St. Malo and St. Michel
Early in the morning we spotted St. Malo far off in the distance. As we approached we admired the doors to the locks of the inner harbor, then as the locks filled with water we entered the inner harbor and tied up at the base of the ramparts of the old city. The present gates to the walled city date from the 12th century while the rest of the town dates to the medieval ages. This Breton port has always been a great fishing harbor. Indeed, these French fishermen (called the Malouines) went south to the big fish banks, and were one of the groups of people living there for some time. The place: the Falklands, called by the Latin speakers, the Malvinas!
On land we boarded a bus that took us for the short ride to the island and abbey of Mont St. Michel. This magnificent Gothic island abbey has been disputed by the Normands and by the Bretons. The history of the abbey began in the 8th century as a monastery, with its peak of influence in the 12th and 13th centuries. So we visited the most interesting parts of the monastery, climbing 365 steps to the top. Then we walked back to the bus and traveled to St. Malo again. After a good lunch on the ship, we headed out on foot, to visit the city. The town was originally a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance river. For a long time its pirates (corsairs) would stop English merchant marine ships to pay tribute. Jacques Cartier, who colonized Canada, lived in and sailed from St. Malo. The city itself was called Intra Muros (Latin for within walls). This citadelle has three main gates, and suffered horribly during WWII, when bombed by the U.S.AirForce. 85% of the city was destroyed. Years later it was painstakingly reconstructed. The city is completely surrounded by high ramparts. We had the opportunity of visiting, besides the principal historical points of the city, the cathedral, which also suffered badly during the last war.
At 1800 HS we were all aboard again, sailing out of the port towards the north again.
Early in the morning we spotted St. Malo far off in the distance. As we approached we admired the doors to the locks of the inner harbor, then as the locks filled with water we entered the inner harbor and tied up at the base of the ramparts of the old city. The present gates to the walled city date from the 12th century while the rest of the town dates to the medieval ages. This Breton port has always been a great fishing harbor. Indeed, these French fishermen (called the Malouines) went south to the big fish banks, and were one of the groups of people living there for some time. The place: the Falklands, called by the Latin speakers, the Malvinas!
On land we boarded a bus that took us for the short ride to the island and abbey of Mont St. Michel. This magnificent Gothic island abbey has been disputed by the Normands and by the Bretons. The history of the abbey began in the 8th century as a monastery, with its peak of influence in the 12th and 13th centuries. So we visited the most interesting parts of the monastery, climbing 365 steps to the top. Then we walked back to the bus and traveled to St. Malo again. After a good lunch on the ship, we headed out on foot, to visit the city. The town was originally a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance river. For a long time its pirates (corsairs) would stop English merchant marine ships to pay tribute. Jacques Cartier, who colonized Canada, lived in and sailed from St. Malo. The city itself was called Intra Muros (Latin for within walls). This citadelle has three main gates, and suffered horribly during WWII, when bombed by the U.S.AirForce. 85% of the city was destroyed. Years later it was painstakingly reconstructed. The city is completely surrounded by high ramparts. We had the opportunity of visiting, besides the principal historical points of the city, the cathedral, which also suffered badly during the last war.
At 1800 HS we were all aboard again, sailing out of the port towards the north again.
