Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

 We skirted Dinand and headed straight for St Malo. It was traditionally a home of corsairs and a is still quite a large harbour. There are ferries across to the UK as well as a number that will take you to various places along the coast and back. The town is known for it's Vauban designed defensive works, so we began our explorations with a walk around the ramparts. 

The castle, part of the old town, and now housing the Hotel de Ville or Town Hall.

Vauban extended the original town, adding half this gate. The left-hand gate was added during a later expansion.

There's a lovely bathing beach under the walls. Workers could come out during lunch for a swim. Dinard is across the water.

All the little islands got their own defences and of course the Jerry's added to these in WW2. The city was bombed and shelled in 1944 as the Germans defended it fiercely so much of what we see around the town has been reconstructed. (See After the Battle Vol 33)

A sea-water swimming and diving pool (which must become a large fish trap when the tide goes out...)

There had to be one picture of a tobruk...

Wave breaks to help protect the sea walls

The catherdral, rebuilt after 1944, had some nice stained glass.

Another emplacement, with the UK ferry at rear.

Here you can see two of the four inner harbours. There was a natural inlet that over time got filled in either with city, or in this case (under Vauban's direction) enclosed to form the harbours. St Malo was a large and well protected harbour.

The inner harbours had to have a lock, and the road had to have a way to get out of the way when the lock was opened. We have seen drawbridges, hoists, and swivels but this is our first retracting road. The bridge section simply rolls back on rails until the ship has passed through. There is a drydock next to the lock, and for that to open a section of road is lifted, then the bridging bit is slid under that to clear the dock entrance. All very ingenious, so I'd have liked to have seen them in action.

A number of ships have got a little to close to the wharf I think.

That's an inner harbour to the right, and the old city to the left.

More beach. We were checking how quickly the tide comes in - quite quickly!

Tryin' to get arty

Remember the swimming pool?

Ye olde legume market

And a reminder we are still on the Liberty Way