St Malo -- A Walled City | Correr Es Mi Destino

St Malo — A Walled City

16 March 2008By Zhu 18 Comments

Earlier this week, we decided to take a trip to Saint Malo, in the heart of Brittany. This relatively small city has a particularity: a seaward fortress since the Middle Ages, St Malo still has a 1.8 km wall circling the city. Designed by Vauban, Louis XIV’s military engineer, the wall offers a great view of the city and the harbor.

Through The Walls

The Harbor

The old “Château de St Malo” (castle of the city) is now the City Hall. The small and narrow streets are typical of France… yes, parking is difficult!

The City Hall

Narrow Streets

Saint Malo was the birthplace of Jacques Cartier, who discovered Canada, and the city is also famous for its… pirates. Growing up by the sea and close to major trade routes can do that do you I guess!

Seeweed On The Beach

Atlantic Ocean

St Malo has the highest tides in France… it’s quite impressive! A 14 meters difference between low tide and high tide is common.

On The Beach

Drawing On The Sand

Because it was still low-season, the city was very quiet and relaxing. We walked on the wall around the city, then on the beach, before feasting on a seafood dinner… and before heading to Rennes, capital of Brittany, the following day.

18 Comments »

Jay Cam said:

i have to admit that the face in the sand is more impressive that the tides and building them selves!

Jay Cam’s last blog post..Patty Gone Bye Bye

# 20 March 2008 at 5:52 pm

zunnur said:

Hi Zhu,
Looks like you’re still having a wonderful time. The pictures are great and the face you drew on the sand is very similar to those which used to be in your blog last time.
Nice info about the St Malo tides, I didn’t know that there could be such a big difference between low and high tides.

zunnur’s last blog post..Difficult moments

# 20 March 2008 at 1:29 am