Finally Putting On Our Sandals in Saint Malo!

Walking along the city wall of Saint Malo with Fort National in the background.

After Paris we headed off to spend a few days enjoying the beautiful beaches and exploring the walled city of Saint Malo. We had had enough of the city and were told that this is where some of the locals go for holiday in France. According to Kathy, it is a great place to spend all day just lying on the beach and turning yourself into toast. We thought, “great! We could use a little toasting after all the rain we’ve encountered so far!” It proved to be just what we could have hoped for!


On our way to Saint Malo we took a short detour to Chartres to see the beautiful Chartres Cathedral.












                                                          The alter of Chartres Cathedral




One of the things that Chartres Cathedral is know for is the stone labyrinth on the floor. Pilgrims come from all over to walk the labyrinth as a form of meditation and prayer. It is said to represent the journey of life and the life of Jesus from birth to death and ultimately his resurrection and ascension in to life ever after.



The Blue Mary Window in Charters Cathedral.


Once we got to Saint Malo. We checked into our cute little hotel room and then decided to take a nice afternoon stroll down the beach which was only a quick 5 minute walk down the road. To be honest I really didn’t have high hopes for the French beaches. Being spoiled by the pristine Oregon beaches I’m usually a little let down when I’ve visited more populated tourist beaches like in Hawaii, California, Mexico, and Costa Rica. They tend to be dirty, littered with trash, and overrun with unfriendly people to the point where it is hard to even find a place to lay out your towel. Since we were sold on this being a tourist destination and having just left Paris, where everything was either tagged with graffiti or had the continual “Ode de Sewage,” I left with low expectations. Boy, was I wrong! This was one of the most wonderful beaches I have ever been to. The weather was just pleasant enough where you could swim or sunbathe and you didn’t get sweaty and overheated or chilled and frozen to the bone. The beaches were immaculately clean - I don’t think I saw a single piece of garbage. There was just enough wind to fly a kite, people played volleyball near the surf, sunbathers lined up against the tidal wall (some topless…remember this is Europe), families building sand castles, music playing on the boardwalk, and off in the distance you can see the picturesque view of the walled city Saint Malo!

Matt and I took off our sandals and walked all the way from one end of the beach to the other (which took us about an hour)!

Aview of the walled city of Saint Malo.

From the beach when the tide is low, you can walk right up to Fort National.

Matt at the entrance to Fort National.

Once we reached the end of the beach we had fun exploring both the fort and walking along the outer wall of the city. We found a cute little creperie along the wall where all the waiters were dressed as pirates. We couldn't pass that up!


Looking out of one of the turret.

Having fun exploring the tide pools around Fort National.

The Normandy area is known for their buckwheat crepes and cider. The odd thing about the cider is that it is served in a ceramic pitcher with a ceramic tea cup. I know you’re thinking, “that’s not odd.” Well, the cider isn't the comforting warm apple cider you get at Christmas (that would make sense being in a tea cup) but the cold hard sparkling kind you normally get in a frosty pint glass. Needless to say I was a little thrown when I took my first sip. It was delicious though and after a cup or so what you’re drinking it out of doesn't matter in the least!


One of the delicious crepes I had with pears, almonds, and chocolate sauce.

 



The next day we spent the day inside the walls of Saint Malo.  We went to the candy stores, did some shopping, and stopped to listen to some street musicians along the way. I  also took on a battle with the biggest meringue cookie I had ever seen. In the end I was defeated as it ended up winning the fight since I could not finish it. We then spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing on the beach (Note there are no pictures of this). Most of the sunbathers were indeed topless and it was interesting to see how it really wasn't that big of a deal for them. I think in many ways the American culture is still kind of grounded in its puritan roots. Of all things, nudity really isn't that big of a deal and after spending weeks in the art museums, surrounded with all the nude sculptures and paintings, it really didn't seem that out of the norm for me as well. The body is a beautiful form and I don’t think it should be necessary to cover all the time or be a crime if you want a nice tan.
Also most of the men here wear Speedos instead of the typical trunks in the States, so when you are just lying on your back on the beach, often your ability to notice the differences between the sexes gets difficult when men and women wear such similar bottoms. After a while you kind of stop noticing.
I know you are all wondering…and no I did not do it. The courage just wasn't there this time around.

The next day we headed off to see the walled island city and abbey of Mont Saint Michael.

A view of Mont Saint Michael. When the tide is high the island can be completely surrounded by water.

Once inside the walls of Mont Saint Michael it kind of feels like you have stepped back in time - like you are walking around one of those castle cities you see in the story books when you are a little kid. They let you explore the passageways around all the little shops and hotels. Matt and I even found a little hidden graveyard. And of course they let you tour the abbey. The highlight of the trip was that we just happened to reach the chapel right when they were setting up for noon mass. So we decided to stay. It was truly spiritual!  It started with one of the young monks ringing the chapel bell by hand. There was a long rope that went to the top of the chapel right in the middle of where everyone sat. Once he was done he went to play the organ while the rest of the monks and nuns, who knelt up front, sang in Latin in four-part harmony. It was some of the most angelic music I’ve ever heard. When they were singing I looked around and noticed that the chapel was pretty stark. There were no fancy windows, gilded crosses, outlandishly painted ceilings, or even fancy seats with kneelers. It was just them there, connecting with God. They didn’t need all that. To me that is what spirituality should really be about. Just a plain and simple connection with God. And even though the mass was in French and I didn’t understand a lick of it, I still felt moved. And for me, that’s what mass should do…allow you to connect spiritually with God. It may not have been for everyone but I found it to be one of the best ways to truly experience Mont Saint Michael.

                                                 Exploring inside the walled city of Mont Saint Michael.


All in all we had a blast in Saint Malo. It was the nice relaxing time we needed. I just  wish we could have spent more time here!
Now off to delve into the world of chocolate in Bruges! Watch out Belgium here we come!