Wednesday 11 June 2008

Beside the seaside, beside the sea

seagull

From our recent holiday in Brittany, near Carnac.

oyster boats and beds

Oyster boats with oyster beds in the background.

grounded small boats

Low tide at a small fishing port.

salt pans

Salt pans still in use at Carnac. The winds evaporate the sea water leaving crystals on the surface which can then be gathered.

sandy causeway

Causeway to the small island at Men Du beach. Men means stone and Du means black in the Breton language. It is a Celtic language so not surprising that du is similar to the Irish dubh.

poppies growing by beach

Wild field poppies, Flanders field poppies, growing in sandy soil by the beach.


rocky cove

Lunch stop at a rocky cove.


fort overlooking sea

Penthièvre fort, built in 1747, where 59 members of the Resistance were tortured and shot, July 1944. It is now owned by the Ministry of Defence.


seagull

20 comments:

  1. Those are great photographs! Looks like you had nice weather while you were away.

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  2. A. I hope you had a wonderful time. The pictures are wonderful. Glad you're back. :)

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  3. Thanks for the photographs - they are very evocative of time and place.

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  4. Nice photos. Makes me want to go for a holiday!

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  5. incredible! I enjoyed the salt pans in particular, something I have neer seen here in Florida.

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  6. Wonderful! I wish I were there.... *sigh*

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  7. great photos! thanks for sharing ;)

    thanks for dropping by and your comment. ;)

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  8. Lovely. I liked the fishing boats at low tide. And the cove where you lunched. And... well, I guess I liked all of them. As usual. Show more if you have them, please.

    The countryside looks so beautiful there. I think I may take my friend Sheila there someday. She speaks a little French, so that will be helpful as well. Thanks again.

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  9. I went to Brittany several times and always enjoyed it there. I found it interesting that the Arthur?Merlin stories are there too.

    As usual you post beautiful pictures.

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  10. a super set of pictures - sounds like a lovely relaxing place.

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  11. What lovely pictures and interesting details. thanks for sharing.

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  12. @Solomon, thanks. Yes we did have good weather but it was a bit touch and go for a while.
    @Ettarose, yes thanks, we did have a great time.
    @LR thanks again LR :)
    @fongpc, looking at them makes me want to go back!
    @Debbie, they seem ot be all over the place in France.
    @Lifecruiser, so do I now :)
    @Liza, thank you too
    @Ladybanana, it was a great place to relax, but it's a shame the effects wear off so quickly
    @Max, talking of relaxing :) I have whole loads more, don't you worry. I'm told, by the way, that Sheila speaks quite reasonable French.
    @Elaine, yes we actually went to Paimpont forest where Merlin's tomb is, well, what is reputed to be Merlin's tomb.
    @Ackworth Born, many thanks, yes it is relaxing.

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  13. And thank you too Mommy and Me :)

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  14. Great photos, I hope you had a great time. I am totally jealous. Apart from an occasional weekend off now and then, I have not had a holiday for 5 years. I really have to make a plan. Thanks for sharing your holiday with me.

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  15. Wow..Nice photos and pleasant theme.

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  16. Those are gorgeous and they make me so sad - it's about 17 years since I was last in Brittany. We used to stay outside Carnac often, too, and some of those photos look rather familiar! I always liked visiting the menhirs - wish I could remember the name of our favourite beach, too. It was Saint something - somewhere off to the west of the main Carnac beach.
    Someday I'll get back there.

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  17. @Sailor, yes, you should plan a holiday. Take some time to recharge the batteries. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures :)
    @Karthik, thanks!
    @Catherine, I'd like to bet it was quite different 17 years ago. There seems to be an awful lot of new housing around. We went to see the megaliths too which I'm keeping for a separate post. They are really quite incredible. Would the beach be Saint Columban I wonder?

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  18. It /was/ Saint Columban! I have fond memories of learning to windsurf (badly) there.

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  19. Beautiful pictures! I love La Bretagne! My grandfather was breton!

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  20. I love Bretagne too Claudie. If the weather were more dependable, I'd visit much more often. I think it had some of the most wonderful scenery, history, beaches, countryside and towns. Beautiful! Considering the summer we've had, we were incredibly lucky with the weather though.

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Forethoughts, afterthoughts, any thoughts. Tell me.

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