Noel a Trevarez

  We were given tickets to the opening night of 'Christmas at Trevarez'. Trevarez is a wonderful castle near Chateauneuf du Faou.

  We looked round the exceedingly tasteful Christmas gift shop and then gathered in the courtyard. The opening song was sung and we were then piped in to see all the fantastic Christmas displays. They were amazing, the creativity, the attention to detail, the craftsmanship, technology and scale of it all really took my breath away. I photographed a few of the ones downstairs but wasn't able to get photos of the works upstairs. These were submitted by schools and a range of other organisations. They were all so original and just..... classy!

 



Thanksgiving - Brittany meets the USA!

   Barbara, our friend from the States and her husband Dom who is Breton invited us to their house for a Thanksgiving meal.

   We were quite a mixture of nationalities, there were other Breton friends there, Claire who is Scottish and now lives in Brittany (www.tyskol.com) together with  Paul and I from England. We had a great time and the food was amazing, thank you Barbara and Dom!  This was my first ever Thanksgiving and I think it is a wonderful custom. Interestingly everyone there had Celtic roots.... except me....

 



Ouessant - the Island at the end of the Earth

 

 As part of my birthday celebrations we went to the ile d'Ouessant (Ushant) for a couple of days. We had been wanting to visit for some time and it didn't disappoint. The boat sailed from Le Conquet at 09 45, so we left Huelgoat very early so we would be on time. Everything went smoothly on land and sea. We waved goodbye to the mainland after which I fell asleep and missed all the views. Those of you who know me understand that I am not a morning person.

 



  We checked in to the Duchess Anne Hotel (great) and went walking round the north west coast in the afternoon. It was amazing, with not another person in sight.

 



   In the evening we ate at the hotel and the food was wonderful.   After a good night's sleep we set out to continue our explanation of the north coast.

 

 

   We finished back in Lampaul and looked around the town and at the church before collecting our things from the hotel and getting the boat.
   The views of the island were great and this time it was Paul who went to sleep!

 



Baie des Trepasses and the Pointe du Van

 

  We drove to the west coast, to the Baie des Trepasses, a wonderful place of legends. It was a beautiful day so we were able to picnic on the beach, before taking the coastal path to the Pointe du Van.

 

   

The scenery is amazing, truly breath-taking. For anyone who wants a better look, here's a video. Once again, enjoy.....

 









Mushroom Season in Huelgoat Forest

  It's the mushroom season again and people are going into the forest and filling their baskets... though presumably  not with the poisonous ones (of which there are many).





 The atmosphere in the forest is just awesome at this time of year...

Huelgoat Forest with Carol and Glenn

We have been in the forest a few times this week, again it's on the doorstep. Last Saturday Carol and Glenn came over and we had a lovely walk, finishing up at the Bar de la Grotte looking at the lovely views.

 

Carol and Glenn really liked the viewing spot across the valley and the Mare aux Sangliers (the Wild Boar's Pool).

 

 

Later on Glenn climbed down into the Grotte du Diable, the Devil's Grotto, while the rest of us looked at the trees!





Huelgoat Lake

We are so lucky that this lake is just down the road, and there are always different birds to view. Paul knows a lot of their names, he tells me but I forget. I think I am too busy just enjoying all this beauty on the doorstep.



Le Lac du Drennec in the Monts d'Arree

The Lac du Drennec is a beautiful place to walk. It takes about two hours and it's not muddy - a bonus if it's been a bit wet!!

 

 

Then we came back home to a roaring fire... lovely..

 









Lilia, Plouguerneau - Finistere

  We drove up to the north west coast (the Abers) through a pretty little town called Plouguerneau to Lilia. We wanted to see the Ile Vierge with the lighthouses, and we did.

 

 

 

Ally found the remains of a picnic on the beach - someone had been eating oysters and mussels which Ally discovered suited her palate very well. What an epicurean dog!

 

 

   The sea scape was so beautiful that I've put a video clip together.... 

 

                               

   ....  and a collage if you just want a quick glance.

 

 



 



From Saint Samson to Le Guerzit (and back) - Finistere

 

 

 

  On Saturday morning we went to Morlaix market and then up to Saint Samson for a picnic. We took the coastal path and walked down to the beach at Le Guerzit.

 

 

  It's a great place with no-one around. I am fascinated by the huge rock and keep wondering just how it got there. Ally meanwhile enjoyed paddling in the sea and rock pools.

 

 

    The light began changing as we walked back...

 



Upstream Walk in Huelgoat Forest, Finistere

   It was a perfect morning. Ally and I went upstream off the beaten path. Quite a scramble but worth it, so much beauty and peace to enjoy....



Eglise de Quimerc'h et l'Ossuaire; Le Faou, Eglise de Rumengol et Le Foret du Cranou.

  We had a great day out with Wendy (www.wendymewes.com) on Wednesday. First of all she took us to L'Eglise de Quimerc'h et Ossuaire. This church, now in ruins, was built in the fifteenth century, dedicated to Saint-Pierre, and was abandoned in 1877. The ossuary, added at the end of the sixteenth century as well as the original boundary of the 'enclose paroissial' are still in place.

