Le Cazal - April 25

 We're staying at Le Cazal - a gite set amid over 100 acres of farmland. These farm buildings date back to the 1800s, so Le Cazal had been a working farm for a long time. Our host David shared that about 100 years ago There was a count who lived in Manses who was a reckless driver. He killed a child of Manses with his carriage and the town was angry with him which got the count angry and he left the town and moved to Le Cazal. This was the count's farm, with fine stables for his prized horses, but the count himself lived over the hill. 

Le Cazal from the road below the farm - Dale Hanson photo

The current owners, an English couple, now French citizens, bought the farm in 2005 and they have been fixing it up ever since. Our "gite" was a barn, perhaps the stables once owned by the count de Portes. We live in the 4 bedroom apartment leaving just enough barn to have a two-bedroom apartment with its own entrance at one end of our building. Other farm buildings are in various states of repair and renovation, one of which houses hosts and owners Lorna and David and their dog Rosie. From the house there are walking trails leading to Manses and Mirepoix.

the farm - our house on the left by the car

Our apartment on the right from the door to the end of the lower windowed section (Dale Hanson photo)

Our apartment is on 2 floors - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths upstairs; one bedroom, 1.5 baths downstairs. A well laid out kitchen with a large dining table and a living room with 3 comfy leather sofas completes the downstairs. High ceilings and massive wood beams remind one of this building's former use. 

We have a patio facing the mountains that is partially covered with a large table and chairs. At the end of our building we may use the swimming pool - still covered at the moment and suitable only for a polar bear plunge. 

As we settle in, we are learning the do's and don'ts of French household life. There is a composting pile behind the building for table scraps, paper towels and the like. Glass is recycled separately by taking it to a large recycling container in Manses or Mirepoix. Much of French packaging is now plastic free and recyclable, leaving very little for household garbage which is collected by the road just below us. I had started noticing the recycling on our flight to Amsterdam. The silverware was made of bamboo, the food containers were compostable paper and the meal trays were reusable. There is clearly a focus on minimizing waste by finding alternate materials for packaging. Plastics are not seen much - at least in the grocery stores we've been in here. 

We're also learning how to keep a fire going in our living room stove (the only heat in the building we believe). Having walls that are a foot thick mean that the coolness in the house will be welcome in the summer and air conditioning will not be necessary. The south facing windows across our kitchen and living room not only let in lots of sun (when it's out) but provide radiant heat to warm the house. The beds are still dressed with warm comforters against the chill of the early spring. But we have been cold since arriving and we aren't well prepared for this long a stretch of cool weather. But, they have stores here if we really need something. So far, we're fine.

A bit chilly but the aperos were so good

Our day here got a slow start as Dave and I slept in. Dave and Dale made the croissant/bread run to Mirepoix this morning and they were so satisfying. Finally underway, we went first to the market in Pamier, 18 km from here and the largest town in the Ariege region. The Saturday market is apparently enormous judging by the pedestrian zone that is opened on Saturdays, but today's market had only a few vendors and only one food vendor. But one good vendor is all that is needed. We bought more lettuce, a bunch of carrots and one of radishes, potatoes, garlic, more garrigue strawberries, a melon for tomorrow's dinner, and two beautiful heirloom tomatoes. 

Place de la République, Pamier

We stopped in at the tourist office where two kind gentlemen helped us with maps of the town of Pamier and surrounding area. We walked up to the cathedral (locked, so couldn't see the inside), passing a medieval Treasury tower, a college (middle school) and a lycée (high school) where students were milling around after morning classes. 

On our way back to the car we passed through a former gate and part of the old city walls, then on to another church with a very spare looking exterior. 

La Porte de Nirviau

Back at the car, we packed food and scooter in the trunk and headed back towards home. 

Packing the car

(You should have seen us at the "distributeur de tickets" (ticket machine) where one enters their license number, chooses the amount of time desired, and then pays in cash or with credit card. The machine prints out a slip of paper with the parking validity on it which one then puts on the dash of the car. I felt bad for the gentleman who had to wait for us to figure out how to work the thing.)

However, we saw a sign for the HyperMarché - kind of a super Walmart selling all kinds of stuff in addition to food. We had to stop. We needed meat for dinner and a few other items and of course we found lots of other things we "needed" - to the tune of over 100 Euros. sigh. Food shopping is so fun in France. Finally we headed home and had lunch as described in my last post. 

