La Pointe du Grouin and Cancale

From St Malo we took the coastal road to Cancale, first passing a small undeveloped bay and then la pointe du Grouin, the departure point for the Route du Rhum, a trans-atlantic race that take place every 4 years between St Malo and Guadeloupe.  I was happy we didn't visit it during the departure, as more than a million people gather to watch the departure!

We've envied the people owning the house on the small island

Above: we arrived at la pointe du grouin, to be surprised by the arrival of a yacht (below) just after our arrival - a perfect day!

Above: Cancale - the place where I've said I would like to retire in France.  JL reminded me that we're having good weather, I shouldn't talk so fast. I guess he is right, but it is just one of those places talking to me.  The street fronting the bay of Mont St Michel (you can see Mont St Michel from here, although we have decided not to rush our visit to Cancale, rather to keep that for another trip) is lined with restaurants and two markets with seafood.  They are very known fpr their oysters and other seafood.

Above and below: an oyster farm

Above: JL licking his lips for the oysters. One can buy a plate of a dozen oysters, they open it for you, give you the plate with a lemon, which you just have to return after you ate the oysters. As I do not eat oysters, he had to eat all 12 (you can only buy a dozen) - not that he minded!

Above: everyone just go and sit on the wall and start eating their oysters!  And only afterwards we saw at a neighbouring restaurant we could have bought a take away glass of wine to accompany the oysters.

Above: surely you can spot Mont St Michel across the bay?

Despite the restaurant-lined street, we took the last table at our restaurant of choice at 12.05!!  And what an excellent choice! I kept the business card, I'll definitely visit it again, next time booking in advance.

So tomorrow we're off to Portugal for a short break.  On the way we'll stop in Fouras for JL's mom's birthday, as well as a night in Spain.  We'll be back mid-January whereafter I'll continue, but at least Bretagne is done!  Despite the snow earlier this week, we didn't have a white Christmas, but we still spend good time with JL's children.  Eating far too much - a chapon (a huge chicken, a very huge chicken, with marrons - chestnuts cooked in a special way, and vegetables, as well as a buche, the French christmas cake).