Walled Saint Malô
Walled Saint MalôFor several decades Walled Saint-Malô was, for us, a far and cold beach where each year took place a competition of figures in the sand.
he visit to the real beach was a pleasure for its surprising beauty. We felt cold in August as expected, and didn’t try the water.
We heard that it uses to be over 20º Celsius what surprised me.
ur western coast, usually stays under those levels. Almost two thousand kilometers north a warmer temperature? I don’t believe. Must come back to check it in the water.
The Town
Lots of personality, in this old town surrounded by strong walls.
The walls are perfect (reconstructed after WW2), and you can walk all around the town, with a good perspective of the city and its architecture, and all the beaches.
Down there, the town is lively, with all the people escaped from the freezing beach.
Beautiful, yes, but… beach+Europe=Iberia… And I’m not chauvinist…
The ramparts
It is possible to walk around all the historic city, along its strong and large walls.
It’s an easy and interesting walk, with several entry and exit points, and excellent views over town and sea.
Intra-muros
The first time I entered France, I selected my best french to ask someone the way to… I don’t know. I do know that the first 9 people I spoke to where… Portuguese.
More than 40 years later I entered Intra-muros in Saint-Malô, wondering why “muros” and not murs?
I made some research to discover how did we get a “Portuguese” name associated with this walled area of Saint-Malô. I got no answer, but I think that it is a coincidence, and the name may have something to do not with us, but with Spanish, that write it exactly the same way. Well… forget the word and enjoy the walk. It’s nice!
The Beach
It was cold, in August, when we were there.
The temperature of the Atlantic didn’t convince us, so we didn’t try to swim. There were several rocky and sandy beaches, but… empty.
A Portuguese fellow living in Bretagna told me that the water usually beats 20º centigrade. Will it be possible in such an ocean, in such latitude? Next time I’ll check it up, however, I noticed people wearing anoraks instead of swimming. In August!
Notre-Dâme de Bonsecours
In a niche in the Great Door of the city walls, there’s a small statue of the Holly Virgin.
According to traditional description, it was found by a local sailor, floating in the sea, in 1663.
