The real-life Minas Tirith from 'Lord of the Rings': A tour of Mont Saint-Michel (original) (raw)
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Rising from the sea like a location from a fantasy film, Mont Saint-Michel has a mythic presence and an epic real-life history. Here's a full tour of this legendary castle, commune, and abbey that sits on a tiny island off the coast of France.
Geoffrey Morrison is a writer/photographer about tech and travel for CNET, The New York Times, and other web and print publications. He's also the Editor-at-Large for Wirecutter. He is the author of Budget Travel for Dummies as well as the bestselling sci-fi novels Undersea, and Undersea Atrophia. He's NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Audio Production from Ithaca College. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com and on his Instagramand YouTube channel.
When looking for inspiration for the city of Minas Tirith in the "The Lord of the Rings," Peter Jackson and his crew at WETA used Mont Saint-Michel. When looking for iconic locations for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (and Revelations) Ubisoft Montreal also used Mont Saint-Michel. Countless other video games and movies have used the unique and iconic castle and abbey either directly or as inspiration.
Its real-life story is even more impressive, dating back over 1,000 years. It has been a castle, a monastery, a village, a prison, and often several of those at a time. It has withstood many sieges, sackings, and the steady smolder of time.
It is one of the coolest places I've ever been, epic in every way, and I took many, many pictures. Here are a bunch (and some words to go with them).
Tour Mont Saint-Michel, the real-life Minas Tirith (pictures)
Even through the fog, the unnatural distant shape of Mont Saint-Michel catches the eye. The rolling fields of France descend toward the sea, ready to disappear into the water, except for one vaguely pyramidal shape, a mere shadow on the horizon.
As you get closer, details emerge. Buildings cling to each other and to some unseen, steeply sloped, surface. It is unlike anyplace I'd ever been: a castle, a village, and a cathedral, all wrapped together.
You park on the mainland, and take a wood-clad bus (or walk) to the gates of the castle. I was a bit disappointed how many people were there. But it was early June, the weather was perfect, and it's not like the place was a secret.
Seeing the walls and buildings rise above me, this place I'd seen in pictures since I took French in high school, was surreal. It's a medieval castle, yet alive with shops and people.
As I entered, through a drawbridge, I was a little worried that it would be touristy, with kitschy shops spoiling the atmosphere. Somehow, despite numerous gift shops, the place resists the sort of Disneyfication that so sours countless other famous locations.
Perhaps it's because these buildings were always shops, with merchants setting out their wares, for centuries. As you start walking up the curved ramp you pass restaurants and bars, some looking new, some old, but not a Starbucks in sight.
There are few flat pathways on the Mont; it's mostly ramps and stairs. As you continue up, the stores end and you're faced with the looming walls of the Abbey. Not only is it tall, but it's high, built right over the top of the rocky peak.
At the base of the Abbey's walls, but above the shops and restaurants, is the residential area. A few dozen people live permanently on the Mont, but these areas were much more heavily populated at other points in history.
The Abbey itself is not just the rather impressive cathedral, but also catacombs, huge vaulted chambers, and even gardens. These aren't obvious as you look at the Mont from a distance, but behind the visible walls are room after epic room.
I stayed three days and two nights on the Mont, affording me some experiences day visitors would sadly miss. Like walking through the empty streets at night, my footsteps on the cobblestones hauntingly echoing back to me.
Or one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen: dawn fighting its way past clouds, creating a perfect rainbow over the Mont Saint-Michel.
An unforgettable experience. Highly recommended. If you can't make it to Normandy, here are a few dozen pictures, at all different times of day, to give you a feel for how cool this place is.
As well as covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.
Also check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.