Sunday, August 8, 2010

Reflecting on Reflections . . .

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It's funny how things stick in one's mind. Since discovering James' Reflections Weekends, I've consciously and unconsciously started noticing far more reflections than I ever did before, and thinking that this or that one would be perfect for a Reflections Weekend entry. So while driving out to Brittany on Friday, and having been tempted to make a small detour to see one of my favorite places in France along the way, le Mont Saint Michel, when the following reflections presented themselves in a small tidal pool, Reflections Weekend came straight to mind and I snapped away, to share them with you here for whatever they are worth. I couldn't help thinking how lucky I am to live here in France, to have such sights nearby; a privilege in fact. And a privilege to have you who may be reading this out there in the blogosphere, sharing the light projected by the magic lantern, and casting your own reflections.
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49 comments:

Adam said...

Great photos - perfect light!

English Rider said...

So sad that the cars mar the impression of another era. Lovely image. How could you not photograph that?
Are they done with the green algae over there?

Amy said...

Just look at the colors of the sky... you are indeed privileged, and especially so to catch this lighting. The photo would have been gorgeous enough without the clouds and golden hour light, they just made it extra spectacular.

It looks like the perfect sort of place for a fairytale to end.

Anne-Ma said...

Ah ! Joli ! Et reflet normand en plus ! ;-)

CiCi said...

I think James opened many of our eyes to reflections around us. These photos are very good. You are right to know you are blessed to live in a country of such history and architecture.

mythopolis said...

Wonderful shots. I've always loved that place! It is like a fairytale.

the fly in the web said...

Beautiful light.

The Pliers said...

I especially like the landscape layout. But I had to go back and do a double take because I totally erased the cars with the big eraser that I keep in my mind's eye for just such an occasion! Good thing ER is so observant! I'm all, "What cars?"

Stickup Artist said...

Owen, these are spectacular. I have dreamt so often of visiting this place. Your shots came out perfectly with the beautiful sky and the "castle" reflecting in the water. It is thrilling to know you stood in this uniquely magical place just a few day ago.

I'm sure glad you took up James' thoughtful and inspiring meme and brought this back for all of us to reflect upon!

James said...

I know what you mean about noticing more reflections. These are beautiful. I've day dreamed more than once about taking a picture of this very reflection.

Luuuuuua said...

superba fotografie,bravo

Gine said...

Comme je ne l'ai jamais vu ! Sublime ... les photos sont excellentes.

Anonymous said...

Owen, i can´t believe you´ve been in there!! i mean,, this place belongs to a fairy tale,,or rather, to one of those tales about mighty wizards and knights. What a view,,and as you say, a lucky to have it at the reach of your hand!!!
Keep well friend!!=)

Steve said...

Reflections are wonderful things... they remind us that the world around us has hidden depths and that sometimes, just a change of perspective can be awe inspiring and inspirational.

Steve said...

Reflections are wonderful things... they remind us that the world around us has hidden depths and that sometimes, just a change of perspective can be awe inspiring and inspirational.

pRiyA said...

Stunning!

Lynne with an e said...

You chose very well in adopting a new homeland all those years ago. Or did it choose you? You tread in puddles so many, myself included, can only dream of splashing through.

:: Karine :: said...

tu as bien fait de "craquer" owen adoré pour nous montrer le Mont Saint Michel !

quelle belles photos avec ces reflets sortis d'un autre monde ! parfait en effet pour des "reflections weekends"

je connais le Mont depuis que je suis toute petite n'habitant pas très loin en Bretagne !

il y a plein de merveilles en Normandie et en Bretagne et finalement en France tout cour :-)

merci owen de nous les montrer

bisou bisou

Plum' said...

J'y suis allée lorsque j'étais enfant, un endroit magique, c'est vrai, en particulier à marée haute, lorsque le Mont n'est plus qu'une île...un cloître paisible également...

Owen said...

Hi Adam,
Many thanks, just chanced to be there when the sun was getting low on the horizon, and spent a quiet moment out on the sand flats at low tide just watching the light change. Am going to stop back there I think on the way home from Brittany, the last time I went in through the gates and up to the top was almost 25 years ago...

Owen said...

