Saint-Malo Local Customs

 
by Toshioohsako
 
  •   Local Customs
    by Toshioohsako
  •   Local Customs
    by Toshioohsako
  • St. Malo Sidewalk Cafes
      St. Malo Sidewalk Cafes
    by Goner
  • A game of Petanque
      A game of Petanque
    by Goner
  • Guitar Player
      Guitar Player
    by Goner
 

Most Recent Local Customs in Saint-Malo

Brittany - a sea food heaven!
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Toshioohsako 453 reviews

Indeed, Brittany is rich offering a variety of sea foods - oysters, lobsters and mules, etc. You can eat dishes made of these all the year around. Enjoy! Sea food restaurants are everywhere in Saint Malo.

Updated Aug 27, 2010

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Taste Kersac cider!
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Toshioohsako 453 reviews

Kersac cider produced by the Guillet Family uses the finest Breton's finest apples. The apples are harvested and left ripen in September for 3 weeks, then stored in low temperature (8-10 degrees). Its a dry taste. Some may find not sweet enough and some love it. Try!!

Updated Aug 27, 2010

Website: www.Icbo.com

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Try The Cider
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Goner 1128 reviews

Cider is very popular in the Province of Brittany. In St. Malo they serve it in every eatery. There are different kinds (just like beer).

The "cidre de table", everyday cider bottled in any container (this is what we drank).

The "cidre bouché", of higher quality that has to be bottled in a Champagne bottle and corked. The "cidre fermier" is produced only with the fruits of the producer.

The "cidre nouveau" is the first made in the year and is available from the 1st of October to the 1st of March.

The "poiré" is a hard cider made with pears instead of apples (now this one could be interesting).

Updated Feb 14, 2005

Related to:
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 Arts and Culture
 Beaches

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Music on the Way
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Goner 1128 reviews
Guitar Player

We saw this man playing his homemade guitar as we walked along the rampart walls. Although it was a very rustic looking instrument, he made beautiful music. He didn't really notice the people as they walked by, he was so deeply involved in his playing. Note he did have a tip box.

Updated May 23, 2004

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They Speak the Celtic Language
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Goner 1128 reviews
St. Malo

I thought it was interesting that the Breton language is the only Celtic language spoken on the continent. It was spoken by more than a million people at the beginning of the 20th century. Recent surveys show that 250,000 people speak the language daily and 600,000 people are capable of understanding it. A large majority of the Breton speakers are old and it is estimated that 15,000 of them disappear every year.

However, the Breton language is beginning to show its presence in institutional life. The Côtes d'Armor and Finistère departments now provide bilingual signposts on all major department roads. A number of towns do the same thing in their area. The language is even being used in advertising and shop sign-posting.

And this town is in France...

Written May 17, 2004

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Petanque (pay-tonk)
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Goner 1128 reviews
A game of Petanque

We saw these fellows playing a game that looked like bocce ball, actually it's the French version.

P?tanque, pronounced "pay-tonk", one of Europe's most popular outdoor games, is a distant cousin of horseshoes and a close relative of bocce. The game originated in the Provence in the early 1900's. The aim is to toss, or roll a number of steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden aim ball, called "but" or "cochonnet" (meaning "piglet" in French).

Players take turns, and whoever ends up closest to the aim ball when all balls are played, wins. Unlike horseshoes, where the aim stake is fixed, petanques' aim ball may be hit at any time, which can completely turn around the score at the last second. And whereas the official bocce rules call for a prepared court, with markers and sideboards, petanque can be played on most outdoor surfaces, anytime you feel like. No special skill is required, and a game lasts as long as you want it to. The French usually add wine or pasti!

Updated May 2, 2004

Related to:
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 Beaches
 Budget Travel

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Sidewalk Cafes
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Goner 1128 reviews
St. Malo Sidewalk Cafes

There were many sidewalk cafes in the Intra-Muros and in the evening when the lights came on they all looked so inviting.

Written May 23, 2004

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