Just a tiny bit of Brittany

[Deleted]

I have said before that Brittany does not really appeal to me, but I know that I am wrong, so I return from time to time to give myself a chance to change my mind. It has not yet happened, but I know that it is my fault, particularly for being in such a hurry -- after one afternoon in Brest, I had only one full day to see what I could of Brittany. Pathetic, I know.

Anyway, I picked up a rental car on a Tuesday morning at 8:10 a.m. I quickly realized that I was in the provinces (said the hard core Parisian) because my reservation was for 8:30 so there was absolutely no reason to have the car prepared already. However, I only had to wait a few extra minutes and then I was on the road.

I stopped the car for a couple photos (and a nature pee) as soon as I saw a Brittany style scene.



This coastal island might be Béniguet. No, I've never heard of it either.



It was supposed to rain all day today, so I was counting my blessings.





My first goal was to see the Pointe Saint Mathieu. Here we are.





The lighthouse dates from 1835 and could have been climbed if I wanted to wait for 2 hours.



I was more interested in the ruins of the abbey.













Here is the semaphore.



I didn't even know what the word semaphore meant. It is a maritime lookout post. This one dates from 1906.







When you look out offshore, you realize why it is a region of so many shipwrecks.

[htmb]

The lighthouse and the abbey ruins are so different from one another, and seem to clash in so many ways.

There's just something about being along the edge of a continent, jutting out into the ocean, that I really find fascinating.

[tod2]

Your last photo of a hidden sun breaking through a small gap in the clouds is outstanding! The silvery light on the still ocean is magical. Good shot Kerouac!

[Deleted]

There was a luxury hotel back in the little village. I saw that rooms started around 80€.

[bjd]

I don't know Brittany at all, but it looks quite nice. Maybe because it's not raining?

Your cannon pictures remind me of the concrete bunkers still scattered along the Atlantic coast.

[Deleted]

I made a brief stop in a nameless Breton village, but I noticed that this sort of concrete steeple was completely generic on so many of the rebuilt churches throughout this region.

Meanwhile, the town halls were built without flourishes.

My next stop was the village of Portsall. This name probably means nothing outside of France, but it is unforgettable to anybody who was living in France during the Amoco Cadiz oïl spill in 1978, just off the coast from Portsall. Although there have been worse oïl spill catastophes due to oïl rigs, there are 5 supertanker names engraved in the collective memory of ecological disasters: Torrey Canyon (1967), Amoco Cadiz, Exxon Valdez (1989), Erika (1999) and Prestige (2002).

The Wikipedia article will tell you most of what you need to know about this event. Anyway, I had never been to Portsall and felt a need to see it.

Water sports have returned to the area.











The anchor of the Amoco Cadiz is on display on the waterfront.





That's my rental car to give you an idea of the size of the anchor.







This shows where the Amoco Cadiz went down. In fact, it is still down there.



That means that it is right here, well in view.





It all looks so harmless now, but Portsall went through several years of oily hell.

[Deleted]

I continued along my way on the coast...









Unfortunately, I was already running behind schedule, so I cut across an inland portion. I therefore discovered the Château de Kerjean.





It is closed in November, so I just examined the exterior.



Like just about every château, the grounds are immense.













It has clearly been downsized, probably involuntarily, over the years.









And then I hightailed it to the Norman coast...



I always wonder what a coastal house like this costs...

And that is the end of this tiny bit of Brittany, so clearly I need to return one of these days.

[htmb]

I have been thrilled to see photos of this most recent trip so far, and am trying to wait waiting patiently to see more. Though my travels took me to the southern part of Brittany, west of Lorient, I see many similarities in the landscape portrayed in these most recent photos. I do remember very high rocky cliffs to the south and assume the northern coastline is very different, particularly after seeing photos taken during some of your other. Normandy trips. I know I'm rambling, but there's just something about Brittany that intrigues me. Though I could care less if I ever visit Quimper again, seeing your photos almost makes me want to make a return visit to Pont-Aven.