Dale, Kim, and Dave hiked to Manses (just over a mile away) and back on a trail that started at the back of Le Cazal's property. Dale's only complaint was that they had to climb 140 meters (about 450 feet) of altitude at the beginning of the hike. He recovered over a glass of Picpoul de Pinet, one of our favorite French white wines. 

Manses

Manses

While I worked on this blog post, Kim prepared dinner of chicken thighs, roasted potatoes and asparagus and salad, washed down with a bottle of Tavel (rosé). All in all, a good day given we're still recovering and settling in.

Tomorrow promises rain and cold, so we're doing a driving tour that will take us to Montsegur (last bastion of the Cathars). Hopefully we can dash between the raindrops. Off to bed. 

France doesn't disappoint - April 25, 2024

 Well, maybe a little - when we arrived yesterday, it was cold and blustery with grey clouds half covering the Pyrenees. Not the weather we were hoping for. Toulouse was cold -  temperatures only in the high 30s with a cold wind. We were not dressed for the weather and we wondered if we had mis-judged how much warm stuff to bring with. But today is different - sunny, high 50s, but with a blustery wind. Catnap warm in the sun, but cold in the shade.

There were snow-covered mountains way in the distance as we drove from Toulouse to our house.

But we have now had our first croissants (flaky and buttery) and our first lunch - French baguette labeled "tradition," slices from a huge heirloom tomato, thick sliced pieces of cheese ("bleu" for me) and ham. Served with cucumber, small radishes, and the sweetest red pepper I've ever tasted. (Arwyn and Tristen, I wish you were here to taste the red pepper. Crunchy and sweet.) All eaten at our home for the next 2 months, Le Cazal, with sun on our patio and the Pyrenees mountains off in the distance. 

The view from our kitchen and patio.

Getting here was an adventure. On Tuesday, we flew from Madison to Detroit, where we met my brother, Dale, and sister-in-law, Kim. We left together around 6 pm to fly overnight to Amsterdam. The plane from Madison had the most uncomfortable seat I've ever sat in - so narrow that besides my "shapely" hips being squished between the window on the right and the armrest on the left (no, it couldn't be raised.) and overhead compartments hung so low that even I bumped my head. Turbulence on the flight across Lake Michigan meant no drink service and no snacks. So no lunch. waah!

Our KLM flight to Amsterdam was the standard too-narrow seats, but with an armrest that could be raised for an extra inch. Food was OK, wine was free, sleep was impossible even though we tried really hard. We had a 4 hour layover in Amsterdam (and a long walk from our arrival gate to our puddle-hopper flight to Toulouse. I was a bit dismayed as this last leg of our flight featured a small plane parked away from the terminal (therefore no jetway). Passengers would ride a bus from the terminal to the plane, then walk up steps to enter the plane.

People boarding our puddle-hopper from Amsterdam to Toulouse

I had handicapped assistance at every stop, each of them wonderful. I was allowed to drive my mobility scooter from the plane to the next gate and down the jetway to the next plane. It had worked very well and made the first two flights easy for me to navigate. This one had me worried, but the person at our gate assured me that they knew about my needs and all would be well. 

When it was time to board, two women arrived and escorted us (Dave and I and two other wheelchair couples) out a side door and onto the most amazing bus I've ever seen. It's called an ambulift and it was as cool as any carnival ride. First the bus lowers flat on the ground and I drove my scooter onto a "porch" on the front, through a door, parked my scooter, and took one of the half-dozen seats. 

Ambulift on ground with porch in front

When we were all loaded, one of our assistants raised the bus back so the wheels showed. Then she drove us out to where the plane was parked on the tarmac. 

Ambulift driving with porch on front of bus

Once there, she raised the bus so the porch rested against the back door of the plane. She pounded on the door and one of the stewardesses opened the door and we were helped inside. 

Ambulift with porch extended to meet the back door of the plane.

