Rain Doesnt Keep Us Away! On the way to Quiberon.

No, Rain doesn't stop us going out and doing what we have to....Travel! After enjoying two solid weeks of sunshine, since our arrival, I guess we had to expect a change at some stage. This is the middle of September, after all.



Sorry about the wire fence, but this is the Chateau near the small town of Chateauneuf
that we had missed last time we went that way down the country roads.. The Chapel belonging to the estate is below. We seriously went looking for the Chateau this time out, and we are glad we found it. I could have jumped the ditch, like Waz did, to take photos without the wire, but it was wet!

 This is the wall that is miles long (or Kms), and most of it looks like it will fall down if you blow on it! It goes ALL the way around the Chateau estate. Quite fantastic when you see it from the air.

We were on our way, by way of several other places, as we are apt to do, to Quiberon. First, though, we had to stop at Lorient. There we needed to find a bathroom (these things happen, and as I have said before, French bathrooms are not the best of places), so when we saw the McDonalds in the middle of town, we breathed a sigh of relief, parked in haste and made our way, in the rain, to the comfort station, and yes, the McCafe....where we ordered a Café Viennoise. We ate all the cream on the top too! it was sweetened, and we decided never to do that again...certainly not in a McDonalds.
It had a French Style toilette, by the way. As you go into the main toilette room, there is a pissoir and a handbasin. Then there is a separate toilet stall which is also handicap access size. it is a bit disconcerting, when in the stall, to have someone come into the outer room and use the very public pissoir...NOT wash their hands and just walk out. I guess I will just have to get used to this, somehow. Waz liked the look of the chocolate thang with marshmallows on top. It was a refrigerator style bar, and they charged plenty for it, as McD's always do.

As it was raining plenty in Lorient, we didn't feel too inclined to stay there. The middle of town had way too many American brands, including McD's, Subway  and an Athletes Foot store right next door to McD's.

We did see the sign leading to the Port de Plaisance (port of pleasure boats) and we headed in that direction. How fortunate that the rain stopped almost immediately we exited the car. It must have known we were in the right place.

The Marina is very different to the American and Kiwi Marina we are used to...of course!

In the photo below, you can see one of the many Ferry boats coming into the port. These Ferries go between the outer Isles...perhaps Ile de Groix, or Port Louis, our next port of call.

We walked up and down the esplanade in front of the Marina, glad of the exercise, and then made our way towards Port Louis. The Citadel, below has a checkered past, as do most fortifications. It was build, partly torn down, rebuilt and rebuilt again, at various stages of it's life. It was occupied briefly by the Germans during WW11, and there exists a bunker, built by them.

We parked on the inside of the Ramparts, and made our way through a hole in the ancient wall towards the beach. Turn around, and this is what you see! Beach changing sheds, How quaint!:) The juxtaposition of the Ramparts and the wooden sheds is just too funny.

 The tide was out, as you can see, and there was plenty of seaweed lying around on the rocks and sand.
A little about the history of this interesting fortification.
In the 16th century, a Spaniard, allied to the Duke of Mercoeur, decided to build a fort in the small village of Blavet (before it was renamed Port Louis). This is at the entry to the harbor and port of Lorient.
In 1618, Louis XIII ordered the expansion and the construction of fortifications. Aware of its strategic location, it was also decided to make a Royal Town for the Navy and changed the name of Blavet to Port-Louis. The fortification  hardly deterred the various attackers, including Benjamin de Rohan, Count Richelieu built an enclosure around the city between 1649 and 1653. These are the Ramparts.

 This is the Port of Lorient, in the background, with the fortification of the Citadel in the foreground. It is the protector of the straits of Lorient.

The fort was occupied by Military forces until 1987. Since then, work has begun on the reconstruction of the fort and preservation of the various artifacts contained therein. We bought tickets to see the entire fort, but were rather disappointed at the lack of Museum items on display.


Just to go back a second....I thought this was very photogenic:) It is actually the toilette building on the beach, alongside those changing sheds...No Dogs Allowed!

 Just inside the Ramparts, these French campers were preparing for a collective lunch. It made us think that this method of travel might be excellent!

