Patterns On The Mont

The light is very interesting at the Mont-Saint-Michel. Sometimes it can be sunny, but down in the village's narrow street, not much gets through. It's often cloudy or foggy, and that diffused light makes for good picture taking.

Here's Ken (above) peering over a wall about halfway up the Mont. I wanted this shot because he was the only one in it. It was late in the day and people had begun leaving, and we felt like we had the place to ourselves. Normally, this walkway is filled with people coming and going from and to the abbey.

I think this is slate (above). It's not the dark polished ardoise that covers the rooftops in Paris, but a rougher hewn variety that is allowed to weather and be covered with lichens and mosses. Below is the roof cap made from terre cuite, also covered with lichens and mosses.

Down below you can see three siding materials side-by-side. On the left are wooden shingles; we saw these also used as roofing shingles. In the center are slate shingles. Again, these are used for both siding and roofing on the Mont. On the right is a basic stone wall.