A Day in Saint-Malo (Brittany, Northwestern France)
WE FOUND THE SPOT!
On this day, we were in search of The Sculptures of Rothéneuf. After a brief foray into town to get coffee, we started out driving in the direction of Rothéneuf, which is a small commune in Saint-Malo. Saint-Malo is a small port city in Brittany, in Northwest France. The many windy roads provided us with spectacular views, and one of my favourite pieces of landscape — Hay Fields. This is one we crossed about 700 meters from the entrance to the Rothéneuf rock sculptures.
BUT FIRST… LUNCH
After we knew where the entrance to the sculptured rocks was, we looked around for some lunch spots, and decided to stop at La Perle Noire. This small seaside restaurant had a very welcoming vibe and the best shrimp I’ve ever tasted in my life. If you find yourself on this side of planet earth one day, you NEED to have lunch here. I had two dishes: The seared scallop risotto, and the shrimp plate. Both were simple, and rich with flavours.
Debating the route ahead of us
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP
Photos do not do this view justice. We arrived at the top of the ridge full of excitement, and wonder. The descent was even better as we saw what remains of the sculpted rocks that Abbot Adolphe Julien Fouéré sculpted from 1894 — 1907.
TO THE ROCKS!
At the age of 30, Abbot Adolphe Julien Fouéré suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed on one side of his body. Since he could no longer serve as head of his monastery, he decided to retreat to the seaside and live a life of seclusion. He spent his days tirelessly and meticulously creating amazing rock sculptures. Overall, he sculpted over 300 of them, into this mountain ridge. Although many of them have eroded, there are still plenty to admire. Makes you wonder what kind of things were going through his head while he lived out the rest of his life as a hermit. One thing is for sure: he had a vivid, and lively imagination.
We also found some other neat things, like clams that accumulated towards the bottom of the ridge. And tons of natural vegetation that sprouted in between the rocks.
THE GRAND FINALE
After we finished up with the sculpted rocks, we drove into Saint-Malo, and observed breathtaking sunsets, in search of some dinner. As cliché as they are, I couldn’t resist. It’s the fusion of the ancient and modern that make them so irresistible, and peaceful to me. They took me to a place full of belief, happiness, wonder, and hope; a childhood sensation that covered my body with goose-bumps from head to toe. (See my selfie for a manifestation of that emotion on my face)
FOOTNOTES: All photos were taken with an iPhone 5, and only minimally edited. VSCO Filters applied to selected photos. Credit to Marie, and Delphine for snapping some of these. I apologize for the quality of the selfie, but I didn’t have a better quality one that expressed that emotion.