 You can see the Cruise Ship in the port of Lorient, in the background. These little rounds, which have a name I cant remember, off hand...were imperative for the defense of the fort.

I waited for this small ship to pass through this gap in the ramparts, to show how close they come, and how vital this fort was for the safety of the straits into Lorient.

The Baracks inside all have red doors and shutters. Very nice, in the very grey day and concrete.

Remember I told you about the Germans building a Bunker? This is the view from that.

 Per usual, the climate is rough on any paint surfaces, and everything needed a repaint. I felt I wanted to help out there:)

The Powdery is under reconstruction, but we were able to go into the Ballery...or the place where they kept the canon balls.

We couldn't see where the Bell might have gone, but it is a pretty one in memory of those who died for France.

I love the architectural details of old. This spouting or drainage is wonderful.

 These well refurbished Canon are large, as you can see. Plenty of them in the Ballery (as it was called in the literature)

I am somewhat fascinated by the slate roofs in these parts, where slate is king. This is one of the many chimney in the middle of the fort. Obviously it isn't too old...perhaps 100 yrs.

From Port Louis, we got back on the highway and made our way down to the Presq'ile de Quiberon,,,the Quiberon Peninula. It runs a good 14 kms out into the Atlantic Ocean in the south west of Britany. Not far off shore is the very pretty Belle Isle, where we would have like to go, but the sea didn't look very much fun and it was raining. The Island enjoys a wonderful climate, apparently.
It was really raining hard when we arrived in Quiberon via lots of small towns. We were a bit desperate for a café Crème, so we stopped somewhere at a tabac, where people were sitting and watching the Lottery numbers on the TV. Fortified with caffeine, we set forth. This is the Megaliths Coast, and we expected to see Dolmens and Menhirs (large Rocks put there by the ancients, we think) somewhere. We did, actually! Carnac is not far away, and it is there one would expect to see the Menhirs.
I was driving, and because of the rain, the traffic was really slow. I managed to get a photo of the Dolmens, along the roadside.

They are never as large as you might think. I remember learning about Carnac and the Dolmens and Menhirs, in French Class back in the early 70's!

Moving right along. Basically, Quiberon is at the end of a long sand dune. That's how it appeared, along the way, with sand everywhere.

We watched the ferry coming into the harbor, and once it finished the surfing in on the tide, it rock and rolled as it turned side on to the sea, coming into the sheltered harbor.

 One block back from the beach and sea wall, these pretty sisters took up a corner property.

 I don't know the name of this fairy tale castle on the sea at Quiberon, but it sits higher than any other structure, short of the Light house.

 As always, there are plenty of plantings everywhere, and I loved the boxes here on the sea wall.

We love walking the side streets to view the houses. This one was a tower with a modern addition that perfectly worked with the old structure, and because this is such a public place, being a summer holiday place, they made the most of the light along the top with these windows, and the wall around the property ensures their privacy.

 As you can see! You can see that it is one block to the ocean.

The Lighthouse stands head and shoulders above the homes in the middle of downtown.

This blue is everywhere. It is Breton Blue, and is popular for doors and window surrounds.

This is a very modern War Memorial, and we were somewhat surprised by it. being so near to the Dolmen and Menhir, I guess it is appropriate.

The Breton architecture is very much of the vernacular. The roofs in particular stand out as Breton.

We obviously got enough time without rain to do some walking around, but didn't want to go too far. We did have to buy a Parapluie (Umbrella) from a tourist store. The first one wanted 20 euros for a plastic thing, and walking a bit further along the shops from the sea wall, we found a good nylon one for 12 euros. Pays not to buy the first thing you see.

We drove home largely in the rain. It was a long day, but interesting, as usual, and we were glad we went. A little disappointed not to be able to go on the ferry out to Belle Isle, but perhaps another time or trip.
We dine well, at home, and with some crepes in the fridge, I made some lemon and sugar crepes for dessert. I add butter to the pan, squeeze the juice of two lemons on top, add a couple of tablespoons of white sugar and reduce to a syrup. Add the crepes folded into triangles and  immerse them in the syrup. Fold them and present with ice-cream or whipped cream, as I did. Yummy!

Another Tiki-Tour down.