Fouesnant

On the southern coast of Brittany, pretty far to the west, lies Fouesnant, sheltered from the worst of the weather, with several beaches, lovely forests and lots of facilities. Many English people have apparently retired here but they were not obvious to me. We were taken to Quimper station by René, as the 7am bus was a bit early and the 16.30 a bit late. Françoise, Sophie and Django collected us. Django is the dog that Chris looked after when he house-sat for Françoise and Keith,so they are old friends. He is also the hero of our first two FR120 booklets, so he’s an important little chap. Sophie is the newest Veillard-Burton, 22 months and a real go-er.

They have renovated the house, changing an attic into bedrooms and a teaching space, and made a garden area out of a delivery yard. It's all really beautifully done. It was fantastic to see and be with Françoise and Keith et al, to see Françoise in action with their language school, with students ranging from very little to ‘of a certain age’, to collect Katel from the maternelle and see how it is set up, to play with Sophie and her many wheeled toys, walk in the forests, visit the local places of interest. And even eat the genuine article – Breton crepes. I think this is another occasion where I will let the photos tell the story. Sorry, no crepe photos!

Photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Fouesnant

Lochronan

Lochronan means the sacred place of Ronan and is a village which has stayed relatively true to its original architecture You will find it in films where an old French village is required. But it has adapted for tourism and has some of the most stunning glass objects, hand-crafted, I mean. And a shop with an overwhelming assortment of beers. This is NOT where Chris bought his Monty Python beer. That was in the Irish Shop at Concarneau. But he did buy lots of regional specialities of the chocolate and caramel variety. There is also a church, delightful chapel and a shop with 101 (more, actually) traditional Breton linens, plates etc where Chris struck up a conversation with the quite elderly lady that ran it. But enough of words.

Photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Lochronan

Concarneau

Concarneau must be overcrowded in summer but for us out-of-season travellers it was just lovely. Peaceful port, some old and very picturesque houses and a town enclosed by ramparts rather like Villefranche-de-Conflent down south. Built on an island, the medieval town had been updated several times before our hero Vauban contributed his efforts. Great views, fun ramparts and even some musicians to entertain us with medieval music. Plus a few extras like the Irish Shop, where Chris bought his Monty Python beer and some Rolos. (We didn’t bother too much with the regional specialities, which were much the same as Lochronan, though the chocolate lion was rather unusual.)

Photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Concarneau

Quimper

Quimper stands out for the number of old, timbered houses, many of which seem to have been restored in the last century or so. Many even quite recently. Picturesque as the houses are, what really impressed us was the Breton museum, near the cathedral, in the old Bishops’ Palace. The displays are wide-reaching, time-wise, from very early times, through Gallo-Roman to the present day, including typical furniture and regional dress. Villages only a short distance apart could have totally different costumes. The lighting wasn’t good enough for photos but it is certainly a fascinating section. The cathedral is more unusual from the outside than inside and you will catch the spires in several of the photos. Best buy – a baguette with langoustines, a sort of baby crayfish, with mayonnaise – and a fruit salad offerte (free) with each sandwich!

Photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Quimper

And for those who know and love him, the Django special at

http://picasaweb.google.com/101628277989220379025/Django