#45 - Dimanche 27th

la côte

(the coast) 

This is quite a long one! & I couldn't get the photographs to sit in the text properly...

Last night: I managed to sign up to the Rennes bikes myself for 5 euros for the week and set off at 10pm for the lumiere show on the parliament building, I'd just reached the canal when I decided it was far too creepy, took a photo of the snoopy graffiti and cycled back - finding my way along the road. Definitely gave myself more creeps than necessary, but believe me your thinking changes when you're alone, particularly in a foreign country. Back home just after 10:25.

Rolling out of bed, cuppa tea and watched some 'extreme cliff diving' - so annoying when they spoke over the English in translated French! (rescued my soap from the plug) and watched the news. Set off at quarter to ten - train was 10:37 - so plenty time for error (which of course, a small one, there was....) I'd planned to go to the ticket office but it was closed when I arrived, so I struggled with the machine, even despite it being in English - there were a million questions, do I have this card, that card, am I am member of this.. or that? & no prices were shown until right at the end... Anyway clutching my tickets I headed upstairs (there was a larger, open ticket office...) Thankfully checked the platform as it had changed since I arrived, walked on the platform and my train pulled up. (Checked it was St Malo) and off we went (perfectly on time). Well the French trains are lovely, nothing like the Hartlepool/Newcastle 'bus' style train. I spent most of the journey worrying I'd have to move to my allocated seat and the logistical difficulty with that!

Made it to St Malo (without moving seat) and bought a kinder bueno - who knew when lunch would be.... Sat crocheting in the sun when I noticed a man in a red cap looking for someone - that was my clue, met up with the couple and their dog and off we set. They were amazing, so, so lovely - driving me along windy, narrow, crowded streets, parallel-parking into tiny spaces so I could have a quick view of the town, hopped out to have a look out over the sea, there was a statue of the man who discovered Canada and they showed me some of the original buildings, from 1725!. Over 70% of the town was destroyed and has since been rebuilt (not, as I thought from Wiki, and asked them.... from a fire...but in WW2). 

  
St Malo is a very defensive town, the old buildings are big and strong, the town's walls were huge and about a metre thick - all to stop the British! The blue bay, with low tide was scattered with large rocky mounds - unless you know the way into the bay you would quite simply die, successful natural defenses. St Malo was destroyed by the Americans, once the Germans were inside the city. For a primarily defensive town it was beautiful. The blue sea was covered, covered in white sails on the horizon, behind this side of the town was the commercial yard, chemicals, wood being imported/exported and beside this another harbour - it absolutely blew Hartlepool Marina out of the water... (excuse the pun). Although I think the Trincomalee was better than their big ship... anyway this is getting petty..
 

We drove over the barrage, which has some fancy energy generating thing, from tidal movement in and out - very cool. We wound through another few coastal towns, stopping for a nice view back over St Malo and the row of original buildings. Arriving at the couple's beautiful home. They were lovely and their English, fantastic. You can't underestimate the brilliance of speaking in your own language again. They've traveled alot, lived in England, Africa and Sirbia. As he said "I'll have to do some work today, BBQ for lunch.." I could understand the couple bickering in French, she was telling him not to just offer me alcohol as an apperitif, I settled with trying something.... ergh aniseed, it was horrible... so I tried the safe 'fruit juice' option... grapefruit.... hmm.... Anyway I wasn't going to bring up the veggie thing and we sat down to potatoes, beef tomato, mozerella bazil salad, bread and chicken/sausage/tomato kebabs, all the better for being sat outside chatting in English. Had a little wine too. I made the woman laugh, describing my perfect french letters to Rennes (thanks to G) and my subsequent first meeting with Prof Somme... she couldn't speak she was laughing so much! The man was telling me about living in London and he's twice run with Seb Cohen... & completed a half marathon in 35 degree heat, wow. Onto the cheese course, just perfect. It's handy I know a little French... I understood that ice cream would be coming too (saved some space)... ice cream and biscuits later, just left time for coffee. It was hilarious we had spent this morning, "Sarah we'd show you here but we don't have much time, really sorry..." to this lovely, long leisurely lunch (rather than a quick english sarnie)... The woman kept nagging her husband in French, "c'est trois heures moins quart..." Hurry up... he was too busy telling me stories. So generous of them, it was exquisite.

Back into the car, they were great tour guides, explaining landmarks and slowing down so I could get a good look. We had a little wander along a rocky point, lovely views over the bays, even if the mist had descended. (You can see Jersey, less than 25 miles away!) We occasionally blocked the road, at one point we then starting suddenly and the dog (Gucci - yes, I know...) fell off my lap on to my feet! We drove past Dinnard and the famous Dinnard Golf club (Gran Tiff has been to Dinnard, but not played there). Courageously drove down this track ending in a million-point-turn so I could see the view (the photos aren't great, not sure it was the best view) but for effort it was lovely! Saw a working windmill. (ooped nearly typed 'window'..).

We had a good nosey of some fabulous houses, even the everyday houses are so unique and lovely, the big houses are something else... possibly saw the house of some designer guy? (it wasn't the nicest)... we saw a 'labyrinth' and I tried to explain the maize maze... bad idea...

I'd already picked it up in French nagging but they explained we had to make it to the barage before 5, it opens at five on a Sunday to let boats pass through.. (its not allowed to open any later on a Sunday as people kept missing their trains back to paris!). Back onto my train, thanking them very, very much. Possibly did the awkward English thing of avoiding the kissing and shook their hands - well I am English!
 

Learned how to stamp my ticket and hopped on the train. A guy sat next to me - reading this ecomonic magazine... writing notes and very dramatically scribbling them out and scrumpling up the paper after about half an hour....oh dear.

Cycled home, event free and watched the tour I'd managed to record! What a fun day!