On the way to St Malo we stopped in Dinan. A wonderful medieval town. It is very well preserved and a delight to walk through – though somewhat crowded.

We wandered the streets taking photos and enjoying the buskers. There was a medieval attired lady playing an ancient medieval looking instrument,  a guitarist, a singer and several children dancing along.

We sat in the gardens in front of the church and ate our lunch: a baguette for Steve and salad for me,  watching the tourists walking by and checking out their foot ware. It’s beyond me how some people walk around all day in heels or wedges or flats that look worn out.

We pulled ourselves up trying not to complain about sore knees( that would be me – Steve has had his knee replaced and has no pain!) back to the car and off to St Malo.

I really wanted to visit here having just read a great book set here during the 2nd World War. “All the light I can not see” by Anthony Doerr. It was about a young blind girl and her father who fled Paris and stayed in St Malo with an uncle. A corresponding story about a young German boy brought them together in St Malo. Such a great book. I wish I had passages photocopied to see if I can find the places described. I know I’ll be looking.

So look we did. We found the beach area and all the sunbathing English and French. It’s a great tidal part of the channel and there were some funny signs around about safe bathing ( swimming to us) We walking along the ramparts and looked out to sea and saw lots of  sailing boats dotted around. Also across to another beach nearby with its sand sailing. Children in rockpools, kids playing shuttlecock, soccer, nine pins. Not a cricket or touch game to be seen. No boggie boards either. But I did notice a lot of striped shirts. Sailor type but plain and lovely and known as the Breton sea shirt. Very popular here and in all the shops. I love a stripe. In fact I had my striped t shirt on but felt very inferior as it wasn’t the real thing. –   a Breton Blue.

We decided on one of the many little seafood restaurants For dinner and Steve decided to have the famous Moules and frites ( muscles and chips) I had a really nice piece of white grilled fish and rice. Very simple and very nice. We didn’t have gelato a we walked back to the hotel. I must be changing with the gluten free eating. Don’t seem to feel like it. But people around us certainly were indulging. They were eating some of the biggest ice creams I have even seen.

Our walk back to the hotel allowed us to check out more buskers and the one that won our prize was the group of life boat service gentlemen ( called corsairs). They were a group of about 12 older gentlemen dressed in navy shirts singing great selection of rousing songs. The audience loved them. They even had their own cd. Steve has decided perhaps the masters men of Met Caloundra surf club could form a choir to do similar performances along the beach. I wonder if people would throw money in their caps!

Must get an early night tonight. Tomorrow we have a taxi booked to take us to the port for the ferry to Jersey one of the Channel Islands.

Great night sleep due to the fact I dispensed with the
beautiful doona and used my sarong. Has anyone else noticed the use of a quilt/ doona in hotels and B&B without the top sheet. The one last night was beautiful linen, light weight but for me too hot. I meant to ask for an extra sheet but that probably would have suffered in translation. Usually I take the doona out of the sheet cover its in and just use that. But last night it was warm and all I needed was my sarong over me. Perfect ! 
We enjoyed our lovely breakfast where I’m sure Estée, our hostess, thinks I’m strange because I can’t eat her croissant or baguette. I explained I was allergic! But that is probably unheard of here in the land of the beautiful baguette. 

Then off on the road with a few stops. St Lo which isn’t very pretty mainly because it suffered terribly in the war and then Sainte Mare Eglise where there is a very good museum devoted to the paratroopers during the war. The church still has a parachute caught on its room with a model of a soldier dangling, to re enact what happened to an American paratrooper during the Normandy invasion. 

Then onto Mont St Michel. It looks like a fairytale as you approach. Gorgeous in the just breaking sunlight. We were going to make this our stop for the night but with a ferry from StMalo in the morning thought it would be better to stay there and just visit Mont St Michel.

 It involves car parking 3 km from the Mont and catching a shuttle to the gates of the old town. What we hadn’t quite anticipated were the crowds. You would think we were visiting Disneyland. Hundreds of people. Herded onto shuttle buses and slowing driving towards this amazing place. But when we got there it was more crowed than Disneyland on a busy day. We climbed to the top and then back down and left without the lunch we were planning to get there. Way too busy. My advice :,if you want to go there book in to a hotel on the Mont, arrive late in the afternoon, and enjoy the peace and quiet when the crowds have left for the day. It’s looks like a magical place in the quiet.