[bixaorellana]

I am so glad you have not yet lost your heart to Brittany, as we can all hope to benefit again when you return there. I ❤ these photos!

The chateau is spooky, with that ruined? never-finished? portion with perfectly intact windows, plus the wheeling birds complete the effect.

Is the horsey listening to music?

Too many good pictures to list them all, but the semaphore seen through the abbey arch, the tilted stone cross just below it, and the pigeons on the old wall are all stellar stand-alones.

Beautiful craggy coastline and wonderful old stone buildings. I wonder why that old church seems deliberately sunk into the ground.

[Deleted]

Gloomy but interesting. I can see why it wouldn't appeal to you so much, Kerouac.

I guess it's one of those places you go for the 'experience' and not for fun.

Having said that the picture of the castle like building (Château de Kerjean) and with the birds circling on top, reminds me of a shot from an old horror movie. Nice one!

[Deleted]

I'm surprised that both Bixa and Deyana noticed the castle birds so much, since they really are not a major element of the photos. However, I can confirm that they were the creepiest thing about the château, because they were huge raucous crows, very evil looking and most definitely appropriate for a horror movie. I don't know if there are nice little songbirds at other times of the year, but the thought of living in such a place and hearing the crows cawing all of the time really made me want to leave as quickly as possible.

[htmb]

I noticed them. Part of the charm.
I know, I have strange taste.

[Deleted]

A wonderful report. Looks a little cold and forbidding at this time of year, though. It's interesting how similar the landscape is across the water, in Eastern Canada.

I'm with the others on the crows. Actually, they're among my favourite birds. Very smart.

[fumobici]

These photos are very evocative and moody. The lighthouse sharing an outcrop with the abbey ruins and the goth chateau with the crows? Just amazing, really.

[bjd]

The main advantage of the damp climate in Brittany is that the grass is so very green. It adds colour to what is a rather gray, mossy area. It looks nice on your pictures -- that castle does look attractive, although I would hate to have lived in it. Imagine trying to keep warm in winter!

[Deleted]

Nov 16, 2013 20:12:44 GMT bixaorellana said:

Is the horsey listening to music?

No, I don't know what that box was. A space heater would have been called for that morning, however.

[lugg]

Maybe just a tiny bit of Brittany but you have captured it so beautifully and in a variety of ways. I have so many lovely memories of family holidays here over the years , although mostly we stayed further south. Now I want to go back soon.

Is the horse listening to music.... ;D
The Breton (horse) in your pic fortunately is not connected to the box otherwise he would have been dancing .... a whole new meaning to "electropop." ;D

[htmb]

That appears to be an electrified fence. Could that box be some sort of a transmitter?

[Deleted]

I looked up a bit of the history of the château of Kerjean.

It was built at the end of the 16th century by the wealthy Barbier family during the period of great Breton prosperity due to maritime commerce. In 1618, the owners asked Louis XIII to be upgraded to marquis status, and since it was already considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in France, the king accepted their request.

It should be noted that they did not feel completely safe, as evidenced by the fortifications surrounding the castle as well as the large moat.

The last marquise of Kerjean turned the place into a bastion during revolutionary times with increased fortifications and 24 hour guard service. All of her children died young, so there was not all that much point to this. She was finally arrested, condemned to death and guillotined on 9 Messidor, year II (27 June 1794).

The revolutionary government obviously confiscated the château and turned into a military post for awhile, and then sold it to the Brilhac family in 1802. They are the ones who dismantled a lot of the château and sold the stones to other people as building material. Two other families bought the château and then it was finally sold to the French government in 1911.

During WW2, it was used as the storehouse for all of the things in the château of Brest and the other museums of Brest. After the war, most of the stuff went back to Brest, but some of it went to the naval museum in Paris.

It is now managed by the department of Finistère and renovation was completed in 2005.

[Deleted]

Nov 17, 2013 19:29:54 GMT htmb said:

That appears to be an electrified fence. Could that box be some sort of a transmitter?

It could be a big dry cell.