I invite you to a special tale; during this special time of year. Let’s not extinguish the heart’s magic and wonder of a child’s soul. This season is conducive to memories burrowed deep in our senses; those that we keep under pillows to reassure. I share with you a vivid childhood memory; an evening at Mont-Saint-Michel. This little corner of the world, nestled between Brittany and Normandy, anchored in a bewitching bay facing the Channel Islands. A journey I would enjoy with my grandfather in my early childhood.
During winter, bare trees raised their bleached skeletal remains. At the end of a long road traveled, windy and beyond the misty groves, the Mont-Saint-Michel shone with its full light.
It stood there, plural work by its trinity: sea-sky-earth and aroused as many sensory pleasures in vernal colors. The Mont-Saint-Michel, a Gothic bastion of granite, anchored on a rock beaten by the winds and waves, stood strong with its arrow to the sky.
Originating from spiritual influence of the Middle Ages, during Christmas he released a magic dust, reviving the mystery. This luminous Gulliver swallowed us like the Whale in Pinocchio.
On the ascent to the Abbey, my grandfather preferred crossing the gardens to get drunk on the scents of conifers. Fir trees distilled their perfumes and adorned with a thousand fires, gleams of mystery were projected on the walls; rains of gold dust. Their gigantic shadows encouraged me to snuggle up to my grandfather, clutching my little glove tighter against his.
As we walked, we shared the magic of years’ end celebrations. My eyes fluttered that evening; my gaze never ceased to turn from discovery of imaginary animals formed by nature on this ancient village. My mind and soul were elsewhere. I could hear the bells and the sound of singing in the distance, with scents of cinnamon, cloves, orange and mulled wine crossing the medieval alleys.
This memory of my grandfather, who taught me to cultivate all these little joys, stays with me. Dear Engin, dear friends: I express my best wishes for you and your loved ones and wish for you the magic of this special dust of Mont-Saint-Michel.
