Half an hour’s drive from Saint-Michel is the city of Saint-Malo. Here begins the famous Emerald Coast of France. The rugged coastline: sometimes rocky, sometimes sandy, yachts, boats, truly emerald sea…
For those who were drawn to the adventures of corsairs and the sea in childhood, Saint-Malo will seem like a living illustration to adventure books. It was from here that these fearless adventurers set out to conquer the Atlantic, America…
Under the patronage of the king, they annexed several Pacific islands to France, which still remain its overseas territories. Ships loaded to the brim docked in the bay of Saint-Malo, and the sailors themselves transformed from pirates into respectable burghers on the shore, building solid and elegant houses for themselves.
One of the striking features of Saint-Malo is the unity of style. There has never been a division between slums and the center. Corsair wealth initially allowed for the construction of stone houses, demonstrating prosperity and wealth. Even today, while walking along the wide wall that has protected the city for centuries, one can imagine the life of sea adventurers enjoying life here after long absences. The city has been restored after World War II to how it once was, and you enter a completely different time…
Walking along the walls, you will understand why many French people prefer the Emerald Coast to the Azure Coast: the combination of gentle beaches and powerful cliffs, along with the emerald sea sparkling in the sun, already makes this comparison possible. And if you add numerous small rocky islands scattered here and there across the sea, some of which have fortresses that perfectly match illustrations from fairy tales, you will fall in love with Brittany once and for all. But that’s not all: on these emerald waves, between the islands and fortresses, colorful sailing boats are scattered – the sea is dotted with them, as if before you lies an intricately embroidered carpet…
You can swim, stroll along the beaches and cliffs. But while walking along the shore, do not forget that in Brittany the difference between high tide and low tide reaches 14 meters. After walking on the sand to the island where Chateaubriand’s grave is located, be careful: the path that brought you here will now disappear underwater. So feel like a local for a short time, measuring your life against the ocean and its cycles!
You can have lunch in local restaurants with appetizing Breton dishes and beer, or somewhere near an oyster farm, by the sea…
