Day 4 – Saint-Malo (Britanny) & Mont-Saint-Michel

An umbrella?  Don’t ever leave home without one. (It was the 4th day of rain)  We drove to Saint-Malo, where the ferries embark for Britain across the English Channel.

The walled part of the city is really an isle connected to the mainland by a long road.

Jill wanted to see this place after reading All the Light We Cannot See with her book club.  The walled medieval city, La Ville Intra-Muros, was almost destroyed by U.S. & British forces during the French liberation (WWII) but has been rebuilt into a popular resort town.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ THE NOVEL, A DESCRIPTIVE QUOTATION FROM PAGE 11:  “Saint Malo: Water surrounds the city on 4 sides.  Its link to the rest of France is tenuous: a causeway, a bridge, a spit of sand.  We are Malouins first, say the people of Saint-Malo.  Bretons next.  French if there’s anything left over.  In stormy light its granite glows blue.  At the highest tides, the sea creeps into basements at the very center of town.  At lowest tides, the barnacled ribs  of thousand shipwrecks stick out above the sea.  For 300 years, this little promontory has known sieges.  But never like this.” — Anthony Doer

The wall

The entrance

Many shops and restaurants line the streets.  We were starving, but we were indecisive as to where to eat with so many great looking seafood restaurants!

An emphasis on local products–Breton biscuits

Now we’re talking some serious eating on this street.  The funny thing here is that the sky was blue, people were dining al fresco and THEN . . . out of nowhere, another cloud dropped a ton of water.  The people dashed indoors with their plates, but 20 minutes later, the waiters reset the tables outdoors and business went on as usual.  I guess they are used to fickle weather here.

Brittany is know for its great shellfish.  In fact, the Bretons serve platters of assorted seafood on their trademark “Fruits de Mer” platters.

These huge seafood platters are in the back.

An assortment of clams for sale

At last, lunch.  It was 2 PM and we hadn’t eaten all day.

Pete liked the old Morgan in British racing green.  Brittany has a British flair.

After lunch we climbed up to the windy ramparts.

Beautiful views come from all angles of the rampart walkway.

Tide pools surround Fort National.

Saint-Malo’s has a history of being a haven for pirates.  We get the feeling that Bretons were once the black sheep of France.

Around dusk we drove to Mont Saint-Michel, an 8th century monastery that sits atop an island commune.  We spent the night nearby at a budget chamber d’hôte that ran out of hot water after about 5 minutes.  Oh well, the hostess, Danielle, was a kick and made the stay a pleasant experience.  Mainly French families stayed there.  When we arrived, she was expecting 2 more parties–one Russian, the other Californian.  When she saw our name, she thought we were the Russians.  After we straightened her out, Pete became known as the FAUX Russian.  LOL.

Holy Frozen Buns!  It was so cold and windy this evening.

Honestly, folks, this place reminds us of “The Magic Kingdom.”  Where are Mickey, Donald & Pluto?

Pete taking one for Team Verenkoff: He stood there as if he were not dying of the cold.

Colorful candles light up one of the Abbey’s chapels

Jill, windswept, but enjoying every minute of it.  We skipped dinner after our Saint-Malo seafood lunch and went straight to bed–to get warm again.  What a long day!