Qu Lihua looked around, it was indeed like this, Professor Abner was right, the more tourists, the more popular, the more people around, the better the business, it seems that the tourism industry in France is indeed developing well.

Towering over the sea between Normandy and Brittany in northern France, Mont Saint-Michel is small in size, only 1 km in diameter, and the mountain is not very high, but the monastery at the top of the hill is nearly twice as high.

Mont Saint-Michel, formerly known as the Mont Tongba, is more of a hill than a mountain, as its maximum height is only 76 meters, but it is much higher than it actually is because it is located in the open sand in front of the sea, surrounded by trees and houses.

Dong Ba is made of granite rock, which was built on the top of the 10th century, which became known as St. Michael's name, although the architect's blueprints were limited by the topography and space, but the solid rock foundation ensured the strength and stability of the church, which was built on this granite hill in the 10th century, which became the famous St. Michael's Hill.

The church on the top of St. Michael's hill has been damaged by fifteen or six fires and its own collapse since it was first built, and the Carolingian-style church, named the Church of Our Lady below, is the oldest surviving part of St. Michael's church.

Head Xia Yuxiang said: "You see that there are still many medieval buildings here, and they are still very distinctive!"

Qu Lihua looked up, and sure enough, as Captain Xia said, Mont Saint-Michel is a medieval complex composed of rocks, houses, walls, castles and monasteries, which combines the ingenuity of nature with the wisdom and perseverance of man.

Meng Wenjie said: "It doesn't seem to be as magnificent as the French royal palace!"

"Yes, although it does not have the splendor of Versailles, the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower, the splendor of the Louvre, the splendor of the Champs-Elysées, there are as many as 3.5 million people who visit and watch the tide every year, and the great writer Victor Hugo once said that Mont Saint-Michel is as important to France as the Great Pyramids are to Egypt." ”

"Wow, there are so many people who come here to travel, this number is amazing, there are so many tourists who come to visit and watch the tide?" Meng Wenjie exclaimed.

"Yes, and the number will only increase, not decrease, France is a country that is still very popular for many tourists who like to travel, and many tourists want to apply for a tourist visa to come to France. ”

Everyone followed Professor Abner to the heights, and Professor Abner pointed to the tide below to introduce everyone.

"The Bay of Saint-Malo, where Mont Saint-Michael is located, is famous for its high tides, with a difference of up to 15 metres between the highest and lowest tides, and because of the lack of deep water in the bay and the flat bottom, the sea is 15 to 20 kilometres from shore at low tide, usually at a speed equivalent to a person's walking speed of 4 kilometres per hour, and increasing to 30 kilometres per hour downwind. ”

Meng Wenjie said: "Wow, this speed is simply too fast, is it easy to have an accident? If you are accidentally caught in the tide, you will die!"

"The low tide in the bay also tends to start very suddenly, perhaps a few minutes ago as an unfathomable sea, and suddenly the water recedes into the distance, and the beach is full of bare beaches and quicksands of a very special color. ”

Head Xia Yuxiang said: "I remember that there are still many French writers who have recorded the terrible quicksand in their works. ”

Professor Abner nodded, "Yes, almost all the great masters of French classical literature, from Hugo to Maupassant, have been bewildered by its variety. ”

Victor Hugo described: "Falling into quicksand is bound to be a thrilling burial, the process is long, inevitable, and merciless, and it is true that the surface of these sands may seem flat, smooth, soft and safe, but once you accidentally slide down, the undercurrent inside it will slide like a snake, and the soft surface soaked in the tide will turn into silt and entangle you like a swamp." ”

"Yes, this is indeed very scary, these writers have recorded it, so you must be careful when you come here to travel, you can only stand far away, climb high and overlook, and you must not get close. ”

For more than 1,000 years, the Atlantic Ocean has ebbed and flowed, and countless sands have washed into the bay, moving the coastline about 5 kilometers westward to get closer to Mont Saint-Michel.

"So this is also a natural landscape formed by nature for a long time, and then some buildings are built artificially. ”

For centuries, Mount St. Michael's stood proudly, with the sea and the wind, the ebb and flow of the tide, and the vicissitudes of life. The bay of Saint-Malo, where it is located, is famous for its high tides, which have become a major attraction of Mont Saint-Michel.

In the evening, the tide of the Atlantic Ocean rushes with lightning speed, flooding the quicksand around it in an instant, and suddenly the ocean is filled with only the causeway connected to the land.

"Wow, this speed is so fast, it's still quite scary to watch, I never come to the bay to watch the tide, it's thrilling to watch, especially after listening to Professor Abner talk about the quicksand, I'm even more scared!" Qu Lihua said.

Professor Abner smiled, "Don't be afraid, we are safe at this time, before the high tide, and we are in this position where we are climbing now, the tide will not be able to rush up, I will not take you to dangerous places, there will be no danger!"

Hearing Professor Abner say this, everyone's hanging hearts were relieved.

Head Xia Yuxiang said: "Let's go and see the cathedral over there, I think the French cathedral is also very distinctive, their cathedral is different from the Russian church, each country because of different historical and religious reasons, the church is built differently, the appearance is different, the layout inside is not the same, you have to go in and have a look, you can experience and feel!"

The construction of St. Michel's Cathedral was not spectacular, the church was divided into three parts: the altar, the transept and the nave, and since the uneven hilltop could not provide a wide and level foundation, several buildings were built along the hillside to make the church on the same level.

The cathedral is in the shape of a cross, while the altar, transept and the crypt or prayer room under the nave are in fact masterpieces of Romanesque architecture, with a large portico with three arches on the front of the church, overlooking the sea from the platform in front of the door, the church is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and the nave is typical of the Romanesque style.

Qu Lihua looked up, just like the head of Xia Yuxiang said, the style of churches in Europe is indeed different, and you can also see the different beliefs and concepts of religion.

The symmetrical layout and three-dimensional vertical separation of the top bays of the Basilica on Mont Saint-Michel, the wide arches between the nave and the transept, and the carved doors and windows on the porches all demonstrate the ingenuity and ingenuity of the architects, and have left a rich cultural heritage for posterity.

"After the completion of the cathedral, it attracted more and more pilgrims, bringing the worship of the Archangel St. Michel to the pinnacle, and Mont Saint-Michel was covered with a miraculous veil. ”

"That's where Mont Saint-Michel comes from, you can take a closer look, take a tour, and see if you have any questions for me!"

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