Trip to Normandie - Day 4 (29 Apr 2008)

St Malo

We arrived in St Malo around 4pm on 28 Apr after driving about an hour from Mont St Michel. St Malo is a small coastal town in Brittany, once a feared base of pirates but now a major tourist destination in Brittany. We stayed at La Rance in Quay Sebastopol, a charming 12-room hotel overlooking the mouth of the river Rance. The views of the quay and river from the hotel were as pretty as a postcard.

****arriving at hotel La Rance - 2nd building from the right.


****view of river Rance in front of the hotel

****river Rance at Quay Sebastopol

Next to the hotel, there is a tower guarding the harbour which has lovely exhibits of miniature boats and yatchs and other marine paraphernalia.

****Tower next to hotel La Rance

****view of river Rance from the tower ramparts

****Tower at Quay Sebastopol with the seagull mascot at the front

We visited the La Ville Intra-Muros (ancient walled city) in the evening. It is around 5 minutes drive from the hotel. The old town is enclosed within the wall and you can walk around the entire length of the wall with some great views of the ocean and countryside. We tried some savory crepes 'galettes' (Breton speciality) at one of the many creperies in the town.

****one of the gates in the wall leading to the old town

****My high tea - a savory crepe with egg, bacon and cheese

****a view from Intra-Muros

****another view from the wall

Dinan

The next day, we took a drive to Dinan, a medieval old town about 25 mins drive from St Malo. The old town is full of timbered buildings and cobbled streets. We had lunch at La Mere Pourcel which is housed in a 15th century timber building, and bought some biscuits and cider from the shop next door.

After lunch, we drove to Rue de Petite Fort and took a stroll down the steep hill to the old port at river Rance. There are local handicraft and souvenior shops along the way, and many cafes along the riverside.


****cobbled streets in the Dinan walled town

****walking down the hill at Rue de Petite Fort

****the narrow streets down the hill

****Riverside pattiserie selling Breton traditional butter cake (kouign amann)

****some boats on river Rance with little passengers

On the way back to St Malo from Dinan, we took a quick detour to Dinard, a resort town similar to St Malo with casinos and many hotels. Somehow, i felt it lacked the old-world charm of St Malo.