France 2026—May 9-16, Cancale and General Area

May 12th—Visiting Dinard, a 13th century town we didn't see

Yesterday, while driving along the Emerald Coast, the symbol for a flat tire came on when we were 15 minutes from Cancale. I pulled over and checked all the tires and thought I saw that the right front tire might be a teensy-weensy lower than the others. We kept an eye on it all day but didn't see a change. This morning we stopped by the Cancale tourist agency and asked where we might get some air for the tire, because the gas station we stopped at on our way back home yesterday only had gas.

The young lady at the tourist agency told us we could go to Super U to find an air pump. We found it and added some air to match the left front tire, but the flat tire light on the dashboard never did go off today.

So that wasn't the only thing that went kind of haywire. Our plan was to drive to Dinard and walk around this medieval town center and just do our walk & gawk thing. We got to Dinard okay, but the traffic in town was crazy! I followed the sign for the paid parking lot, but couldn't find it. We even drove to the casino thinking it would, like St. Malo, have ample parking. No dice! Add to this frustration, tourists blindly kept walking in front of our car as they crossed the narrow streets. 

We were in Dinard maybe 10 minutes and gave in. Okay Dinard you win! We talked about why we were struggling here when we could be sitting in the back garden in the sun listening to nothing but a breeze wafting around us. We could be exploring more of Cancale, meandering around its narrow streets and harbor. You know where this is going, right?

Right, we drove back to Cancale and made lunch from our Sunday market day and Super U shopping experience and enjoyed it on the back deck overlooking the garden and Mont St. Michel. After lunch we had a nap. It's not easy being us!

In the early evening after a light supper we strolled down to the harbor in search of something sweet and found a little ice cream shop. Then we walked down one of the piers to catch the evening light and take a few pictures of the harbor.

This WWI and WWII memorial is at the top of
the hill overlooking the harbor. It's at the end
of our street.

                       

The stairs leading down to the harbor or...

...up to the hilltop and the war memorial.

This house is on the harbor wedged
between rows of restaurants.

And that's the post for today!

France 2026—May 9-16, Exploring Cancale and the Coast

May 11th—the Emerald Coast and St. Malo

We took the Emerald Coast Avenue out of Cancale today to St. Malo. Our goal was to "get lost" (our code for wander) along the coastal road and then inside the walled medieval town of St. Malo.

We stopped a few kilometers north of Cancale. As you can see the Brittany coastline is stunning.

We parked about a mile from St. Malo's medieval town center and strolled along the promenade, enjoying the semi-warmish breeze.

St. Malo and its walled medieval old town.

This is a private residence.

It takes all kinds.

One of many fortifications inside St. Malo's walls.

This shop was our first stop.

The seagull was keeping a sharp eye out for 

gallette crumbs.

This gallette shop is on the corner the seagull had staked out.

St. Vincent Cathedral is on this square and its
history ranges from the 12th-20th centuries, but
a hermitage was founded on the site as far back
as the 6th century.

Just outside the cathedral we saw these clown cars, for want

of a better description, parked nearby.

The picture to the left is a partial view of the plaque about the "Enclosure of Resistance". This is a must read before looking at the memorial pictured below.

We used this portal to exit St. Malo, because 
it opened to the harbor.

Pedestrian walkway through the wall
is to the left and in the background is
the vehicle exit.

Looking back at the east portal facing the harbor.

The Scotch Less Peel.

Back in Cancale, we strolled around the main square to get a picture of St. Meen, a 19th century church built in the Neo-Gothic style. In front of the small park in the middle of Cancale's town square is a fountain of two oyster washers.

A succinct description of the church and fountain
can be read below.

The Fontaine des laveuses d'huitres is a fountain with a bronze statue by the sculptor Jean Fréour, which pays tribute to the women of Cancale who washed oysters at the beginning of the 20th century, before mechanization. The fountain is located in the square of the Saint-Méen church, in the center of Cancale, a city famous for its oyster production. The Saint-Méen church is a neo-Gothic building dating from the 19th century, dedicated to Saint Méen, a Breton monk who is said to have founded Cancale in the 6th century. (Willem VS, https://www.komoot.com/highlight/475853)

Looking up the road from the house.

Home at last.

After walking almost 6 miles today, we were happy to get back
home and have lunch on the back deck overlooking the garden.

Can't go wrong with three different cheeses, dry
sausage all purchased at the Sunday market, 
olives, bread (of course), assorted nuts, and 
cheese bops. The beer was Belgian.

Oh, and besides the garden there's this other site
just across the bay. We'll be staying overnight
at Mont Saint Michel in five days.

France 2026—May 9-16, Thomas and Claire Welcome us to Cancale

 Cancale May 9-16

Today (May 10th) was our first full day in Cancale after a great sleep. I woke up at 7AM and came downstairs and made a cup of coffee, checked email, and sat in the sun room at the back of the house overlooking the garden and the bay of Saint Mount Michel until Thomas, Marie, and Claire came down at 8:30. 

Today was relaxing!

After breakfast, Claire took us to the Sunday market and gave us a little tour of the shops in the heart of the village. Thomas stayed behind to see if he could fix the washing machine that had gone kaput two days before we arrived. Cancale's Sunday market draws people from the village and beyond and Claire took us to her favorite butcher, boulangerie, cheese monger, and sausage guy.

At the boucherie, for lunch, we bought roasted chicken and a mix of vegetables roasted under the chicken and soaked in chicken drippings. Our second stop, of course, was for baguettes followed by the full on market experience.

Claire ran into a friend at the

market and we had a small

visit, of course.

Gives you an idea of the popularity of market day.

We purchased three different kinds of dried sausages for picnics, lunches, and snacks.

Cancale is famous for its oysters,

dating back to the 17th century.

All kinds of other delicious shellfish are available.

The cheese, oh my!

After shopping for today's lunch Thomas tried his had at fixing the washing machine while the rest of us puttered around until lunch. Claire gave us directions about what to do with the recycling bin, and showed us how the television works and left us to our devices.

Thomas went back to trying to figure out the washing machine circuit board, Claire did some gardening, I read the Sunday Seattle Times on my laptop, and Marie hung out in the sunroom.

In the late afternoon, we braved the stiff breeze and walked down to and along the harbor lined with restaurants. It's a popular area for locals and tourists alike.

Maybe just reboot it?

The stairs wind up the

middle of the house.

Stairwell is overhead, doorway

to the left goes to the living

and the one on the right to the

kitchen. And turn around and...

...the sunroom opens up to the back garden.
The wall to the left used to be the end of the house. 
The old kitchen window now acts as a serving
window for the dining table. Beyond the table they 
added a shower on the left and a toilet and sink on
on the right.

Picture taken from the back garden at
the sunroom.

The garden just off the sunroom.

And the second part of the garden at the end of

the path seen in the above picture. On a clear day

you can see Mt. Saint Michel from the sunroom.

And here are a few pictures from our walk around the harbor.