The continent can be seen beyond the immensity of the bay. It spreads out its ribbons of sand and one can see the mouths of the three rivers that flow into it. Polders with shifting grasses nibble at the bay. It was the ‘Compagnie des polders de l'Ouest’ that was awarded the concession of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel by Napoleon III in 1865 for the purpose of agricultural optimisation. On the Mont, the mystical reigns; beyond the sands, human agitation takes over.