Farewell France

Trip Start Jun 06, 2009

Trip End Jul 07, 2009

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Where I stayed

Pete and Sues

(Verwood hotels)

Flag of United Kingdom Verwood, England, United Kingdom
Sunday, June 21, 2009

Today we said 'adieu' to France. After checking out of our lovely hotel we caught a cab to St Malo and checked our luggage on to the ferry for Guernsey. We still had an hour and a half before boarding as we had factored in some time to explore this great little fortress town. Andre and I couldn’t help but compare St Malo to our day in Rennes yesterday and were both of the opinion that they were miles apart. St Malo has great character and quite an atmosphere, with its narrow lanes, many shops and its solid buildings chiselled out of stone. It was easy to imagine in days gone by, the town defending itself against invading armies and pirates. Although we loved Dinard, we also would have enjoyed staying in a hotel in St Malo. We explored the narrow streets and the city walls looking out over the horizon for miles and miles. The weather was glorious, the sky blue and the ocean bluer. I would advise anyone travelling in the area planning to visit Mt Saint-Michel (which we have seen in a previous trip here) to schedule in St Malo as well

St Malo

. Having had a taste for this area I am sure Andre and I will be back visiting Britanny again as we particularly love this region.

The gods were shining on us as the waters were calm for the ferry trip to Guernsey, and anyone who has travelled on a ship with me will know that I don’t have the best sea legs. On arrival to Guernsey we had to pick up our luggage and check it in again for the continuing journey to the UK. Much to our surprise the girl at the check-in counter insisted that we had to spend the next 3 hours sightseeing in Guernsey pulling our suitcases with us, as they had no facilities to store our luggage! Thank goodness someone higher up must have kicked her in the bum because soon after some others complained to the Condor ferries head office we were told that they could hold our luggage and go into town. Apparently on Sundays the staff are a little slow.

On strolling around Guernsey I remarked to Andre that, if I lived in the UK, I would definitely holiday in Guernsey or Jersey in the summer. The place is an Idyllic, sun trapped island with many beaches. I can imagine days spent swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing and just total relaxation, finishing off with a drink and a meal at a seaside restaurant. Of course Andre would be out fishing during many a day as well

St Malo

. We wandered up the hill and enjoyed getting lost in the pretty streets. Flowers bloomed in baskets everywhere, and the cheerful houses were freshly painted in summer whites and creams. With still a few moments to spare we found a seat in the port and watched the yachts come and go, and tried to identify the different flags flying on the ships. We failed miserably.

We hopped back on the fast ferry to Weymouth and had a very smooth and relaxed sailing across the English Channel. Leaning over the railings I could see Pete and Sue waiting for us, so I started waving furiously and they soon sighted me amongst the other people leaning over and waving. It was great to meet them at last and we talked non-stop all the way to their house an hour’s drive away. Their house is very comfortable and in a very green and quiet neighbourhood that we hope to explore over the next few days. Sitting in the lounge with a glass of wine, some olives, talking and watching Pete’s fish tank with his fascinating fish, including 4 reed fish, was the perfect way to end the day.

Tomorrow we are off to Bournemouth for a day or two with Pete and Sue, so I plan on leaving my laptop behind so no blogs for a couple of days, and my photo’s of St Malo and Guersney may take na day or two before posting.

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