Dinan + Dinard + Saint-Malo

Yesterday we went on our first excursion to Dinan, Dinard, and Saint-Malo; three towns within an hour-drive from Saint-Brieuc.

We arrived in Dinan around 9:15am. Dinan is a medieval town with many buildings dating from the 13th century. The city walls (ramparts) of the town are still standing, and you can walk a large portion of it. First, we headed towards the city center to visit the Basilique Saint-Sauveur. It was beautifully decorated with many stained-glass windows and religious artefacts. We arrived at the Basilica at perhaps the best possible time, as the light was shining through the windows and coloring the walls and the floor with very bright multi-color shades. Then we walked to the Château de la Duchesse Anne. The students had a lot of fun wandering up and down all the flights of stairs, peering into the rooms, and taking selfies at the top of the castle. Later, we walked up to the ramparts where the students could enjoy a view of the city's harbor and where I made everyone pose for an individual picture. Then we left the ramparts and walked down a narrow cobble-stoned street (La rue du Jerzual) all the way to the harbor, where our coach bus was waiting to take us to our second destination: Dinard.

Dinard is a small quaint town in Bretagne, with a charming beach in the city center. We stayed on the beach for about one hour to eat our picnic and let the students have a good time in the water. On the side of the beach stands a house which inspired Alfred Hitchcock for his movie Psycho. Can you spot it on the pictures?

Yesterday was Margaret's birthday! Happy birthday! We celebrated on the beach after lunch. All the students sang the French version of Happy birthday - Joyeux anniversaire - to her. We instructors gave her a gift bag full of French goodies such as Le Petit Ecolier, Gavottes, etc.

After lunch on the beach in Dinard, we went to neighboring Saint-Malo. Saint-Malo is a fortified city just like Dinan, but much more populated. We walked on the ramparts for a little bit, and later wandered into the city center walking up and down the narrow streets and shopping in the tiny stores.

We left Saint-Malo and went straight back to Saint-Brieuc where we arrived around 7:30pm.