Travel

6 corners of the Hexagon: Bretagne

We only spent a few days in Bretagne, and it rained most of the time; nevertheless, the entire coast is breathtaking and I look forward to returning for a longer stay.


Ile Rouzic
Île Rouzic © LKL

In Perros-Guirrec, we took a boat ride around the Archipel des Sept-Îles nature preserve, during which we admired thousands of breeding pairs of Northern Gannet seabirds on Île Rouzic, and then cruised along the famous Côte de Granit rose. It was cold and rainy; I can only imagine how much more beautiful the pink granite is when the weather is nice.


Côte de granit rose en Bretagne
Côte de granit rose © LKL

Pointe de Dinan en Crozon
Pointe de Dinan © LKL

Next we spent two days in Morgat, a small town on the Crozon peninsula in Finistère. This remote area is incredibly beautiful and surprisingly colorful; during our visit in late August, nearby Pointe de Dinan was covered in purple heather and other vegetation. We also took a cruise of the Grottes marines de Morgat, the “painted” caves accessible only by sea.

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6 corners of the Hexagon: Saint Malo and Dinard

Our next stop was Saint Malo, just a little further west along the coast.


Saint Malo
Saint Malo © LKL

We walked all over within and then on top of the walls of the fortified city, before sitting down on a stretch overlooking the vast beach for our picnic. Though we couldn’t see a guard station, every so often an admonishment about bikes on the beach would come over the loudspeaker. We kept half-expecting to be told to get off the wall, but it never happened.

Other entertainment came from watching a photo shoot of a group of 5 men, who we figure must have been some rock group doing an album cover. They started out walking along the beach in nice jackets, then changed into more casual clothes before doing a sort of rugby scrum for photo after photo. Thinking they might be famous, I took a few pics of my own, but I have no way to identify them. I tried Googling things like “rock group photo shoot in Saint Malo in August,” but no luck. One wore a jacket that said “Nickelson,” their van had Dutch plates, and we caught snatches of both American and British English. So here’s today’s challenge: anyone recognize these guys? You can click on the images to see larger ones.


Rock group in Saint Malo?
Photo shoot in Saint Malo
© LKL © LKL

We spent the night across the river in Dinard, the furthest west into Bretagne I had ever previously been. From here on out, it’s all brand-new!

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6 corners of the Hexagon: Mont Saint-Michel


Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint Michel © LKL

Mont Saint Michel – what can I say? I visited it the first time when I was 15, and the second time this summer. When you’re driving there, the silhouette on the horizon is instantly recognizable. When you get there, it’s breathtaking. There’s just nothing like it, and no photo can take the place of a real-life visit – though I think my pics do a pretty good job of trying. 🙂


Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint Michel © LKL

We arrived around 4pm and the narrow, winding streets were absolutely thronged with people of all ages and nationalities. We checked into our hotel and then went back outside the walls to drink a glass of Vouvray bubbly while admiring the views. Later that evening, after all the day-trippers had gone home, we walked around again – and what a difference! I would have never thought to spend the night; I guess I’d assumed it would cost a fortune and there’d be no point, but a friend of mine convinced me it was worth it. In fact, our (very basic) hotel wasn’t too expensive (75 euros), and walking around the nearly empty, nearly silent streets was an amazing experience. On the downside, it was Sunday, the one day of the week when the abbey isn’t open for a night visit. Oh well, gives us an excuse to go back.

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6 corners of the Hexagon: Bayeux


Cathedral in Bayeux
Bayeux’s cathedral © LKL

After our week in Chinon, we headed back north to continue our trip west along the coast. When I’d visited France for the first time in high school, our bus broke down on the way to Bayeux, and since then I’d always wondered about the Bayeux tapestry. Let me tell you – it was worth the wait. No photos are allowed in the museum, but they wouldn’t do it justice anyway; you have to see it for yourself.

We were also pleasantly surprised to discover how beautiful Bayeux’s cathedral is, and were able to enjoy it in both morning and afternoon light.

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Still detouring: Loire Valley


Chinon France
Chinon © LKL

Continuing our detour from the six corners of France, we drove to Sancerre, one of our favorite wine appellations, and then continued on to Chinon, where we’d rented a tiny gîte for the week. The weather wasn’t great, so we tended to stay in until nearly lunchtime, and then head out to visit some châteaux and taste wine all afternoon. Vouvray is another of our favorites, and we found some good ones.


Saumur château
Château de Saumur © LKL

The Loire Valley is a truly wonderful part of France – there are beautiful châteaux in every direction, and there’s wine to be tasted everywhere you turn. We picnicked on the banks of the Loire, the Thouet, and the Vienne rivers, always drinking local wine and often in view of châteaux. It was a nice break before the near-constant traveling coming up next.

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Detour: Paris

In a departure from our hexagonal trip, we stayed in Paris for a week – the longest stretch we’ve been there since 1996 – in a large, sunny studio with a tiny kitchen and the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen outside of a dollhouse. The 18th arrondissement was absolutely packed with tourists – who says there’s an economic crisis?


View of Paris from Eiffel Tower
View from the Eiffel Tower © LKL

I had a whole list of places I wanted to visit, and we made it to most of them, including Fauchon, the gourmet grocer where I bought some terrific tomato-truffle sauce, and E. Dehillerin, supplier of professional – and incredibly expensive – cooking supplies. Prices aren’t listed anywhere that I could see, so arriving at the caisse was a real eye-opener.


Jardin de Luxembourg Paris
Jardin de Luxembourg © LKL

We rented bikes a couple of times when walking got to be too much, picnicked in Jardin de Luxembourg, Parc de la Villette, and Bois de Boulogne – we also rented a row boat in the latter. And we had coffee at Les Deux Magots, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (thanks to online reservations, took a cruise along the Seine, and rode La Grande Roue. All in all, a great week.

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About 6 corners of the Hexagon

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