# Day 18 On the trails of Jack Sparrow and the White Pearl

Friday, 05.05.

The next hotspot of Brittany is only about 50 km away - the port city of Saint Malo.

In the Middle Ages, it was supposed to be the port of the buccaneers and pirates, and the French crown tolerated that (as long as a few doubloons were flowing).

Saint Malo is located on a bay characterized by many harbor basins. The backdrop is dominated by the 'Corsair City' with a fortress, which is located directly on the waterfront and in front of the harbor basins.

This is where Captain Jack Sparrow anchored with his White Pearl and waited for the English ships in the Channel - or was that at another location?

The approach and search for a suitable parking space is difficult. There is no real stunner, so we decide to go for the large parking lot 'Paul Feval' at the horse racing track (Hippodrome). This is a 'Park and Ride' place that is also designated for overnight stays with motorhomes. Price: €7.50 for 24 hours.

And the best part: with the parking ticket, you can take bus line 2 to the final stop Intra Muros on the day that the parking ticket is valid. And there is also a disposal point in front of the parking lot. That's something to be happy about.

The weather forecast doesn't bode well. Due to the short drive, it's still early in the day and the prospects for this afternoon are still the best. And it's not really cozy on the large parking lot either.

So, we look for bus line 2 and join the tourist crowds. After about 15 minutes, the bus stops directly in front of the entrance to the 'Intra Muros', the old town of Saint Malo.

It was completely destroyed in the war and then rebuilt as true to the original as possible. So, you can see the old fortifications and the thick walls here, but the houses in the city center no longer have the old structure. Nevertheless, it offers a successful overall picture and you can stroll around the spacious alleys - along with all the other tourists.

Saint Malo and the old fortress are among the most visited places in France.

On the fortress wall, you can walk around the entire city center, which takes about 1 hour (with photo breaks).

That should be the first task and what can I say - a new motif opens up after every turn. The old town is surrounded by water from three sides, so you can see either the offshore fort islands or the harbor basins on the protected side. 

At some point, it's enough and we descend and begin to explore the old town. We notice that the Bretons also have their own language - both orally and in writing. Everywhere, beside the French script, there is also the Breton spelling. It somehow reminds us of Gaelic or our experiences in Catalonia, where the Catalan script was also ubiquitous.

And the Bretons seem to have a preference for sweet things. Calorie bombs made mainly of butter and caramel are offered on every corner - fresh out of the oven and still hot.

Instead, we prefer to find a place in one of the many gastronomic offers with outdoor seating. And because drops of rain are falling again, we choose a place with an awning.

It's time for a small snack in the form of a 'Galette', a pancake made from buckwheat with toppings. They come in every imaginable form. Mine had a tower of Camembert, onions, and ham and tasted delicious. It is accompanied by cider, which is drunk here from handleless cups. And we have always wondered why people drink so much tea. No tea, it's cider.

Our further tour of the city ended at the city gate, where we had to have a final beer in one of the many brasseries.

In the end of the day, we observed the many people - rushing by. And both of us came to the conclusion that it's time to stop sightseeing and changing locations every day. We longed for a nice quiet place by the sea, where we can put our feet up for a few days and enjoy the freedom of doing nothing. And preferably without the crowds.

Tomorrow we will look for this place on the 'cote de granit rose' , which means a drive of about 160 km. We also have to make progress, Brittany is only just beginning.