Glass blowing and exhibition at St. Meloir des Ondes

Ian and I took his children to the gallery and glass blowing studio in St. Meloir des Ondes (between St. Malo and Cancale) today. It was cold so the warmth of the furnaces was welcome.

We had to wait about an hour before they started working the glass but once the process began we all enjoyed watching the manipulation and blowing of the hot molten Cristal glass. One piece took about 30 minutes and was achieved by layering hot coloured glass on an already molten bulb of glass constantly blowing and turning.

Ian's children are always interested in learning new things and the artisan, Martin Durand, did include them and ask them if they had any questions at the end.

I have to confess to being a bit rigid with fear as enthusiastic spellbound kids looked around the glittering gallery, sleeves and dangling gloves just missing 300 euro objects of art but we did, thankfully, escape without any damage.

The gallery also offers workshops for adults and children for those of you who fancy having a go.

Another good idea on a cold, wet day.

The web address is http://www.idverre.net/durand-gasselin/creations.html

Tidal power station (hydroelectrical dam) between St. Malo and Dinard

The tidal power station on the Rance Estuary between St. Malo and Dinard was the first of it's kind ever to be built. It was started in 1961. The turbines were renovated in 2002.

It was pretty cold today so outdoor activities were not on the agenda. In the end we thought a quick jaunt to the tidal power station at the Barrage de la Rance might be interesting.

The entrance was FREE ! and although the tour was very short the kids enjoyed it. There was a short film (headphones for English and German speakers) which explained the basic workings, development and the running of the tidal power station. After the film there was a small exhibition hall with interactive models showing the workings of the turbines which have been there for over 30 years now. The tidal power station can supply enough electricity for a town of up to 300,000 inhabitants.

If you are crossing the Barrage at any time, try to take 30 minutes to stop and look around.

The Pirate's Maze

The Pirate's Maze is only a short step from Dinan, St. Malo and Dinard on the Rance Valley.

I had a lovely afternoon out at this maze with some friends and their children. The mazes were excellent, there were four in all. Each maze had a set of 10 questions to be answered by finding the question boards in the right order. These questions added interest at the same time as guiding you through the maze. We split into teams so it got a bit torrid rushing from board to board. When you finally reach the centre of the maze there is seating and snacks for the exhausted adults and great outdoor games for the younger ones which kept them entertained for at least another 30 minutes whilst we caught our breath and got ready for the next maze.

The kids had a lovely time and were kept busy for the whole afternoon.

It was very good value for money (entrance fee approx 7 euros each). There were also pic-nic tables near to the car park and we were allowed to go out, have our lunch and then return leaving all the pic-nic stuff in the cars.