18.4.16

Brittany (3)


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:

Amanda said...

I am going to sing "Belle ile en mer" by Laurent Voulzy for hours now.
I've never been but stunning photos!


Jeanie said...

What a fascinating place! Even the ferry ride would make me smile!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, M. Peter for leading us, as usual, to so much beauty. That first photo!
Su fotografia es brillante, incomparable...
Maria

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Marvelous! The waters look emerald green