St Malo

St Malo is a wonderful old Corsair enclave built of stone and situated on the edge of the Atlantic in the north western corner of Brittany. Three of the four sides of the walled citadel are boarded by ocean. 

 

The citadel was destroyed by bombs in the final months of the Second World War. 

 It was painstakingly rebuilt after the war, and today is a popular destination for French holiday makers and tourists from further afield.

In my time here, I have finished reading Anthony Doerr’s deeply moving novel All The Light We Cannot See. Much of the story unfolds in St Malo before and after the bombing. For those who’ve read it, the island below is where Etienne (and many others in real life) was imprisoned for working for the French resistance. There were no carefree sunbathers on these beaches in those dark days.

Gerald and mum were living in Jersey during the German occupation, and Gerald has been travelling here and to the neighbouring towns of Dinan and Dinard since just after the war. 

The view from the window of the room I’m staying in.

St Malo is famous for its food, including seafood, moules (mussels) in particular, and my favourite, galettes and cidre!! Not to mention Far Breton tarts and Kouign Amann cakes.

😋 😋 😋

These posts, anchored deep in the sand, serve to break up the enormous swells that pound on and over the city walls during wild winter storms.

My thanks to Gerald and mum for a special time shared in a wonderful place.

👣

Tonight I travel south by bus to Toulouse, while Sarah continues the long flight from Australia. We hope to meet at the bus interchange at Toulouse (what could possibly go wrong!!) and than catch the same bus to Carcassone where the walk begins.