My scooter, which stayed on the bus, was handed to the baggage handlers once the bus was lowered to ground level again. What a ride! I want to credit this site: https://www.bulmor-airground.com/uk/special-prm-boarding-ambulift/ for the photos I've shared. I was so in awe of this procedure, I didn't even think about taking a photo!  If you want to see more, check out this YouTube video for a brand of ambulift. It was so cool!!! https://www.bulmor-airground.com/uk/special-prm-boarding-ambulift/

Toulouse was the only place where there was a glitch in the scooter assist. Once off the plane, the baggage folks didn't know what to do with it. So I was wheelchaired to the baggage claim - where it wasn't. Finally, the wheelchair assistant took Dale into some private area where they located my scooter on an elevator somewhere and wheeled it back to me in the baggage claim area. Whew! Glad we didn't lose that before our vacation had even begun!

With all our bags gathered and the scooter reclaimed, Kim and I waited for Dale and Dave to pick up our leased car, a brand-new Peugeot 5008 EV, a hybrid SUV. Comfy and roomy. 

Peugeot 5008 hybrid - only ours has red "temporary" license plates

We reached Le Cazal in just over an hour - thank goodness. After 24 hours of travel and little sleep, we were beginning to disintegrate. After meeting our hosts, Lorna (great name, right?) and David, (another great name!) we tossed our things inside and headed the 5 miles into Mirepoix for a quick grocery shopping for breakfast and lunch basics. Oh, and some wine, "naturellement." We had planned to eat out in Mirepoix for dinner, but decided instead to just have cheese and fruit at home. Good thing, we all fell into bed after finishing "dinner," not even bothering to clean up our dishes. Oh, and Dale made a fire in our living room stove to try to take the chill off this barn of a house we're now living in. Next post will show you our new digs. 

(Note to the grandkids - Penny, Evie, Tristen, Arwyn, Sonna & Sasha - If you have questions, let Grandma know in the comments and I'll try to answer. I know this post is probably pretty boring, but the next post will have pictures of our rental house.)

France 2024 - Mirepoix

April 13, 2024 France Encore!

In 10 days, we will be jetting off to France once more. I know we just went last year, but as we are no longer spring chickens, we decided to go again while we still can. Who knows when we will lose the energy for international travel. 

Our destination this year is near Mirepoix in southern France not far from the Pyrenees, an hour southeast of Toulouse.

We visited many places just east of this location in 2011, on our first trip to the Languedoc region. There are places that deserve a second visit, like Carcassonne (who can resist a medieval walled city?) or Barcelona (Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral is supposed to be finished next year - after more than 100 years in progress). Being farther southwest this time opens up lots of new explorations that were too far away the first time.

Carcassonne

Our house, le Cazal, is just outside the village of Manses (5 minute walk) and just 5 miles from Mirepoix. Owned by a British couple, this house is a former barn, renovated in 2016. It boasts spectacular views of hills and mountains from its south-facing patio and swimming pool. With 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, we can accommodate lots of friends and family. Sharing our adventures makes it that much more fun. 

map - Mirepoix - Le Cazal

We leave April 23, meet up with my brother Dale and wife Kim in Detroit, fly though Amsterdam then on to Toulouse where we pick up our car. We are carefully avoiding Paris because of the summer Olympics.  

New challenges face us as we explore. My ankle fusion surgery last October is still not allowing me to walk more than a few steps at a time. It feels like I'm walking on a sprained ankle all the time, intensifying the pain as the day progresses. We will have the mobility scooter again, an enormous help, and I'm hopeful that the slow recovery will speed up in beautiful France. 

But for now, we are 10 days and lots of tasks from being ready to leave. Watch for our arrival post. (Probably after a good night's sleep in France)

Sunday, June 26, 2022 - Home

 Our 4 am wake-up felt mighty early, but getting out of the hotel was easy as everything was basically packed the night before. The train station was right outside the the hotel, so not too far to drag the luggage. But once at the airport (Charles De Gaulle) we had to walk the length of terminal 2 to find our check in for British Air's flight to London. We were there at 5 am and the line was out the door. grrr...

Once we got to the front of the line, they didn't know how to handle my scooter. Decision was finally made to check the scooter through to Chicago and use a wheelchair. Oh and we still had to pay for our bags, but they checked our carry on luggage for free. Go figure, but it was nice to not have to humph the backpacks. 

Plane was on time taking off and landing and we immediately learned how huge Heathrow Airport is. We arrived at terminal 5 and our next flight was out of terminal 3. Not abnormal for a large airport. However, this required taking a bus for what seemed like a 10 mile trip, mostly in circles, and much of it underground. We were glad that the scooter was checked through as it would have been really difficult to get the scooter on the bus. 

