When my trip was in the planning stage my brother recommended Bayeaux as somewhere for me to visit in France. He suggested we could "jump on a ferry" and do a quick trip before leaving for Turkey. I didn't know anything about Bayeaux or its famous tapestry but I soon discovered it was near Mont St Michel which I was going to leave on my Bucket List because of the practicalities of getting there. My brother can make dreams come true!
Another smaller ferry leaving port before us.
How lucky are those Brits to have the
rest of Europe practically at their doorstep! We took an overnight
ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo in Brittany. What a way to travel!
Standing out in the wind to watch the land fall away, a stroll around
the ship checking out the bars and restaurants, a pleasant dinner and
glass of wine, then off to our cabin. The drone of the engines and the
rocking was an invitation to sleep. I was vaguely aware that sometime
during the night we bumped around a bit but I didn't surface from my
sleep. We returned on the 'quick' evening ferry from Cherbourg, where I
snoozed in a comfortable reclining seat and people watched.
The 170 metre (560 ft) Spinnaker Tower as we leave Portsmouth.
St Malo must surely be best approached from the sea. The old town is encircled by medieval
ramparts and towers, behind which rise stately granite mansions built in
the 17th century and the cathedral’s graceful spire. It’s hard to
believe what you see
is not the original. St Malo was severely bombed during its liberation in World War Two and rose
again, painstakingly restored stone by stone.
