After spending a lot of the previous day in the car, the Pattons and I decided to hang out around St. Malo day after we arrived. We started out by walking in a random direction and hoping to get to the old city center. We apparently walked in the opposite direction and wandered around some charming neighborhoods before finally making it to the old city (Intra-muros is what the old city is called, although that just reminds me of intramural sports, which seems somehow very un-French and not related to a quaint old city at all).
Anyways, our first stop was an old fort that was outside the city walls. It wasn't open for the season yet, but we had fun exploring the rocks and tidepools, as well as finding shells! Since babycakes was in the backpack and couldn't get her own, I kept her liberally supplied with seashells, which was entertaining for both of us.
After the fort, we walked on the ramparts of the city wall to see what there was to see. There were numerous monuments to various Corsairs (basically French pirates), which explains the pirate ship we saw the day before.
All this pirate business reminded me of the time Ruth and I were in Wales, and our B&B owner in all seriousness accused the French of sending pirates to burn their sheep at night. I just love traveling!
We also walked through a cathedral with really some of the most beautiful stained glass I have seen.
We finished our tour on the city walls, had a nice lunch at a creperie, and did some shopping for souvenirs and clothing. Shopping in France is so much less expensive than in Switzerland, so I quite enjoyed it!
Overall, it was a nice, relaxing day of wandering around St. Malo. I really enjoyed seeing the old buildings and the way the city was designed to co-exist with the ocean.
Anyways, our first stop was an old fort that was outside the city walls. It wasn't open for the season yet, but we had fun exploring the rocks and tidepools, as well as finding shells! Since babycakes was in the backpack and couldn't get her own, I kept her liberally supplied with seashells, which was entertaining for both of us.
After the fort, we walked on the ramparts of the city wall to see what there was to see. There were numerous monuments to various Corsairs (basically French pirates), which explains the pirate ship we saw the day before.
All this pirate business reminded me of the time Ruth and I were in Wales, and our B&B owner in all seriousness accused the French of sending pirates to burn their sheep at night. I just love traveling!
We also walked through a cathedral with really some of the most beautiful stained glass I have seen.
We finished our tour on the city walls, had a nice lunch at a creperie, and did some shopping for souvenirs and clothing. Shopping in France is so much less expensive than in Switzerland, so I quite enjoyed it!
Overall, it was a nice, relaxing day of wandering around St. Malo. I really enjoyed seeing the old buildings and the way the city was designed to co-exist with the ocean.
