Brittany

Have I really not blogged since July?  That'll be because I've been struggling with my poorly foot and I've stayed fairly close to home during that time.   I finally got to see a podiatrist who set me on the road to recovery so we were able to go on a planned holiday a couple of weeks ago.

Many years ago when I was a mere schoolgirl I had a French pen-friend who lived in Brittany and I spent 3 weeks enjoying all the beautiful country and culture that Brittany had to offer.  This month we went back courtesy of our local coach company and were able to visit Concarneau, Quimper, Benodet  and Pont Aven.  En route to our hotel at Concarneau we visited Mont St Michel, the sister to St Michael's Mount in Cornwall.

The last time I was here you could walk across to the Mont but recently a footbridge has been built across the sands and access is by foot, push-me-pull-you bus or horse drawn cart.

Looking back from the Mont to the mainland the footbridge feeds thousands of people across the sands.  The tide here moves at an alarming rate when it comes in and you wouldn't outrun it if caught out.  I heard that it comes under the sand and saturates it to the point where it breaks the surface and rushes on.

After a security check by police we had a bit of a wander.  We didn't get far because of my gammy foot but enjoyed this amazing structure.

I have my DH to thank for this photo of the beautiful turrets atop the abbey and the following ones too.

You can't see from this photo but the streets go up very steeply.

 We gave up trying to walk on cobbles and took to the walls for a short walk.

Our base for the week was the Hotel de l'Océan at Concarneau.  It is placed right on the bay and we were lucky to have a sea view.

We were treated to some lovely sunsets

Our first day was spent in Concarneau and we rode a little road train to get to the old town.

Behind the town walls are beautiful gardens, cobbled streets, town walls to walk round and interesting back yards.

Going back on the little train (let down by my foot again for a longer visit) I took a chance pic of the beautiful flower beds in the centre of the road,

My pen-friend came from Quimper and we paid a visit here the next day.  Blustery showers took us into the cathedral which had some amazing stained glass, some of it from the 20th century.

This window was designed and made in 1993 by Hungarian Anna Stein and recalls the life of Santik Du (The little black saint) or Jean Discalceat a local Franciscan who looked after the poor and plague-ridden residents in the 14th century and died of plague himself.  

 This building above is the Cafe Des Cariatides with its beautiful stone carvings.

The Anna Stein window in full above and below a part of a window by Hubert de Sainte-Marie which is dedicated to the life of the Breton missionary Maunoir. (Dates from the 1950's I think).  I really like the style of this window.  The figures have a primitive look to them.

I'll have to come back and add links for the glass artists. (now added).

It was lovely to be in Quimper again and the area around the cathedral certainly brought back memories.  It was lovely to be able to speak some French for a while too and mostly I was understood and understood what was said to me.  I'll be back with the rest of the trip in a few days.