A short trip to Brittany – part two

La Ville Close as the fortress is called 

Our journey in Brittany continues as we explore the coastal towns of the southern coast. Concarneau is an old port town with a medieval island fortress linked to the mainland by a drawbridge. People still live and work within the fortress and there are many restaurants and shops for the tourists.

flowers at the entrance by the drawbridge

entrance gate

 

a particularly picturesque cafe

I can just imagine  sailing ships and fishing vessels sheltering in the small harbour behind the fortress, safe from storms.

in the harbour with the modern town behind

walking around the walls

the tide is going out

fortifications on the walls

Nowadays, yachts moor in the basin and the port is home to a large fishing fleet.

Love the little white painted cottages with black slate roofs everywhere in this area

Pont-Aven is on the Aven river close to the sea and is well known for the group of artists referred to as the  Pont-Aven School which included Paul Gauguin, Paul Sérusier and Emile Bernard.

no wonder artists loved the town

River Aven at low tide

With the railway opening between Paris and Quimper in 1862, access to the coast of Brittany became easier and artists from around the world came to Pont-Aven for the summer to work together.

cute local restaurant - though the thatched roof wasn't typical

the french really know how to use flowers

Now the town is filled with art galleries and many artists live here all year round. Naturally, that means many tourists too. We had intended to go to the Musée des Beaux Arts de Pont-Aven as they  reportedly have a wonderful collection on display – but it’s closed for major renovations. Perhaps next year.

typical local house

a beautifully finished boat moored in the river ready to sail off to who knows where

Finally, we visited the Musée du Faouët nearby. It's in a 17^th century former Ursuline convent.They have a large exhibition of a local artist, Jean-Bertrand Pégot-Ogier (1877-1915).He was a painter, photographer and champion cyclist before being killed during WW1.

We bought this as a poster. Love the colours

Onwards to the Loire Valley…..

Bonne semaine mes amis

A short trip to Brittany - day one

Looking out to the Quiberon Bay and the Atlantic beyond

We had never been to Brittany so decided to take a drive north and see what everyone is talking about.

Quaiside at La Trinité-sur-mer

We booked into a lovely B&B at La Trinité-sur-mer on the Quiberon Bay. This is a beautiful region of little bays and surf beaches. It’s protected from the Atlantic storms by the Quiberon peninsula so makes a perfect spot for sailing. That’s why there are marinas full of yachts in every sheltered spot along the coast. In May they held the 6 metre sailing World Cup at La Trinité and a few of the yachts stayed for a little rest and recreation.

The bridge was built in 1956 after the original was destroyed by german bombing.
 Now they come here on holiday.

Lots of tourists of different nationalities were enjoying the mild summer weather – temperatures 10 degrees cooler than in our region further south. Everyone appears to be in a good mood as they enjoy the walk along the quai, or sit outside a bar watching the world stroll by. Seafood is naturally very popular and there are oyster farms in the bay and fresh fish available at every restaurant.

On the beaches of the Quiberon peninsula, there is traditional surfing, kite surfing and  sandyachting.

During the second world war, Fort de Penthièvre was occupied by the Germans. It housed various blockhouses but was mainly used by the infantry. In July 1944, 59 resistance fighters were tortured and buried alive there. It’s now a museum.

Fort de Penthièvre

Behind the village of La Trinité-sur-mer and the neighbouring town of Carnac are Les Alignements (standing stones). There are over 3,000 of them  arranged thousands of years ago , some say as far back as 4500 BC, and no-one really knows why. 

 as big as the car 

How did they move these giants ?

someone is watching you, Graham 

straight lines despite the fields having been worked for thousands of years

They stretch for kilometres in straight lines through the fields. Some have been worn down by weather but many are still giants. It must have been a gargantuan feat at the time. There is a local myth that they are a roman legion turned to stone by Merlin ( the legend of King Arthur is strong in this area ).

