Out and about in the rain

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Out and about in the rain

Bonjour mes amies et families. Well, we continue to enjoy ourselves despite seeing the most rain in the past five days that we have seen in the past 10 years when visiting France! It has been hard to believe at times that we are in Brittany and not somewhere where they have monsoon.

This very lovely area of Brittany is called Cornouaille, and it is representative of our own lovely Cornwall, the difference being the lack of crowds and free parking wherever you go. The French do not seem to want to rip you off - unlike at home where the minute you stop you are either being photographed by a traffic warden or charged fiver for the pleasure. Parking here is in pleasant car parks with plenty of room and no ticket machines!

On Saturday we went to visit Lorient, of which about 98% was flattened by the allies in the war, so it is a relatively new city unlike many we have visited so far. It is very cosmopolitan - new with lots going on. However, the road system has been changed recently and even the locals are confused, basically when driving on the main route you have to stop and give way to those entering your route from a side street. As you can imagine we did not have a clue which led to lots of beeping both of horns and language before we cottoned on!

There was a big U boat base in Lorient during the War which is the reason for the amount of bombing they suffered. We wanted to visit this but unfortunately it was closed. However we walked around the perimeter and it really is a very foreboding place, utterly depressing. One could imagine the image of the Nazi U Boats being repaired and serviced there in the War. The feeling of fear and in trepidation that must have pervaded Lorient being host to such a sinister and destructive occupier must have been at times unbearable.

Even though the base was not open we were able to see yachts that had returned from the round Britain yacht race which apparently is a most unusual sight - we were able to go alongside and look closely at these craft and appreciate the design and ingenuity applicable to boats of all types.

On a more cheerful note we went to the market which was fabulous - as you know we love French markets - have a look at some of the pictures to try and absorb some of the bonne homie one feels walking around.

After this we went to visit our lovely friend Shirley for tea as she has a flat there where she stays in the Winter to get away from the inclement weather at Clohars Carnoed which she lives in the Summer months.

On Sunday amid more violent downpours we set off for La Foret Fouesnant for their Sunday market - again we were bewitched by the atmosphere and produce on sale. We bought our Sunday Roast at the market - Rotisserie Pork and Potatoes and some little cherry tomatoes that looked and tasted like little jewels. We found somewhere to shelter from the rain and laid out our feast. All the French passers by shouted Bon Appetite Monsieur et Madame as we tucked in. It was fab. Who needs posh hotels and restaurants when all you want is at your fingertips in a French market? You can ask for exactly what you want and how you want it and they are more than happy to oblige.

We decided we needed to walk off our lunch so went for a walk around the port of La Foret Fouesnant again look at the pictures to see for yourself just how lovely it was. As it was Fathers Day I had thought a lot about my dear Dad and imagine my surprise when I looked up and there was a boat called Anam Cara which was the name of the book where I found the Celtic blessing that I read at his funeral - see picture. We chatted to the people who owned the boat and they knew of the book hence the name of their boat, and also about the blessing. They had sailed over from Falmouth and have done so every year for the past 10 years it takes about 30 hours - what a great thing to do.

While we were chatting a little black and white bird that had been bobbing about in the sea suddenly dived under and swam about in a frenzy - it was a Guillemot. They swim like they have a rudder attached to them diving and changing direction at whim. What they do when they are doing this is round up little shoals of fish into a ball and then have a good old nosh. We watched this one for ages it was amazing you could see the ball of fish madly moving around trying to get away but this little bird just ducked and dived around them attacking from all directions. When it finished it just popped back up to the surface and sat there bobbing around like it was minding its own business and nothing had happened. Next time you are on a quayside look out for one it is great fun to watch.
The boat owner shared a rather grizzly story with us. He had been watching one the other day along with a large black gull that sat quietly and observed the industry of the Guillemot. When it finished the gull swooped down and killed it, pecked open its stomach and ate all the fish the little Guillemot had just caught! Some might call this bad luck others might say at least the little Guillemot died with a full stomach! What’s your take?

Today, Monday, we woke up to another cloudy sky so decided to strike out and go the St Geunole which is located next to Pennmarc’h which is, we are told the largest sardine port in France. Apparently at St Geunole they have a fish market and you can see all the offshore boats arrive back at port at 1630 and unload their catch. It was the most interesting and invigorating visit we have had so far. One of the things we like most about France is their lack of rules and regulations which allows you to experience things you would not be able to do so at home due to Health and Safety and our generally namby pamby culture. We could walk freely around the market where the fish was being unloaded and auctioned and also up to the boats and the catch was unloaded and experience the sheer excitement and relief at the safe return of the boats.

We arrived at about 1230 and so had plenty of time to explore the town which is small and was relatively quiet. We walked out along the rocks which are remarkable and at one point Ian shouted ‘look Carrie quick’ I went over and there was a little turtle all on its own walking along these massive rock faces. Again see pictures. How he/she got there, if it lives there on its own or what we do not know, but it was fascinating to see this little thing marching across these great ancient rocks, going where only it knows…. It would have been so easy to just pass by and not have a clue it was there, which makes you think about all things in general does it not? Anyway I will save that debate for my philosophy class.

At about 1600 things seemed to perk up and their was a general hubbub in the air with more people appearing each moment. We all began to walk along to the fish market - one boat had arrived early and unloaded already and its catch was being auctioned. We then set off to walk around the boats that were docked as we waited for the others to arrive home. There was a viewing point to look over the harbour wall and watch for their arrival - suddenly there were two and then several more to be seen on the horizon. We went back to the dockside and enjoyed the general excitement and anticipation of their arrival. We were not disappointed; however, the whole operation is quick and smooth and if you are not paying attention you will miss it. They come in and dock with no fuss and begin immediately to unload their catch assisted by the auctioneers and fish market staff. We took some lovely video footage of the boats coming in to port and shedding their loads. Some of the locals who knew the ropes negotiated purchases on the dockside which I think meant they got some fabulously fresh fish and the fishermen got more than they would in the market so basically everyone was happy!

On another note it was noticeable how all the wives were there waiting for the boats to return - as the fishermen disembarked they kissed and hugged their wives and kin which served to remind us of the dangerous and difficult lives these people lead. Putting aside the romanticism of our holiday/tourist view one could see the respect and tradition the locals observe towards this age old occupation. There were one couple who could not hide their delight to see one another oblivious to the onlookers. Clearly this boat had been out a sea for a few days and much celebration was about to take place. All seemed very happy with the catch and there was a general feeling of relief and gratitude.

We were so enraptured by the whole day that we failed to note the sun had come out and the weather was back to its usual brightness for Brittany. It is important to note just how magnificent the light is here, it does not take an artists eye to realise just why the artists set up schools here and painted so many lovely pictures - I think you will notice from the photographs just how clear and sharp they are -this I have to admit is more about the light than my photographic ability.

We are hoping that the weather is going to cheer up so that we can spend our last few days around the farm and at the local beaches which will allow us to give you a more personal view of where we stay and why we love it so much.

Well we hope you are enjoying mooching around Brittany with us. More to follow before we are back, so keep logging in.

Love Monsieur et Madame
xxxxx

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Comments

[Alex]

You should write a travel book
Your writing really brings it all to life - the details, the descriptions, and the sheer pleasure you are taking in it all. It's making me feel really excited about our holiday there at the end of July, but I must get my passport sorted fast. If it's any comfort, the weather's been rubbish here too, and we've had no exciting markets, trips or turtle sightings to take our minds off it! Look forward to next instalment. Love Alex xxx