SMS and I started our day with a B&B breakfast. At the end, Thibaut went over an excellent map and traced out a coastal adventure to the South (Brittany) and to the North (Normandy). We had already planned to go to the oyster/seaside town of Cancale and the medieval ramparts of St. Malo, so Britany it was! Thibaut’s recommendations added a few stops along the way and enhanced the trip.
First, we went to a Bronze Age menhir, which I found on the map. Because why not? A huge stone pillar in the middle of the field dating back to the Bronze Age (~5000 BC)? Amazing.
What’s even funnier is I had no idea what is was but when I put it on my IG stories, one of my brother’s friends commented “Nice menhir” to which I replied with a picture of me wearing it like a hat. If you notice, I have a huge head so I can wear more of it than SMS, who has a very nice, normal-sized head.
Cancale
After the menhir (this was not a long stop), we headed towards Cancale. We parked in the free lot about a km outside of town and walked along a forest path. There was a super cool, Swiss Family Robinson-style outdoor course that would likely be super fun in season. The path emptied out onto a cute street one block back from the sea wall. Then, we went along the sea wall towards the Marché aux Huîtres. Thibaut said it wasn’t really a marché since it’s there every day, but that’s what Google maps said so…idk.
Before we bought oysters, we walked to the top of the hill, which is kilometer zero for the Chemin des Rondes, which I think it the seacliff trail around the point?
We got the mixed dozen, 6 flat oysters (the original local, nearly wiped out in the past) and 6 rock oysters. We were told to use lemon on the rocks and eat that flats plain.
I got a glass of cider from a super-cute beverage bus. Then, we sat along the seawall and ate our oysters, chucking our shells onto the beach as we went.
After oysters, we headed back to the car. We drove to the point, Pointe de Grouin. The rocks were amazing, the views spectacular, and observation decks were built on an old German battery. I kept seeing dolphins jumping out of the water, which was super cool. SMS kept missing it and therefore, thought I was being fooled by a rock. I was not.
St Malo
After a brief drive-by the local swimming beach (Plage de Port Mer), we went to St. Malo. SMS had been there back in March 2019, but it was mostly dark and dreary then so he didn’t remember any particular site.
We parked in an underground garage and walked into the old town. Some of the streets were quite crowded with touristy shops. We joined in a tourist-y thing to do by buying a kouign-amann. We ate it while sitting on a nearby bench. It was good- not my favorite but tasty. I think it’s more like a bread/dense donut dough instead of the croissant dough variation I’ve had in the States (and prefer). But still, cool to eat at the source!
Then, I wanted a beer so we went to the beachside bar Au Bain des Dames St Malo, which overlooks a super cool pool that fills during high tide and is revealed during low tide. The beer was delicious and it was great to sit and relax. I was super tempted to jump off the high dive, but better heads (SMS) prevailed.
Instead, we walked out to the Grand-Bé, which was exposed by the low tide. We scrambled over rocks to get to the fortress door. Then, we headed back to shore and walked along the ramparts and through the town back to the car.
At this point, I was hungry-grumpy because I didn’t think six oysters and half a kouign-amann were a sufficient lunch. I wanted moules frites and that was that. SMS was down, so we went a to a small bar outside the old town called O P’tit Encas. Inside, there was an older man who said “Oui” when I asked “Ouvert” so success!
We ordered the daily appetizer special of shrimp, a moules frites, a cider, and carafe d’eau. The food really, really hit the spot. The mussels were tasty and the fries freshly fried. Yum! The place reminded me of Thrash Zone in Yokohama since heavy metal (mostly AC/DC) played the entire time.
After our St. Malo adventure, we went back to Clos St. Gilles, where we had an apero platter of cheese, dried meat, and veggies waiting for us. It was a nice way to end a really fantastic day!
Is St. Malo anything like Mont St. Michel? I picture it as being similar though not as steep, but I haven’t done any research at all. I’ve never heard of a menhir, and neither has my computer, it wants to change it to Meyer.
I felt that St Malo was quite different, but I imagine other people would say it’s similar due to the similar time periods it was built. But for me, St Malo seemed more like a ramparts old city while MSM was the abbey with a small village at the base. St. Malo also has a large modern city but apart from initially parking in the wrong spot, we stuck to the old city and the shore.