20-04-2012

Two views of St Malo taken from a ferry in the approaches to the harbour.

Photos by Stéphanie Dinez.

 Photos by Stéphanie Dinez.

There continues to be commercial cargo handled in St Malo, as seen here (left) while in the evening in the old town you may be lucky enough to see folk singers performing in the streets.

Near to St Malo is Mont St. Michel, a medieval abbey built on a rock of in the Baie de St Malo.

The rock and its splendid buildings rises magnificently from the surrounding sea and salt marshes as can be seen in Stephanie Dinez's photos (above and below left), while the causeway which links the Mont to the mainland can be seen in the view from the top (below right).  It is planned to cut the causeway as it is causing silting which has changed the island nature of the Mont, access will then be by ferry which will help to regulate the number of visitors on the island at any one time.  Mont St Michel has moved between Brittany and Normandy as the river, glimpsed to the right of the causeway, has shifted from one side of the rock to the other as this river marks the border between the two regions.

The narrow pedestrian streets are lined with shops and restaurants, something for all tastes.  You can avoid the worst of the crowds if you visit later in the day.

The last three photos were captured from my camcorder tapes.

Inland from St. Malo is Dinan, an attractive little town perched above and beside the River Rance.

Deer cool off in the water at the zoo at la Bourbansais (left) and the pack of hounds welcome a new horse that was being introduced to hounds.  While to the British the juxtaposition of a zoo caring for animals and a hunt may seem strange, the truth is that the vast majority of hunters are genuine animal lovers.