Weekend break from the Parisian heat in Bretagne, France…
By the Breakers at Saint Malo
Patterns on la plage (the beach)
Sunset over the former pirate seas of Saint Malo
Big Bear at Le Grand Hotel des Thermes, Saint Malo
The Seagull sweep
Striking a pose
Le Mont Saint Michel
Tide’s out
Sunset beneath Le Mont Saint Michel
Within the Abbey at Le Mont Saint Michel
All photography by Damien B. Donnelly
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Damien B. Donnelly 
Oh my, Damien! These photos are glorious. I kept thinking this is my favorite, no this, no this.
Those patterns on the beach are so cool, but the monolithic breakers, and the sunset, and that seagull!
See, you’ve made me get exclamation mark crazy, but I hope you had a great time! 🙂
I am so happy, I also get exclamation mark addiction!!!! They were both such inspiring towns and the seas gulls were so up for being in the spotlight! 🤗🤗 and those breakers were just incredible!!!!
Yayyy!!! 🙂
I hope you found cool relief here, away from the city. You sure found lots of beauty, achieving great compositions in your photographs! Very best wishes.
Hello Liz, it was certainly refreshing even if I still got a light wash of sun burn and ended up with lower arms looking a little more pig like than my Irish freckled shoulders! Both were amazing and steeped in so much history. We managed a fine 21 kilometers the first day of waking alone, which the steps of mont saint Michel helped greatly! Mont saint Michel was enchanting especially as we stayed in a hotel on the tiny island so most of the tourists left after dinner and we got to wander through the abbey till midnight and see the interior cast in beautiful lights- it felt like the island was ours till about 11am Sunday when the tourists returned and we exited stage left! Huge hugs and wishes to you lovelies 🤗🤗
Wandering through the abbey till midnight sounds so atmospheric and amazing! How thrilling!
Stunning photos, Damien! I went to both places when I was a kid though Mont Saint Michel we just walked around the outside which I enjoyed hugely.
Thank you Jane. They really are remarkable places. I loved the pirate history and rebel nature of Saint Malo and how it’s the only place in France where they let their flag hang higher than the French one- rebels indeed, even if they are rich rebels now! Mont saint Michel seemed surprisingly small when you got up close but the constant steps and tiny little heaven bound streets certainly made it feel more like a mountain than just a mont! And I thought the tale of the tides coming in at high spread was just a myth created by Victor Hugo and yet Sunday morning during a walk over the sea bed, the guards came running to warn us all that the tide was returning and sure enough, within 10 minutes the sand was gone and the sea had claimed its place! Hope you are keeping well and not over heating! Big hugs 🤗
It was the corsair history that excited me too when I was twelve or whatever. It was only relatively recently that I learnt that the whole town was restored à l’identique after it was flattened by American bombs in 1944. When we visited Mont Saint Michel I’m not sure there were any life guards. My mother made quite a habit of taking us to places where we risked being trapped by the high tide.
The heat has been quite bearable actually. I don’t usually mind it. It’s the cold I can’t stand.
I know, i couldn’t believe that most of Saint Malo had been bombed and then rebuilt. It looked so authentic! We did a guided tour around the fort and I couldn’t get over the amount of times the pride in the pirates pillaging the British and Spanish ships was mentioned that I wondered if the Brits built up the lie that the town was filled with Germans just so they could bomb it to the ground!!! Also in the 1800’s there were ravenous guard dogs that were let loose on the town after curfew and anyone found not to be indoors was left to the hunger of the dogs! They actually killed someone! Rascals!!!
I bet they did the dog thing in mant French towns. You’ve reminded me of the evening ritual in Dieppe where some character in period costume (the night watch I suppose) walks through the main streets with two mastiffs straining at the leash.
The sunsets are gorgeous, but that pattern on the beach!! It looks like flowers were laid there and the sand covered over them. Incredible shots, my friend!! ❤️
Thanks my lovely, I hope you are well. It’s true that the patterns in the sand look more like ancient carvings that natural tidal marks. Maybe the pirates left clues for hidden treasures beneath the sea, some of them even look like the outlines of keys!!! 😘
Well, start digging!! Maybe you’ll discover someone’s long lost treasure! but watch out for Jack Sparrow 😉
What a fantastic getaway!
It certainly was 😊
This. This is why I love it there so, why the heart stings tug when I’m away too long. Beautiful
Then you must keep coming back, we can’t have the heart tugging too much, we need it singing