Ile d'If--Count of Monte Cristo Fame

ISLE D'IF

MARSEILLE FRANCE

COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO FAME

History

The Island is a small 3 HA located  3.5 km from Marseliie and was built between 1524-1531 at the request of King Francis I who saw it as a place for strategic defence fro attack from the sea. It was never used for that purpose and became a prison and dumping ground for politcal and religious activiists that needed a holdiay for a while. Over 3.500 Huguenos endd up here.It ceasef being a prison in 1890 and was opened up to the public .

The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexander Dumas published his famous novel in 1844.

In 1815, Edmond Dantes, a young merchant sailor returned to Marseille to wed Mercedes.On the eve of his marriage,Fernand Mondego, a cousin of Merceds and a rival for her affections accuses Dante of being a Bonapartist Traitor.Villefort, the Deputy Crown Prosecutor, a stauncg Royalist condems Dante to life imprisonment , as a way of silencing him as poor old Dantes was innocent  in Chateau D'Íf.After six years Dante befriends Abbe Faria, The Mad Priest , an Irtalian and fellow prisoner.Faria mentors Dante in all things good and wise and tells Dante of tresure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo.When Faria dies, Dante takes his place in the burial sack, and swims to a nearby island.With som help he gets to Monte Cristo, finds a few diamonds and bought a boat and returned to the island to get the rest. He bought the island  and the title from the Tuscan government and then sets out to seek revenge of the three who put him in jail.Never sure what happened to Mercedes but he ended up with someone else.

Sea Shuttles depart from Vieux Port and there is an entrance fee to the castle

CANCALE-OYSTER CAPITOL OF BRITTANY FRANCE

CANCALE

BRITTANY FRANCE

OYSTERS

There are trains from Paris to Rennes and St Malo and we went by local bus to Cancale from Saint Malo where there are more options for accommodation

Quic En Groigne

There are numeous small restaurants linking the street facing the water and also stalls on the beach where oysters can be purchased  with a paper plat and plastic fork for very low cost

SAINT MALO-HISTORIC FRENCH TOWN IN BRITTANY

SAINT MALO

HISTORIC FRENCH PORT TOWN 

How To Get There

There are at least twelve trains a day fro Paris Montpanasse and some are direct and some require a change over at Rennes..it is 320 km and can taake 2.5 to 3 hoursStay in the old wall city

    GOLDEN TULIP SAINT MALO -LE GRAND BE

Saint Malo is a historic port in Brittany along the English Channel Coast. It is a poulat ferry port to Jersey and Guernsey. The old walled city is interesting and the origins date back to the First Century. There are many examples of the Allies bombardment of Saint Malo in 1994 as the germans had a major force in the area.

The Man In The Iron Mask-Ile Saint Matguerite Cannes France

ILE SAINTE MARGUERITE

CANNES

HOME OF THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

If you are in Cannes and you have an hour or two, a 15 minutes boat ride will take you to Ile ,Saint Marhuerite a small rocky island  of 3 kilometrs length and less the one kilometer wide on which rests  Fort Royal,  a prion used in the 17th century to house The Man In The Iron Mask.

The man whose identity is unknown (some say he was the older illegitimate brother of King Louis XIV of France), was held a prisonner on this island, the Bstille and Fortress of Pigneroi (Italy) for a total of 34 years. He died in prison and no one ever saw his face.

The trip is interesting and a diversion  from the glitz of boys toys in the Marina and fashion in town.

MONT ST MICHEL- NORMANDY FRANCE --A MAGNET FOR TOURISTS

MONT ST MICHEL

NORMANDY FRANCE

Getting There

\From Paris take the train to Rennes and there is a shuttle bus to Mont St Michelm a distance of 67 km. From Saint Malo, there is a bus service  (56 km) . We chose to stay in Saint Malo, which has history.

GOLDEN TULIP SAINT MALO LE GRAND BE

Mont St Michel is a tidal island, linked to the mainland by a causeway.The car park is 2.5 km from the island entrance.The area around the island is swampy and not that attractive. The entrance to the sixty or so buildings all UNESCO World Heritage and French Historical Monuments is crammed with tacky shops and restaurants designed for the 3 million tourists each year.The older buildings up the hill are interesting and have history but the place was full of tourists and not as good as expected.