Brittany for Tourists

Monday 19 August

The weather is improving daily and after some morning clouds the day ended with blue skies and sunshine once again. We have been so fortunate to have had such brilliant weather all the way around France.  Today Maree was feeling a little tired and achy so she and Melanie opted for a rest day - not difficult in our lovely country house.  Later in the day they walked some of the country lanes that cross the neighbouring fields and found plenty of ripe juicy blackberries to pick.
Jessica, Baptiste and I took to the tourist trail today, starting with a visit to Pont Aven.  Before we left Maree and I managed to find out way to the post office in Treboul which is across the estuary from Douarnenez. What a maze of little streets on the hillsides - poor TomTom could hardy keep up with all the twists and turns.

Looking towards Douarnenez -view from the bridge to Treboul.

 Pont Aven is half an hour by car from Le Merdy and is a smallish town with a river running through the centre.  It is a haven for artists and has been so for well over a century - Gaugin often visited along with several of his contemporaries and the Pont Aven school of painters became established. Apart from its artistic links, Pont Aven is also exceptionally pretty, with the river leading into an estuary which is a delightful mooring place for a few yachts and fishing boats. The estuary is surrounded by woods and fields which makes for a very tranquil scene. 

Estuary at Pont Aven

 The town itself was a bit overrun with people and the many restaurants were filling up for lunch service. In spite of the touristy shops, the walk alongside the river is lovely  - old stone houses, a watermill, flowers everywhere - and it is easy to see why Pont Aven attracts so many visitors. It certainly has the cutest public toilet  building I have ever seen!

Pont Aven

 As we had parked, probably illegally, in the post office car park (P.O. closed for lunch) we decided to drive on to our next destination and eat there.  Parking places seemed to be in short supply in Pont Aven.  About 20 minutes away from Pont Aven is another tourist hotspot, Concarneau, a large town and modern fishing port.  Most visitors go there to see the Ville Close which is a walled medieval village located on an island in the harbour. It is linked to the mainland by a wide stone drawbridge and from the outside looks very forbidding. 

Ville Close at Concarneau

 We were lucky with a car parking spot (legal this time) nearby Ville Close and once over the bridge and though the arched portal in the high walls we found ourselves in a small courtyard - a kind of lobby before entering the main street through another arched opening. Three musicians playing old instruments were providing entertainment in the courtyard and a huge old tree gave a shady spot to sit and listen. The main street on the island is lined with medieval houses but is somewhat overwhelmed with souvenir shops and creperies.  We joined the slow moving throng of people (mostly British, judging by the overheard conversations) and made our way along the street looking for a lunch spot.  We didn't fancy the tourist menus so walked back to the shore hoping for something more interesting.  Alas, all we could find were creperies and pizzerias, so ham and cheese crepes it was.  These are the savoury buckwheat crepes that are usually called galettes in other parts of Brittany and Normandy.  In the Finisterre department galettes are the Breton butter biscuits which are sold everywhere in decorative tins (very nice too).

Ferry landing, Ville Close

With lunch under our belts we returned to the Ville Close for a bit of a trek around.  It is a shame that the tourist shops and cafes are such a dominant feature in the village as they detract from the charm of the old houses and unique character of this place which is indeed closed off from the outside world.  The early residents must have felt very secure behind the high stone walls. The origins of the Ville Close date back to the thirteenth century.

Concarneau

It didn't take long for us to explore and to be over the crowds so we drove on westwards along the coast to the popular seaside resort, Benodet.  On the way we stopped briefly at the Vieux Port of La Foret-Fouesnant which is another pretty little harbour. 

Vieux Port, La Foret-Fouesnant

 Although it was late in the afternoon, there were still a lot of people on the beach at Benodet and plenty of walkers promenading along the seafront. Benodet seems to have plenty of small hotels, resorts and pretty white holiday cottages, many of which seem quite new.  It has the look of a purpose built holiday town and is obviously a lovely place for families.

Benodet 

There is also a casino which no doubt pulls in plenty of customers. Besides the ocean beach there is a wide estuary littered with boats and edged by sandy beaches,  All in all Benodet is a most attractive place although quite different from the quaint fishing ports with which we have become accustomed in these parts.

Benodet estuary beach

With the sun still high overhead we decided to return home via dinner in Quimper.  Darn it - our lovely Le Petit Gaveau restaurant, like many others, is closed on Mondays.  We found a charming courtyard restaurant with a very limited menu but we were happy to have entrecote (again!) in such pleasant surroundings.  The restaurant is part of an ancient Quimper mansion that was formerly the home of the French writer Max Jacob who died in a concentration camp in 1944.  It seems that many celebrated writers and artists frequented this home, including Christian Dior - so there!
Our day out was interesting but I don't think that the countryside we passed by today was nearly as scenic as yesterday's on the Crozon Peninsula.  Glad to find that Maree has enjoyed her leisurely day and feels less achy tonight.