But the next problem got us a little worried about handicapped help. Someone had gotten us to the bus in terminal 5, but in terminal 3, there was a little assistance booth and a couple of chairs. Everyone else disappeared up an escalator. There was a non-speaking person manning this booth who, through gestures, got us to show him our next boarding pass. He could clearly hear and understand us, just couldn't speak. I thought that was very cool and he was clearly competent as he pulled up screens on his computer and requested a  wheelchair. The next part was pretty humorous though. After about 10 minutes, a young lady wheeling an empty chair wandered slowly into our hallway and asked for a Susan somebody. She was clearly not in a hurry. As there was no one else sitting with us, she eventually slowly ambled back the way she came. A couple of minutes later, the handicapped assistant wrote a note on a scrap paper and showed it to me. It said: "I changed her assignment." Sure enough, a few minutes later, the young lady re-appeared, this time with my name on her mini-ipad. So off we went.

After 5 or 10 minutes of negotiating long empty hall ways and duty-free shops, we were finally ushered into a "wheel-chair assistance waiting room. This room was bustling with about 50 seats and a booth up front which had several people buzzing about it. This was a special waiting room for handicapped travelers whose plane had not yet been assigned a gate. Since our flight didn't leave until 12:15 and it was now about 8:30, we had hours to spend here, which would have been ok, except for the constant state of chaos.

The idea was a very clever one. Bringing all people needing assistance into one common space where a manager could assign assistants to move people at the appropriate times. They even had special carts that carried 3 wheelchair people in a single file row at one time. But the place was noisy, with the manager calling out flights that had just posted their gates and names of people for whom they were responsible for transporting to those gates. And people were constantly at the manager's desk asking if their flight had been called. And of course, the comings and goings of people with limited mobility. I think I have a solution to all of this chaos. (I had 3 hours to think about it.) If they used a system of those handheld monitors that restaurants hand you - you know, the ones that buzz when it's your turn - people would feel comfortable that someone knew they were waiting. The manager wouldn't have to shout across a full room to try to get people to come back to the main desk when their flight had been assigned a gate. Anyway, it was not a restful waiting space, especially for 2 cranky old people who had been up since 4 am. 

Finally, we took the 3-passenger wheelchair to our gate - having to pass once more through passport and security. Luckily, the assistant has permission to go to the head of the line in both cases, saving a lot of time. The rest went smoothly as we arrived just as they were starting to load our plane.

Dave bought bulkhead seats for us with miles, but the cost is in narrower seats due to having the tray tables built into the seats. I was pretty squished for the whole trip. But the extra leg room was great to have. We also lucked out as the 3rd person in our row found another seat leaving us a free seat.

My favorite part of the 9 hour uneventful flight was watching En Canto. Now I know what my grandchildren are always singing about. A little sleep, a little TV watching, and very little needlework along with 2 meals and a snack got us to Chicago on time, arriving around 3.

My wheelchair assistant met us at the plane and got us through passport control and to luggage. That was again a wonderful help as the lines for passport control were doubled in two long hallways and then snaked through the very large hall with a dozen passport control booths. We were able to skip all the lines and be first to a just-opening booth. 

But then it took an hour to recover the scooter. It never appeared at the oversized luggage, so we went to the luggage assistance area where they tracked it down. Bathrooms tracked down, car picked up we left the airport at 6 pm and were home without incidence by 7:30.

Christie was already at our house with Sasha and  Sonna and had pasta and salad ready for us when we got home. We were in bed by 9 after lots of grandchildren hugs. 

Saturday, June 25, 2022 - On to Paris

 Not the most exciting day to write about, but I did find out some things that I want to remember later.

Nathalie met us at the house shortly after 9 am and while we were chatting, I asked her about the house. As I had guessed, the house had been a farm long before this was a prime vacation area. Her husband was born here and inherited the house from his parents. Nathalie and her husband live in the farmhouse and converted what had been the barn (la grange, in French) to living quarters. Nathalie talked about the life here in the "old days" where the man went off fishing and the wife managed a small farm of a couple cows, chickens, and some small plots of land for crops and produce for the family. 

They are putting in an outdoor (in the garage area) shower this week as they don't have new guests arriving until Friday. We never used the jacuzzi, but the shower will be a welcome addition to that amenity as well as to rinsing off after the beach. 

