A girl plays in the columns of the Gothic style cloister of Mont St. Michel, on the coastal flats of Normandy, France. Built after a fire set by the Breton Guy de Thouars in 1204, the cloister was granted a place on the tidal island used for centuries as a political and military stronghold as well as for religious observance. Photo by Danielle Voirin. March 4, 2008