Yesterday we went to St. Malo for the afternoon. Jo, Sarah, David. Carl and I squeezed into the Peugeot. St. Malo is a walled city. When we got inside the walls it began to rain so we went from doorstep to door step to avoid getting soaked finally ducking into a restaurant for lunch/dinner. I have to say I think we are all getting a little tired of galettes (the buckwheat flour pancakes) which seem to be the only choice in a lot of restaurants which are tourist oriented. The rain subsided and the rest of the afternoon was pleasantly warm. David went for a swim and the rest of us went for ice cream.
St. Malo was originally in the Middle Ages a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance, controlling not only the estuary but now inseparably attached to the mainland, St-Malo is the most visited place in Brittany. From outside the walls, the dignified ensemble of the old city seems stern and forbidding, and passing through into the streets within the walls brings you into a busy, lively and very full of character packed with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. The crowds were a bit oppressive but we climbed up atop the ramparts and it was quiet and the views of the sea and city below were fantastic. Clean beaches below the ramparts.