End of the day at the end of the bay

Bonne semaine mes amis

Our latest project…

It’s taken a couple of months, but finally it’s done !

We decided to remove the above ground pool that came with the house. It was too small for swimming and so we haven’t used it more than twice in two years. It had to be cleaned regularly, chemically treated, filter run and winterised for the cold weather. It just didn’t seem worth the trouble.

The Team

Friends volunteered to take it for their garden and agreed to help us build a dining terrace in it’s place.

Gone !

So Lynn and Phil arrived in April to dismantle the pool. Despite not having any instructions from the initial construction, it proved not too complicated, just dirty and wet. We had been pumping water out of the pool and into our well for days beforehand. Since there hadn’t been any chemicals in the water for months, it was a good place to store reusable water.

Lots of water in the bottom of the hole, still.

Then our friends, Richard with his truck (camion) and John with a load of rubble he wanted to get rid of from his own home projects, arrived to help fill in the hole .  

Thank you Richard for your help and the truck and compactor

This part of the job completed, Lynn and Phil went on holiday. This gave us the time to find the materials for the next stage.

Big hole ate all the rubble we could find

After lots of visits to local Bricos ( hardware stores like Bunnings) and anywhere else we could find a pergola (tonnelle) in kit form, and much debate about shape and size and style,  we finally made the decision and bought  a circular frame with fabric roof and curtains. Then the same process to find suitable pavers. The choices here in the country are not all that extensive but we found something in the end.  As in all things, the biggest stumbling block is always finding something we can both agree on, of course.  

Not looking forward to the job ahead - mixing cement and shovelling sand 

Almost there !

assembling the frame

In place, at last

Almost finished

Another three days last week and finally, the paving was finished and the pergola in place. A quick visit to the local pot depot (only open in summer so don’t know what he does in winter) , the Brico for gravel, and the garden centre for more plants. The weather was getting a bit warm by now ( high 30s) so we limited ourselves to working in the early morning or late evening.

Finally !

Last night we christened the new dining terrace with a relaxed dinner in the garden enjoying the breeze from the river rustling the trees and the peace of a country village evening.

Chilled melon soup - puree charentaise melons ( like a rockmelon)
with vodka, and chill, chill, chill !

Barbecued chilli garlic prawns with a salad of avocado and peach

Home made strawberry ice cream with fresh raspberries, strawberries and
 langues de chat ( cat's tongue biscuits)

I know it's all pink, but it just turned out that way and  all was enjoyed with a pleasant chilled Alsace reisling .

A very big 'thank you' to all the friends who helped. We couldn't have done it without you. When can we expect you for a drink ?

Bonne semaine à tous, mes amis

Gardens in the streets

birdhouse at the war memorial

Two years ago the local commune workers decorated all the little garden areas in the streets with flowerpot people. 

Last year it was wicker birds. 

This year it’s birdhouses.

outside the library

at the only traffic lights

an unusual version made of wicker

on the island in the middle of an intersection

in the carpark

Not only do they need to replant these gardens every spring, but they also make their own decorations. I don’t know who comes up with the ideas, but it’s such a whimsical use of offcuts of wood and leftover paint. Can’t imagine what they’ll do next year.

at the post office

in the war memorial garden

the pigeonnier in the garden at the bank - the french do love their birds

The commune has entered the competition to be named one of the Villes et Village Fleuris (Towns and Villages in Bloom)  and so have gone all out with the flower planting this year. Apparently, the competition is also judged on ‘village life’, so we will be interested to hear the results.

even the carpark is looking 'floral'

the mairie

the bar on the corner

a neighbour's house

We have even installed and planted our own window boxes for the first time.

flowers hanging in the main street

Another 'only in France' moment - we are also being issued with new recycling bins so the mairie has arranged an ‘information’  evening in order to answer any questions we may all have ( about garbage bins ??). Naturally, wine will be served at the end of proceedings.

 bon week-end à tous mes amis