1936 On the Continent

either fishermen or peasants. But whatever their occupation, they present the same characteristics. Generally they are distrustful when first meeting a stranger, retiring automatically behind a wall of silence, and not emerging until after a long acquaintance. It is absolutely futile to try to have a conversation with a Breton peasant who does not want one. Your efforts will come to nothing. On the other hand, once he has confidence, the Breton will prove a joyous companion glad to render service, and very hospitable. One should add that in remote villages there are still elderly people who do not speak French, or who pronounce it in a way unintelligible to a foreigner. Naturally, it is quite another thing in the towns, which are much the same as any other French provincial towns.
The Departments Côtes-du-Nord and Finistère
    The jagged coast stretching for hundreds of kilometres from the sandy bay of Mont Saint-Michel to the desolate rocks of the Point of Penmarch at the end of Finistère, would be enough in itself to make the Breton coast one of the really beautiful places of the world. It changes withextraordinary abruptness from gay and popular beaches to sheer rocks of a grim beauty all their own. The seaside climate is influenced profoundly by the Gulf Stream, and it is because of this fact that at Paimpol, for example, fig trees flourish in the fields. A robust population of fishermen lives in the large and small ports which cluster around its bays and its deep “rivers,” kinds of fjords which cut far into the interior. But each one has been able to preserve its own physiognomy.
    One of the most famous of these is Saint-Malo, an old town of corsairs originally built on a small rocky island and spreading later on to the mainland to form a large and popular bathing resort. The old town, however, which is almost entirely surrounded by the sea, has kept its rather time-worn originality with its old houses, its picturesque fish market and its ramparts, one of the towers of which has the heroic and humorous name “quiquengrogne,” * its château decorated with enormous towers, and its ancient cathedral, the Church Saint-Vincent, which presents, though quite naturally, a curious assemblage of architectural styles ranging from the twelfth century to the Renaissance. Avoid the noisy and terribly crowded beaches of the new town, and if you are seeking sand and sea, go either to Paramé, to the right of the old town, or to Saint-Servan, to the left. There is a convenient tram service. Finally, on the other side of the “river” Rance, there is Dinard, the exclusive beach and seaside resort of the “Emerald Coast.” A boat service makes the crossing from Saint-Malo in a few minutes. You will find at Dinard an atmosphere not unlike that of Cannes or of Deauville, especially on the promenade des Alliés, with its three casinos.
    At the end of the “river,” which runs inland for some 17 miles and which also has a boat service calling at Saint-Malo and at Dinard, is Dinan. It is a very ancient fortified town built on a steeply sloping plateau dominating the whole region, as in all old feudal towns. You shouldn’t fail to see the chateau where, among other curiosities, are kept some of Napoleon’s hairs; nor the Cathedral Saint-Sauveur with its Flamboyant Gothic nave covered with wood, nor the ramparts nearly two miles long.
    At Saint-Malo I should advise you to stay at the Hôtel de l’Univers, Place Chateaubriand, where they serve a wonderful and unique speciality,
angouste à la crème
. At Dinard, where there are hundreds of hotels, bars and restaurants, I sugggest the Hôtel Marjolaine, rue Levasseur, in the heart of the town near the English Club. The proprietor of this hotel was once chef at the English Court. At Dinan, the Hôtel de la Poste, opposite the château, is very comfortable.
Saint-Brieuc
    Saint-Brieuc, a large town of 25,000 inhabitants, has been able to keep intact, as Saint-Malo has, its old quarter in the centre of the modern town. An old bishopric, its principal monument is the Cathedral (Saint-Etienne), which dates from the twelfth century. There are also numerous quaint old houses. Aside from the traditional Hôtel Terminus near the station, there are good hotels at Saint-Brieuc, notably the Hôtel de France, on the Champ de Mars in the centre of the town. From Saint-Brieuc one leaves for the tour of the whole coast as far as Paimpol, the most famous of all the small ports of this