieth august
you finally have an up close and personal encounter with her. the weather can’t be any better than today. she is really enchanting in front of you. she welcomes you with wide open arms as you approaching her step by step from a distance. she becomes bigger and bigger as your and hugs you.
you see her more clearly now, you see the wrinkles on her face, the wall and the concrete that form over the different centuries are clearly visible from here.
then rreality hit: you don’t like the atmosphere in the main street - grande-rue. restaurants! souvenir shops! tourists! no, this is not your idea of her. too crowded! tourists and merchants everywhere, tour groups! you let your mind travel to the past, you imagine how it would be like when the fortress is quiet and silence with dim street light. you think she will look surreal and romantic.
you didn’t go to the abbey but choose to watch her from a distance by admiring her outer beauty and surrounding.
you look out the window and the landscape enchant you further with your imagination, what happen when the tide is high? will people trap here in the 'island' during high tide and wait for another 6 hours before the low tide hit?
what will happen to those cars? will they be covered by the sea water in high tide? can you visit her twenty four hours a day or approaching her is limited by the nature and govern by the sea tides? but in reality, you can visit here any time, any day. the cars at the car park will be in safeguard, the water will not flood over them... all the old tales and phenomenon of the past and the mystic of le mont saint michiel is swapped clean by the technology...
you peep out to another area, where you see the land and the trees far afield... you like the different landscape you see from different site of st michel
you hit the less crowded area of st michel. you enjoy the warmth of the sun and the less explore side of her. you thought you are no longer there because what you see in front of you is a stretch of plain marsh land at low tide. you look out and there is endless patch of sand.
[even though this cathedral is dedicated to archangel saint michael, but i decided to describe it him as her. also i love to describing in third person these days, so you is used instead of me, i or we...]
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