On a
fortunately quite sunny day, we took the ferry from Quiberon to
Belle-Île-en-Mer, an island situated some 14 km (7.6 nautical miles, 8.7 land
miles) from the coast – a 45 minutes trip by ferry. The island measures 17 km
(10.6 miles) by 9 km (5.6 miles). It was part of the mainland until some 6000
BC. Some 4000 people live on the island – I don’t know how many during summer.
We left the
mainland at Quiberon, crossed the sea and arrived at the (modest) major port on
the island, Palais, with its fortress.
We then
went to another nice little port, Sauzon, where we had a very good lunch in the
sunshine.
Next goal
was the north-western tip, “La Pointe des Poulains” with its lighthouse and a
building (a transformed little fortress) which used to belong to Sarah Bernhardt
and which she visited every summer from 1894 until the year before her death in
1923 and where she received a lot of friends and prominent guests - like King
Edward VII.
The
coastline on the western side, against the ocean, is rough and the vegetation is
scarce.
This
includes what is named “Port Coton” (the name refers to the foam of the waves,
looking like cotton). The Port Coton “pyramids” were painted by Claude Monet in
1886 – here you can see one of the 36 he made. This is also where you can
admire and visit the lighthouse, “Le Grand Phare”.
As from the
south-eastern point, Locmaria, and following the eastern coastline back to
Palais, the waterfront and the landscape are quite different. A lot of green... and placid beaches.
4 comments:
I am going to sing "Belle ile en mer" by Laurent Voulzy for hours now.
I've never been but stunning photos!
What a fascinating place! Even the ferry ride would make me smile!
Thank you, M. Peter for leading us, as usual, to so much beauty. That first photo!
Su fotografia es brillante, incomparable...
Maria
Marvelous! The waters look emerald green
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