 

  After that we drove the short distance to Le Faou (pronounced 'Le Foo'). We had an excellent lunch, looked at the pretty streets and went down to the quayside.

 

  Our next stop was at Rumengol where we spent some time at a very special church. For those of you who aren't particularly interested in churches then just skip over this bit. For those of you who are then read on...



 



  Notre Dame de Rumengol  (http://nd-rumengol-quimper.cef.fr/) has everything. Set in beauty, steeped in history with wonderful paintings and artefacts this church is thriving (see website) and you can feel its spiritual pulse. The lectern is displayed at the foot of the altar with the page open at the readings of the day. On that particular day it was Saint Luke's Gospel, reminding us to 'stay awake, for we do not know when the master of the house is returning'. How true. My favourite artefact was that of the Trinity, in which God the Father is holding his wounded Son in his arms, whilst the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove occupies a small, almost dark place above the Father's head. It is a powerful depiction of God's sorrow. Yet this church is definitely a place of celebrations, several 'Pardons' take place throughout the year as well as pilgrimages and other gatherings.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 







    The church also has a pieta; and on the right (from the congregation's viewpoint) a crucifix, where Christ is facing the pulpit from which the priest would be giving his sermon. Perhaps he still does his preaching from that pulpit - it would be hard to be anything but humble with Christ so close.

 

                                       
  We finished off the day by going for a walk in the Foret de Cranou. This was our first walk here and it didn't disappoint. Ally and Tex, the dogs, had a great time! We walked up, down, by a stream and saw a shrine. Before we drove back we had some tea from the flask. Nothing feels as good as drinking tea in a beautiful wood by a stream. Perfect.

                                                                                                                        



Huelgoat Forest - After the Rain

 

It was simply beautiful. Enjoy the video.

Here is a preview:

 

Quimper

  We took Barry and Mary to visit Quimper (pronounced 'kam-per') which is about an hour's drive from Huelgoat heading south.

  Our first stop was at the restaurant Chez Max (8 Rue du Parc, 29000 France, Tel 0229401020). This Breton restaurant is one of my favourites; it's down by the river near the cathedral, the food is divine....and so is the ambience.  I forgot to take a picture because I was too busy eating.
  Next we explored the old town where there are some amazing old buildings and lovely shops.



  After that we spent some time in the Cathedrale de Saint-Corentin, which is a national monument of Brittany. It's a Gothic cathedral but it bends in the middle to follow the contours of the land and to avoid a swamp that was present at the time of its construction!

C'est vraiment tres belle, et tres spirituelle.







Parish Closes and the Monts d'Arree - with Barry and Mary

Barry and Mary came to stay with us and we had a wonderful day out in the local area. First we visited three of the parish closes, Saint Thegonnec, Sainy Guimiliau and Lampaul Guimiliau.  I have already written about these earlier this year (17th March), but for those of you that missed it here is an excerpt from Les Enclos Paroissiaux (Parish Closes):

  Each  'Enclos Paroissial'  contains a church, a calvary and an ossuary as well as a small amount of land within its walls.  First we visited Saint Thegonnec. This dates from the 16th and 17th century, and it has a fantastic ceremonial entrance arch. On the ossuary is inscribed  'Hodie Mihi, Cras Tibi'  which means 'Today Me, Tomorrow You'.

 

  After this we visited St Guimiliau, again dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. This was amazing and I especially liked the calvary and the church organ.

 

 

 Our final visit was to Lampaul Guimiliau where among other marvels there is a wonderful Pieta and sculpture of Christ's entombment, 'La Mise au Tombeau'.

 There is so much to learn from the Parish Closes. The centrality of the faith to the sixteenth and seventeenth century Bretons; their perspectives, priorities and their witness - in the context of their everyday lives.

 After looking at these we had a change of scene and went up to the Chapel of Mont Saint-Michel de Brasparts - named after the archangel Michael.

 

 



 There are a lot of legends about Michael and the devil involving fighting and competitions. In ancient times the marshy hollow (Elez Teun) was thought to be one of the gates of hell.  In Christian folklore Youdic (Elez Yeun) was thought to be a place to confine the possessed, but Saint Michael had the power to save souls from falling into it.

   One of the things that I find so interesting about this part of Finistere is that it is an area where ancient myths and legends and Christian stories - with examples of powerful faith - survive side by side.
  And I saw an eagle in flight here today. It's the first time for me and it was truly awesome.

Le Dossen - The Best Beachscape!





   Every time we come to Le Dossen its scale, beauty and atmosphere takes our breath away yet again! It's one of those places that is incredibly stimulating yet totally relaxing at the same time. The landscape changes from moment to moment with the sky, the light and the sea in a constant state of flux. It's perfect.

   It's also Ally's favourite beach. In or out of the water, she doesn't really mind now!