Abu Dhabi tends to play second fiddle to Dubai when it comes to luxury and lavish associations, but the emirate is quickly catching up to its neighbor thanks to hotels like the Shangri-La. Situated in the heart of the city of Abu Dhabi, the Shangri-La Hotel offers a blend of contemporary comfort and traditional Arabian charm, making it one of the best places to stay when visiting the city for the first time.
In this French seaside town, discover the places in ‘All the Light We Cannot See’
27.11.2023 - 19:45 / nationalgeographic.com
In August 1944, the coastal Breton city of Saint-Malo was nearly wiped off the map. The opening scene of the Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See conjures the ferocity of the battle: an American squadron traverses the English Channel in darkness, dodges anti-aircraft fire, then releases its bombs on the Nazi-occupied French port.
That depiction may be Hollywood-dramatic but the destruction was real. Though Saint-Malo’s ramparts and chateau were virtually untouched, 80 percent of residences were destroyed during the course of World War II.
Post-war reconstruction was daunting. Instead of rebuilding quickly in concrete like similarly decimated cities Le Havre and Brest, then-mayor Guy La Chambre fought for heritage. When the rubble was cleared, stones were painstakingly numbered, like puzzle pieces, for an identical reconstruction of the Intra-Muros (old town). You can actually still see the numbers written on stones at No. 25 Rue de Toulouse.
Now, Saint-Malo provides a gloriously cinematic setting for the screen version of Anthony Doerr’s 2014 novel, which nabbed the Pulitzer Prize and triumphed for more than 200 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. (The mini-series has received mixed reviews, though its high audience numbers belie the critics.)
The tale follows two teenagers: a German soldier (Werner Pfennig), who’s a radio genius, and a blind French girl (Marie-Laure Leblanc) working for the Resistance in Saint-Malo. Visitors today can follow in the footsteps of the fictional characters, while uncovering the real-life layers of the city’s adventurous maritime history.
The story’s street names are accurate, as meticulously mapped as the wooden model of the city crafted by Marie-Laure’s father. Yet its cartography is populated with imaginary addresses: You won’t find the blue-shuttered Hotel of Bees on the Rue de la Crosse, nor Madame Ruelle’s bakery on the Rue Robert Surcouf. But there’s a terrific boulangerie next to the cathedral that’s won awards for local specialties such as Far Breton (a fruity, clafouti-like cake). Situated at 4 Rue Vauborel, the home of Marie-Laure’s uncle is a post-war residential block. (Google Maps erroneously lists the address as a bookstore.)
Never breached, the walkable ramparts circling the city have defended against marauding invaders since the 12th century. Offshore, the island of Grand Bé—where Marie-Laure collects treasures in the tide pools—is accessed via a causeway at low tide. Here on an eroding bluff is the tomb of author François-René de Chateaubriand, whose last wish was to repose where he could “only hear the sea and the wind.”
Adjacent, the small island of Petit Bé is part of the string of 17th-century coastal fortifications developed
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