Friday morning we hiked the couple km out to the Point, enjoying the early morning sights to ourselves. The trail was lined with blackberry bushes, still a bit early, but some ripe, so we helped ourselves. So many times we have stopped on a trail to pick raspberries, blackberries, bilberries, etc. The French pass by, most ignoring us, some few adding a disdainful “bon appetit.” Are we doing something wrong? Anyway, this morning we had the trail to ourselves, and indeed bon appetit. Vicki and I had seen Point Raz before, and many other coasts and finisterres. And Rebecca has lived on the Middle California coast, Pebble Beach and south, and so we were all a bit underwhelmed by Point Raz. Michelin says it's 3 stars, but then, well, I guess they have not been to California. Or New Zealand.
We decamped and drove back to the village of Confort-Mearliars, shopped the patisserie there and visited the parish church, a Bretagne specimen, which had caught my eye on the way in. Then we drove on to Quimper, for lunch (crepes and cidre), walking, and shopping.
Old Quimper is delightful, highlighted by flowers everywhere, half-timbered buildings, and its cathedral, a strangely but obviously misaligned Gothic of some size. It was another reminder that these enormous soaring buildings are held together by friction and gravity, and not much else, that many came down, and that those that have stayed up are indeed remarkable. Again we were blessed by a beautiful day and beautiful weather. Finally we drove of to Monteneuf, another megalithic site and the Festival Megalithique, which was to occur this weekend. We were met by its organizer, who was delighted to see Americains, and camped in the site parking lot.
Terrain at Pointe Raz
Gun emplacement; the U-boat pens at L'Orient were only a few miles away
View from Point Raz: more islands, more lighthouses
Blackberries...yum
Typical Breton church at Confort-Mearliars
Church tower
Hydrangeas in bloom all over Brittany
Friday morning we hiked the couple km out to the Point, enjoying the early morning sights to ourselves. The trail was lined with blackberry bushes, still a bit early, but some ripe, so we helped ourselves. So many times we have stopped on a trail to pick raspberries, blackberries, bilberries, etc. The French pass by, most ignoring us, some few adding a disdainful “bon appetit.” Are we doing something wrong? Anyway, this morning we had the trail to ourselves, and indeed bon appetit. Vicki and I had seen Point Raz before, and many other coasts and finisterres. And Rebecca has lived on the Middle California coast, Pebble Beach and south, and so we were all a bit underwhelmed by Point Raz. Michelin says it's 3 stars, but then, well, I guess they have not been to California. Or New Zealand.
We decamped and drove back to the village of Confort-Mearliars, shopped the patisserie there and visited the parish church, a Bretagne specimen, which had caught my eye on the way in. Then we drove on to Quimper, for lunch (crepes and cidre), walking, and shopping.
Old Quimper is delightful, highlighted by flowers everywhere, half-timbered buildings, and its cathedral, a strangely but obviously misaligned Gothic of some size. It was another reminder that these enormous soaring buildings are held together by friction and gravity, and not much else, that many came down, and that those that have stayed up are indeed remarkable. Again we were blessed by a beautiful day and beautiful weather. Finally we drove of to Monteneuf, another megalithic site and the Festival Megalithique, which was to occur this weekend. We were met by its organizer, who was delighted to see Americains, and camped in the site parking lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment