The most visited monument in France consists of a golden angel on top of a spire on top of a church on top of a monastery on top of a citadel on top of a village on top of a fortress on top of a car park. English people ask, ‘Isn’t it a bit like St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall?’ – and so it is, just as the Statue of Liberty is a bit like a table lamp. During nine months of the year, the tiny streets at the base of the rock are horribly overcrowded and disfigured by a myriad souvenir shops; but as one climbs, the crowds thin out, the monastic calm takes over and the charm and beauty of the place make themselves felt.