The drive to Paris was uneventful, until Paris anyway. We drove in and out of sprinkles along the way and were forced to eat lunch in the car. Our usual, sandwiches, chips, apples.

Once to the outskirts of Paris, the "bouchon" (traffic jam) began. At one point it took us 20 minutes to go 1 km (.6 of a mile). You would never want to need a car in Paris. Of course, the motorcycles rode the center line and made good time, but as for the rest of us, dead slow and stop.

We arrived at our Ibis Styles hotel at the airport around 5:00 pm, frazzled and ready to be done. Dave dropped the leased Peugeot which had performed with ease and comfort for the whole trip. Not to mention that it got great gas mileage despite our heavy use. 

Once settled in our postage-stamp sized room, we shared one last apéros, finishing off the cheese and sausage, but not the lucques. We're taking them with us tomorrow to finish with lunch in London. We shared a bottle of Vacqueras which was lovely even if the venue wasn't the most exciting. We went down to the bar for one last glass of wine. It's hard to believe that our time here is done. We feel so comfortable in France, it's becoming a second home. Hopefully we'll get a chance to come back at least one more time. 

Early to bed as we have to get up at 4 am tomorrow to get our flight to London. 

Friday June 24, 2022 - Good-bye from France

 How very interesting! Today it is raining. Really raining, as in spoil anything you want to do raining. But, for us, today is stay home to pack and clean. So once more, we escape the weather and can say that we've only had good weather while here. 

Staying home means taking the car to the car wash, which Dave did when there was a bit of sunshine to break the rain. And washing up my faithful scooter which performed in hazardous situations without complaint. 

I spent some time putting things back where they were when we arrived (at least what I can remember). Nathalie (owner) has assured me that she knows where things go and will get them back to their right places. Whew! 

We're eating the last of the food we didn't send with Dan and Paulette. Naturally, we still have plenty of apéros. We've saved one bottle of wine (Vacqueras) for the hotel in Paris. We also have lunch for the road and our usual assortment of apéro goodies - the last of the Lucques olives, a bit of Epoisse and Roquefort cheeses, some sausage, and of course, slices of baguette. One thing we misjudged on (perhaps because we're missing Clark) is ice cream. There will be ice cream left in the freezer. 

We're bringing our lunch as well and will stop somewhere along the way for a picnic. And apéros in the hotel room. 

It's evening here now, we're packed (as much as possible for tonight) and my mind won't let me contemplate leaving. We'll get on the road in the morning like we do every morning, only we won't be coming back. So I don't think leaving Brittany will hit us until tomorrow night. Of course, each step starting tomorrow brings us closer to home and our kids and grandkids. We miss them mightily and think about them every day. We can't wait for their hugs. We look forward to having Tristen and Arwyn at our house next week. 

We also miss our friends and are hopeful that Covid will allow us normal get-togethers again. Dave has not missed a day for ordering tickets for Badger sports. Some US tasks just have to get done even when we're Francing.

Would I change anything? Well, I could have gotten by with fewer clothes as laundry facilities were available at each house. The car we had was great - good size and very comfortable even for my cranky back. I think we should do something different with the phones next time and just bite the bullet to get data. We had too many times when the phone should have worked and didn't. Luckily, none were emergency situations. Our locations were both great even if they required driving for the morning croissants, which Dave did without complaint. We enjoyed living away from city traffic and found we didn't miss village life at all. Who knows if we'll be able to do this again in two years. Traveling is getting harder as we age - especially for me, but I also see Dave working out the kinks in his back. God-willing and our health holds, I'd be up for another adventure after a long rest.

Bye from France. See you soon in the States.

Lynn (and Dave)

Thursday, June 23, 2022 - The end is near

 This day already feels a bit strange even though it started off the same as always. Dave has gone to Larmor-Baden for bread and croissants, with the addition of 2 Kouign Aman as a breakfast treat to share. Dave made scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast and Dan and Paulette packed sandwiches for lunch. But today, Dan and Paulette must leave for home in Brussels. The 4 days have flown by. 

And we must think about leaving Brittany for home. It's that strange stage where we are sad to leave this beautiful place and not yet in the mindset of how happy we will be to be home with family and friends. I expect that will happen by this afternoon once we start gathering our things. 

