The story
Namaste! Main hoon Avsha, aapki narrator. Aaj hum France ke Normandy ilake ke us kinare par khade hain jahan zameen aur samundar aapas mein milte hain.
Apni aankhein kholiye aur saamne dekhiye. Samundar ki lehron ke beech se nikalta hua ek vishal pathar ka pahad, aur uske upar bani ek adbhut imarat. Ye hai Mont-Saint-Michel.
Door se dekhne par aisa lagta hai maano ye kisi jaadui kahani ka hissa ho jo pani par tair raha hai. Is jagah ki kahani aaj se lagbhag teraah sau saal pehle shuru hui thi. Kehte hain ki saal saat sau aath mein, Archangel Michael ne Bishop Aubert ke sapne mein aakar unhe is pahad par ek chhota sa mandir banane ka aadesh diya tha.
Tab se lekar sadiyon tak, yahan patthar par patthar rakh kar is bemisaal abbey ka nirmaan kiya gaya. Is jagah ki sabse badi khasiyat yahan ka jowar-bhata yani tides hain. Jab high tide aati hai, toh ye poori jagah charon taraf se pani se ghir jati hai aur ek tapu ban jati hai.
Purane zamane mein, yahan aane wale yaatriyon ko mitti aur daldal se guzarna padta tha, jo aksar khatarnak sabit hota tha. Aaj hum ek pul ke zariye badi aasani se yahan pahunch sakte hain. Jaise hi hum iske mukhya darwaze ke andar kadam rakhte hain, hum "Grande Rue" yaani mukhya sadak par pahunchte hain.
Ye ek purani, tang aur chadhi hui gali hai jahan dono taraf pattharon se bane ghar aur dukaanein hain. Yahan chalte waqt aapko taaza makkhan aur mashhoor "La Mère Poulard" ke omelets ki mehak aayegi, jo yahan aane wale logon ki pehchaan ban chuki hai. Jaise-jaise hum upar ki taraf badhte hain, bheed kam hoti jati hai aur shaanti badhti jati hai.
Sabse upar sthit hai woh vishal Abbey, jise "Merveille" yaani 'Ajooba' kaha jata hai. Iski Gothic architecture aur oonchi deewarein dekhkar aap dang reh jayenge. Ye abbey na sirf ek dharmik sthal tha, balki ek mazboot qila bhi tha.
Sau saalon tak chale yudh mein bhi angrez ise kabhi jeet nahi paaye. Abbey ke andar ek sundar aangan hai jise "Cloister" kehte hain. Yahan khade hokar jab aap samundar ki gehraiyon ko dekhte hain, toh aisa lagta hai ki waqt tham gaya hai.
Lehron ka shor aur thandi hawaein aapko ye ehsaas karati hain ki insaan ne prakriti ke beech kitni sundar rachna ki hai. Mont-Saint-Michel sirf ek imarat nahi, balki Normandy ki shaan aur insani himmat ka prateek hai. Jaise hi suraj dhalta hai aur is par roshni padti hai, ye kisi sunehre taaj ki tarah chamakne lagta hai.
Is khoobsurat anubhav ko apne dil mein basa lijiye, kyunki aisi jagah poori duniya mein aur kahin nahi hai. Main Avsha, ummeed karti hoon ki aapko ye safar pasand aaya hoga.