St Malo

St Malo
Friday 10th August

We didn't feel like driving today so we took a cab into St Malo town from the campsite. There is only one problem with travelling - how to make yourself understood when the wonderful English education system failed to teach languages (at least to me) in the 60's. We weren't sure where in St Malo we wanted to go so when the cab driver suggested the railway station we agreed with the usual 'oui monsieur, merci' which is about the limit of my French conversation, well apart from 'deux bierres s'il vous plait'.

A word of advice, if you ever visit St Malo other than by train, don't bother visiting the railway station...........it isn't worth it!! Unlike us, you need to ask for the old town, it is absolutely fab. Lots of little lanes inside a walled area surrounded by beaches. We had a lovely lunch of moules et frites watching the world go by, bliss. The rest of the afternoon was spent pottering around all of the lovely little shops, yes James I have bought you a present, and sitting at a beach cafe with a small coffee soaking up the early evening sunshine.

August in France is the main holiday season and everywhere we have been so far is crowded with the French on holiday. St Malo in particular was very busy not only with the very chic middle class Parisian types but also with what I can only describe as 'hill folk'. I haven't seen so many shell suits since the 80's. And I think that if the family we saw in a little bar in town had shouted for the waiter one more time, the very sweet young waiter that had served us would have hit them!