Douaranenez (try saying that with a mouth full of sardines) was sardine town until the little fish decided to swim elswhere. Sardines are big in these parts. You can even buy a blue and white chocolate in the shape of a sardine. The lady in the patisserie caught me sniffing one to see if it had a fishy smell. You know how much I like sardines, so a visit to the Douaranenez port and boat museum in an old sardine factory was essential. The display of boats was terrific and we even walked into a peeled back sardine tin to view the sardine factory exhibition! We spent so much time there that by the time we left to visit Locronan, the medieval village down the road, the day was over and we’d driven about 10 kilometres.
Toilet and Shower
Some French toilets are interesting to say the least. Pont Aven was a beautiful village with a pristine stream flowing through the streets. A WC, finely crafted with the same stone as the bridge, was built over the water. Where did the waste go? I even checked underneath for pipes, which thankfully these days were there. Drink your cider from brewers upstream.
Today on the way to Pointe du Raz, I attended a neat public convenience made out of stainless steel and Sharon ducked in immediately after me. She should have read the sign for this one automatically washes the floor, seat and walls after each use. Hidden nozzles in the wall and floor lie in wait for those who decide to spend time and read a book. Luckily she left hers in the car and when she returned was only wet from the knees down!
Pointe du Raz is a point of land jutting into the Atlantic and with the gusty, overcast and showery weather we had today, it is easy to realise why there are no fewer than five lights to warn mariners of the dangers in the sea. I like the way the French warn people of dangers of walking close to cliffs and so on, but then don’t prevent people from wandering where they like.”Fall to your death and its your own silly fault”, is a loose translation of the signs in areas like these. The hundreds who were there wandered where they wished and even let their dogs off their leads to race around and chase other dogs and seagulls close to the 70m cliffs.
Walking in the rain
The weather report for the next 7 days : rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.The wet weather gear came in handy for our walk around the coast from our hotel. The lighthouse is small with a red painted top and and although misty rain was falling, it was an enjoyable walk around the coast. Small villages near here have stone houses with thatched roofs and we walked through their deserted streets. These places, although only a few kilometres from the touristy Pont Aven, have a lot to offer and we are glad we came here for a couple of days to rest. On our walk around the coast below the light, I stepped off the path onto green, lichen covered rocks and went down like a sack of local mussels. It made me think how easy it is for people to fall over cliffs. Lighthouses do warn of danger.