Just read this article:
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20141210-danger-saint-malo-and-the-highest-tides-in-europe
I spent the afternoon in this lovely northern French town. There are a couple of things that I need to clarify from the article. According to our guide, the people of St. Malo are citizens of St. Malo first, then of Brittany, and finally of France. While they are geographically in Brittany, they like to consider themselves apart from the rest of the mainland. This independent streak continues through the present day, stemming from a legacy of piracy and living in a walled-off island fortress.
It is a gorgeous place, if a bit too new. It wants to feel old, but the buildings were largely bombed out during WWII. So you have this interesting juxtaposition of very old elements transposed against new. The stained glass in St. Vincent's, for example, was too new.
It created the right color inside, but there was no artistry or craft to the experience - it felt very strange, particularly when compared with the beauty of the ancient windows at Canterbury and at Bayeux, and later when I went to Chartres.
It was a lovely town. I ate a ham and cheese galette at a small street cafe and a delicious strawberry pastry in the square out in front of St. Vincent's. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'd recommend checking it out.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20141210-danger-saint-malo-and-the-highest-tides-in-europe
I spent the afternoon in this lovely northern French town. There are a couple of things that I need to clarify from the article. According to our guide, the people of St. Malo are citizens of St. Malo first, then of Brittany, and finally of France. While they are geographically in Brittany, they like to consider themselves apart from the rest of the mainland. This independent streak continues through the present day, stemming from a legacy of piracy and living in a walled-off island fortress.
It is a gorgeous place, if a bit too new. It wants to feel old, but the buildings were largely bombed out during WWII. So you have this interesting juxtaposition of very old elements transposed against new. The stained glass in St. Vincent's, for example, was too new.
It created the right color inside, but there was no artistry or craft to the experience - it felt very strange, particularly when compared with the beauty of the ancient windows at Canterbury and at Bayeux, and later when I went to Chartres.
It was a lovely town. I ate a ham and cheese galette at a small street cafe and a delicious strawberry pastry in the square out in front of St. Vincent's. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I'd recommend checking it out.
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