Dear ER,
What cars ?
;-)

As for the green algae, I haven't heard any stories about it this summer (yet), but the place we go is very close to St Michel-en-Greve, where last year a horse died and a couple of people were quite ill from the rotting algae gas... caused by heavy use of chemical fertilizers that then run off into the ocean, provoking massive algae blooms, that then wash up on the beaches, leaving thick layers of rotting greenery.... berk !

Owen said...

Hi Amy,
Saw where you had a fine time at Com Con... liked your Han Solo get up, but would like to see you as Princess Lea too.

Many thanks, I'm sure a few fairy tales have taken place here...

Owen said...

Bonjour Anne-Ma,
Merci d'être passée, et d'avoir laissé un petit mot, c'est sympa ! Et maintenant je vois où c'est le défi-photo, que j'ai vu un peu chez Sarah depuis un moment mais ne savait pas trop l'origine...

Quant au reflte normand, il y en a qui disent que le Mont c'est en Brétagne ... mais d'autres que c'est normand... qui dit vrai ??? Ce n'est pas moi un expatrié exilé immigré qui va trancher sur ce débat qui visiblment suscite de vives émotions chez certains !

Merci bcp en tout cas...
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Techno,
Thoroughly blessed in every sense... I count my blessings regularly... one of which is having faithful and friendly readers such as your good self who stop by here often... The Paul McCartney song comes to mind... Baby I'm Amazed... or was it, TechnoBabe I'm Amazed...
:-)

Owen said...

Hey Myth,
Just the sight of that place is an invitation to invent fairytales, the air around it is dense with phrases like, "Once upon a time..."

Owen said...

Dear Fly, indeed, indeed, it was a treat, I was spoiled rotten that evening...

Owen said...

Dearest Pliers,
What cars ??? What on earth are you and ER going on about ?

Actually, I hear there's a project to shut the parking near the Mont, and have people take shuttles in, like they do in Zion National Park, for example. A great idea, if you ask me...

Owen said...

Dear Stickup,
Keep dreaming, if you dream enough I'm sure your dream will come true. If you and Semper get over hear, it would be great to meet you... and maybe go off on a photo expedition or two...

Oh, and don't forget to bring your Ass too !
:-)

Owen said...

Gotta go get my beauty sleep, but hope to get back in here tomorrow to continue answering to all you good people...

Bonne nuit !

Roxana said...

omg!!!

so gorgeous!
too bad the pics got smaller when i clicked on them, i would have wished them to become bigger, huge, so that i might get lost there and never come back again (or just much much later - i am hyperbolic tonight but such sights tend to do this to me :-)

i am so glad you enjoyed your little trip (who wouldn't, with such pictures?!)

Owen said...

Hi James,
I'd love to go back there and hang around for a while in different seasons, weather, times of day, no doubt there are a wealth of reflections to be found, high tide, low tide, under a full moon... The tides there are among the most extreme around, with the Bay of Fundy in Canada. Hope your dream will come true one day... sounds like there are a few folks who would like to get to Mont St Michel. It is one of the most visited sites in Europe. I tend to forget there are so many places like this right in my back yard. It is easy to keep on driving rather than make the small effort of taking a detour... but I love taking detours, taking the roudabout way to get somewhere. It's the voyage that matters, right, not the destination ?

Gotta hand it to you for creating Weekend Reflections... one of the best things going on in the blogosphere that I know of...

Owen said...

Luuuuuua, hi, many thanks for stopping in here... am always happy to see new names in the comment box ! And if you are in Romania, perhaps you know about the Floating Bridge of Dreams ?

Owen said...

Bonjour Gine, mille fois merci ! C'est super gentil, et à bientôt j'espère...

Owen said...

Hi Alberto,
Well, I didn't get inside this time, but I think I will make the effort to do so going home next week... the last time I went in was about 25 years ago, and I have wonderful memories, it is a magical place still I think. I hope. And yes, one can easily imagine dragons perched on those ramparts and spires... Hope all is well with you...

Owen said...

Hey Steve, indeed, reflections are a wonderful phenomenon, the universe is full of hidden splendors and unimagined depths, perspectives, dimensions even... if one can just see them. Sometimes they even happen in comment boxes, all that light out there bouncing around, and we can't help but see double...
:-)

Owen said...