We emptied the cupboard and refrigerator and even the wine shelf of excess that we will not use before leaving on Saturday. It's fortunate that Dan and Paulette brought a small cooler as we have cheeses and salad things we will not be able to use up before Saturday. We are left with just enough food to feed us the next couple of days. And a lot of ice cream. We'll need to eat ice cream for every meal in order to finish it. 

And now Dan and Paulette have left and the airline reservations are out on the table. But it feels too soon to organize leaving. Dave has suggested a couple of local outings we could do and since the sun is shining, we will take advantage of the afternoon. 

The shoreline around the Gulf of Morbihan is difficult to explore. There are many fingers of land that jut into the gulf, with few roads. We're going to use Claire's GPS to get us to some of these fingers in  Larmor-Baden and south of Vannes. We're looking for views of the Gulf from places we haven't yet been. It's a perfect day for exploring. Lots of sun with a mild breeze and temperatures in the 70s. 

Circles show where we stopped on our afternoon driving tour. The distances are short - only about 20 minutes drive from east to west. 

Our GPS has a feature where you can tap the navigation map in a location and it will place a marker there. You can then have the GPS use that as a destination without having to know an address. It's been a great feature for helping us explore the area when we don't know exactly where we're going.

The roads around Larmor-Baden brought us mostly to beaches or hiking paths along the shoreline. Several times we were frustrated by the road becoming private for the last few hundred meters. The roads we could travel were filled with private homes, impressing on us how wealthy the area is. The private property along the shores of the Gulf are not cottages, but large houses, well-maintained, with manicured yards full of flowers. 

Seven Isles - you can walk across a sandbar at low tide to access this island

7 Isles sandbar

panorama of Pointe de Berchis

When we explored south of Vannes, we discovered that the area is covered in shallow marshy ponds whose levels are affected by the tides. To get to this area, we drove through the southern part of Vannes, crossing under the estuary we've seen in the center of Vannes via a tunnel. That was a surprise. 

Imagine a sailboat passing above you as you go under the estuary

Traveling around in this marshy area required miles of driving to get to a point perhaps only a few hundred meters from the last. There seemed to be more parks and public areas in this part of the Morbihan Gulf and it was easier to get to the shore along here. 

Port Anna ferry - useful as it is about 8 miles to get from Conleau to Port Anna by car and they're only half a mile apart by water

looking from Port Anna to Plage de Conleau

Port Anna

Bassin de Conleau - a large swimming area that sits behind a dam. 

Plage de Conleau

Plage de Conleau

We got home in time for apéros and leftovers for dinner. It was a quiet night of catching up on email and the blog. Tomorrow we'll stay home and get organized to leave this lovely place - with sadness.

Monday, June 20, 2022 - A Beautiful Island

 Getting up and out of the house was a bit of a bleary-eyed task this morning, but by shortly after 8 am, we were out of the house, sandwiches in hand.

Claire (our GPS) shows an arrival time of 9:08 which stretches to 9:15 by the time we got to the port in Quiberon. Dave dropped us and headed to find a parking space. As usual, I worried whether he'd get back in time. All the other passengers had loaded and we were waiting at the point where they would check Dan's tickets on his phone. Of course, everything was fine and we  had plenty of time. 

Our ship, the Bangor (named after a Belle-Isle city)

You can bring your car, but it costs $90 one way, so we opted to rent on the island. A good choice.

leaving Quiberon

I was able to drive my scooter up the car ramp and use an elevator to get up to the level of the passenger seating. Of course, being among the last to board, we had trouble finding 4 seats together. But Paulette prevailed and we found seats outside on the back of the ferry. I parked my scooter near the elevator and joined them. The day was beautiful. Sun shine, fresh breeze. Dressed in a sweater over a t-shirt, I was comfortable the whole way. 

