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.