We'll be continuing our "exploration" of the great European castles in 2012 with the beautiful and mysterious Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. Although not strictly a castle in terms of usage, it certainly warrants a mention in terms of architecture and a somewhat fairy tale image!

Situated on a rocky tidal island, Mont Saint Michel has been a monastery since the 8th century AD and was nicknamed "St Michael in peril of the sea" by early pilgrims because of the quickly and dramatically changing tides (at roughly 46ft between high and low tide!) Mont Saint-Michel is connected to the mainland via a thin natural land bridge, which, before modernization, was covered at high tide and revealed at low tide, giving the mount a mystical quality.

Visit this Fotopedia website for some really beautiful photographs of Mont Saint-Michel.