We're on the way

Dan and Paulette at the back of the boat

Dave and Lynn enjoying the sun at the back of the boat

Fifty minutes later, we were safely tucked inside the breakwater at the port of Le Palais (the name of the town). 

the seawalls of Le Palais (looking into the sun, so it looks grey)

Entering the Port of Le Palais on Belle Isle

 A huge citadel built by Vauban sits on a rocky promontory overlooking the port. It's an impressive construction of 17th century military architecture. 

part of the citadel. It's closed right now for restoration work

The car rental agency is right across the street from where we debarked and the tourist office is only a few doors away. While Dan checked in with the rental agency, Dave got a map of the island from the tourist office. I watched the ferry load and leave for Quiberon. 

passengers waiting to board - many with suitcases after a vacation weekend

leaving port

Our car is not parked in front of the rental agency, but is several blocks away in an enclosed parking lot. Dan took a navette (small bus) to the lot and returned to pick us up. We were on our way. 

loading our little SUV with the scooter and our raingear (just in case)

Belle-Isle-en-Mer is the largest island of Brittany (85 square km), with 4 cities and 6,000 year-round inhabitants. It is the farthest from the coast of Brittany (50 min by boat from Quiberon) and has a varied landscape including high cliffs, deep valleys, moors and farmland. I am doubtful that we can circumnavigate the island in the few hours we have to explore. 

courtesy of https://liletbelle.com/maps/

We decided to explore our arrival port, Le Palais, at the end of the day, time allowing, and headed north to Pointe de Taillefer for the panoramic view. 

Dan and Paulette at Pointe de Taillefer

We worked our way around the island, counterclockwise, stopping next at Sauzon on the north side of the island. We parked just outside the town and walked the quay all the way to the lighthouse. It was quiet and lovely. 

looking out toward the breakwater

Sauzon

Sauzon

The lighthouse area was very walkable. 

Lynn, Paulette and Dan on the quay

Dave and Lynn near the end of town

We found a little church (and restrooms) and had to investigate. 

How many churches have a view of the water out their door?

the altar

Every church in Brittany has a  ship hanging inside - for good reason.

looking down the nave

Eglise St Nicolas, Sauzon, Belle Isle

Another stop along the coast: 

The very northwestern point of land on Belle Isle is the Pointe de Poulains. Besides its lighthouse on the rocky promontory, it is famous as the summer residence of Sarah Bernhardt. Her manor house is now a museum. We took our lunch along a rock wall with this magnificent view to look at. We also had some persistent guests who refused to find another place to lunch. 

Dave, Lynn, Paulette and Dan with the lighthouse of Pointe de Poulains behind us.

This gull insisted on being a guest at our lunch

Dave, Lynn and the gull

Our gull guest posed for many photos

Dan exploring in our lunch spot

the lighthouse on Pointe de Poulains

Paulette poses with blooms of broom and the lighthouse behind

Our first view of the lighthouse 

The cove of Ster Oeun is a natural fjord surrounded by cliffs with a small beach at the head. It is popular with boats who anchor for the day to explore and swim in the shelter of the cove. 

The beach at Ster Vraz (Big River) is large and popular beach due to it's mix of sand and fine pebbles. It is sheltered by cliffs on either side.

On the southwest corner of the island sit the Aiguilles (needles) de Port Coton, painted by Claude Monet. They are really breathtaking peaks of rock sticking up from the seabed. 

Dave and Dan on top left give and idea of how big these rocks are

panorama from the top

another view. Again, look for the people on top of the rocky cliff on the left to get an idea of the scale

Nearby is a very tall and picturesque lighthouse called Le Grand Phare (The Big Lighthouse) whose 285 granite steps we decided not to climb for the panoramic view. 

Le Grand Phare

We passed through the inland town of Bangor on our way to Locmaria at the southeastern tip of Belle Ile. 

churches of Locmaria

an unusual place for a crucifix, but it really grabs your attention when leaving the church

looking toward altar from back of nave

Eglise Notre Dame de l'Assomption

We made our way along the northern beaches on our way back to Le Palais. 

looking north at La Plage des Grands Sables

looking southeast at La Plage des Grands Sables

Dan dropped us at the ferry dock and returned the car. While we waited for him, we took seats in a café and tried to order ice cream. But they have a non-compete rule that they don't sell ice cream in the afternoon in support of the ice cream stores. Hmmm..... So we had drinks instead. Dan joined us and we had time to finish our drinks leisurely before joining the lines waiting to board the newly arrived ferry.

As we were going to join the line, we were told to wait at the front of the line (because of the scooter) and were  boarded first. How thoughtful. We again found seats outside to enjoy the 50 minute ride back to Quiberon. 

After the car ride home, it was too late to grill, so we had hamburgers and ratatouille (encore) and skipped apéros. (At least that's how I remember it. Paulette and Dan may have clearer memories of the day.)