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Published: September 5th 2013
Everything else but the bed at our apartment in Lehon has been great. The bed however is one of those ones with a hard surface to the mattress and we will need to try and figure something out to make it feel softer if our night’s sleep is to get back to what we have enjoyed elsewhere. More to work on that before bedtime tonight.
It is a bit overcast this morning but the sky was showing signs of clearing by the time we were in the car heading for nearby St Malo with the idea of getting the replacement for the car fitted and then some sightseeing in the city itself.
Heading out of Dinan the GPS was a bit slow in giving an instruction for a directional turn and we ended up in a narrow street behind a delivery truck that took up the entire road. There was nothing else to do but wait although at one point as time dragged on Gretchen was going to offer to help the driver take the boxes of shoes from Spain inside the shop for him. Then in the nick of time the shop owner came out to help the
driver and we were son on our way, delivery done! Such are the perils of taking narrow lanes in medieval towns!
Finding the Citroen dealer was easy enough and from what we could make out in trying to understand what was said in broken English, they were expecting us having heard from Bayeux.
So we waited in some comfortable lounge chairs reading or should we say looking at the pictures of some French language magazines while Cindy sat in the garage workshop with her bonnet up.
Twenty minutes later they told us exactly what they had said in Bayeux and that we could drive the car without any fear of the brakes failing. They too either didn’t have the necessary part or felt that the fault showing on the GPS screen wasn’t important enough to warrant any work on it.
Somewhat bemused by it all we should have made sure that they had changed the part but we took them at their word that the car was OK to drive and headed on our way towards the seaside for some sightseeing of the old town.
With the school holidays all but over finding a park
was easy as the number of people around now has diminished greatly.
We had a pleasant stroll along the promenade above the wide beach towards the town and then headed over towards an old fort called Fort National built in 1689 to protect the entrance to the harbour. Today it’s a museum but as there didn’t appear to be anything to interest us we walked back to the city walls which effectively enclose most of the old city and even today is in an excellent state of repair.
We had lunch of frites (chips) and a cold drink under a sun umbrella for by now the day had really warmed up and it must have been close to if not 30C and rising. Some of those on the beach below sunbathing had no inhibitions and from time to time we needed to avert our gaze of people watching so as not to get the full frontal upper torso view!
The old city is a maze of narrow lanes and a tourist trap if you wanted to buy any manner of souvenir although we only have to think of our already full suitcases not to be tempted too
far if at all.
Permanent history of Saint-Malo dates back to the 6
th century although the Romans also had a base in the area for a time. It has had a colourful history including being a home for pirates and during WW2 a good part of the city was destroyed by fighting but has since been faithfully restored to such a condition that it is hard to make out what has actually been restored to that that survived the war unscathed.
As usual we set a different road for the return journey to Lehon and we weren’t disappointed in the route Vicky took us home by.
With the sun still shining in the backyard when we arrived home we got the deck chairs out and made ourselves comfortable with our Kindles until it was time for pre dinner drinks and then dinner
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KJ
non-member comment
what has happened to the maps?
Have noticed the map at the top of your blog which normally shows where you have been isn't appearing...so I am having to drag out my atlas to keep track of you as you zoom round the French Countryside!