Hey Steve, indeed, reflections are a wonderful phenomenon, the universe is full of hidden splendors and unimagined depths, perspectives, dimensions even... if one can just see them. Sometimes they even happen in comment boxes, all that light out there bouncing around, and we can't help but see double...
:-)

Owen said...

Ah Priya, namaste !

Owen said...

Dear Big Sis,
I'm not sure who chose who between country or toad... but in any case, for whatever mysterious reasons, I am here... in fact it was the fault of a blue eyed frog, but again, whether she chose I, or I chose her, who could say ?

Between the Bay of Fundy, and the bay around the Mont St Michel, we both have some fine puddles to splash in, as long as we don't get caught in quicksand, or by the rising tide... Guess you'll just have to get over here though if you really want to splash in this puddle. Maybe Roxana will bring you back in her suitcase ?

Now, what's for dinner ??? Lobster I'm thinking...

Which reminds me... omg, we found the creperie to end all creperies yesterday... will be writing about it soon here, it was AWESOME !

Owen said...

Ah Karine,
Alors, finalement tu es un petit peu brétonne en fait ? Tu as grandi en Brétagne ? Avec le Mont comme voisin ? C'est fabuleux. Je comprends mieux maintenant... il y a tellement de bonnes choses qui viennent de Brétagne; et tu en fais partie... oui, des merveilles, en effet.

On a tellement de chance d'habiter pas loin de tels endroits, et de pouvoir aller les voir facilement. Là, à présent, on est en plein coeur du Finistère nord, et c'est un régal. Hier on est monté en haut de la montagne St Michel, à ne pas confondre avec le Mont St Michel, c'est le point culminant du Finistère dans le coin, une vue à couper le souffle...

Merci en tout cas pour ce tendre petit mot qui rend mes petits yeux de crapaud tout humides... de joie...

Owen said...

Chère K'line,
Des souvenirs magiques alors.... et oui, quand l'eau monte pour couper le Mont du reste du monde, c'est splendide. J'aimerais y retourner passer plus de temps à découvrir tous les états d'âme et d'humour et de lumière qui pourraient y regner, par tous les temps de météo et saisons... Bien que ce soit un des lieux les plus visités du monde, pour moi, le Mont garde une fascination unique.

En esperant que tu vas merveilleusement bien, que tu passes de bonnes et tranquilles vacances...

Owen said...

Dear Roxana,
If you wish to get lost in the Mont St Michel, you may just have to come to France to do so... I hope one day if you ever can come to France you will let us know... it would be such a pleasure to meet you... and who knows, perhaps I could serve as a guide to help you get lost in the Mont St Michel and other magical places... even if most guides try to prevent people from getting lost, I think the best guide is one who helps people get thoroughly lost... do call if you are coming someday...
merci Roxana...
:-)

Lynne with an e said...

Am looking forward to being creped out.

clo said...

un pur moment de magie Owen...tes photos sont sublimes...
gros bisou..

The Sagittarian said...

I've been away with work again, and I know what you mean about noticing reflections more now. I have yet to get mine posted....

:: Karine :: said...

oui owen adoré je suis bretonne par ma mère, polonaise par mon père !
ai vécu en bretagne jusqu'à l'âge de 19 ans puis 2 ans à londres (suis pas fière de mon anglais comme tu sais:-)) et ensuite paris, un peu de picardie et lille !
voilà tu sais tout :-)
bisou crapaud

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Nice.

ruma said...

La silhouette est très élégante.

Un formulaire de merveilleux. . .
Un grand héritage français.


De l'Extrême-Orient.
Salutations.
ruma

Karine A said...

Un endroit fabuleux et magique où j'aimerai beaucoup aller.
Bien rendu par ces photos caressées par la lumière du couchant.

Sar@h said...

Amusant, ce vendredi-là, j'étais au cimetière marin de La passagère, nous avons dû nous croiser sur la route !

Le Mont Saint-Michel est Normand ! car le Couesnon dans sa folie …

Trop de monde pour moi à cet endroit là !!!!