Today, we plan to leave the beautiful Glènan islands and head for Belle Ile or Ile Croix. But first, we need to make a stop at the Belon river and have some seafood in Chez Jackys. They should be something out of the ordinary. We leave the archipelago through the south entrance and go towards Belon. As we approach, we get with the common sight of kids learning to sail. Wonderful to see the joy and the determined spirits. Chez Jackys are located a mile up the river and we steam and try to find a buoy to tie up to. The ones outside the restaurant are too close to each other so we tie up down the river and take the dinghy ashore.

Another sailing school. Brings back fun memories

Going up the Belon River with oyster beds all around

Chez Jackys

Melody tied up at the large Visitor buoy

Chez Jacky is all about seafood. They have a shop where you can get the seafood and the pools for oysters are next to the restaurant and the shop. The restaurant in itself is a pleasant surprise with nice interior and good view out on the river Belon. We share a seafood platter and what we get is a huge collection of seafood framed by Belon oysters. Just to dig into the juicy things. I feel bad for Birgitta who as a vegetarian has to settle for a salad.

Seafood platter that deserves its name

One of the oyster pools overlooking the river.

Feeling stuffed, we release ourselves from the buoy and go back. The lunch took far longer than expected so we decide to stay the night in Lorient or Port Louis instead. As we read more, we decide to stop in Port Louis that seemed like a nicer town.

Lorient was originally founded for the French East India Company which explains its name – “L’ Orient” (The Orient). During the WW2, this was the headquarters for the German submarine fleet so this city was also heavily bombed but stayed occupied until the end of the war. The bunker complexes still stands at the entrance to the harbour. We enter the modern Kernével Marina next to the submarine base for a service stop. At the entrance, we see the futuristic “Race for Water”, the largest solar-powered vessel ever built. When we stop, we also meet the international crew from Kapitan Borchard again. We have a chat before their guests return to the ship and we over to the much more basic Port Louis.

Leaving the Belon River

Windsurfer making good speed outside Lorient

The submarine base

Race for water

Meeting old friends

Port Louis is dominated by the large Citadel and the small town looks nice sitting in the afternoon sun. The harbour captain directs us to a place in the fishing harbour and settle down for the evening with a dinner on the boat and the evening sun shining in.

The sun sets again

Nice setting for a fisherman harbour

In the morning – I make my normal ritual – go and look for fresh bread. I found a nice bakery and they had a dark bread called Viking that looked nice and tasted even better. I also went to do some shopping and found a Carrefour outside the city and my arms were very long after carrying the stuff home along with a new gas flask. Sweden and central Europe has different systems for gas so I also need to get new bottles, which adds to the load. We bought one in Holland and it is still burning but it is just a matter of time until there will be no hot coffee. Important stuff.

Ile Tudy in the morning light

Morning promenade through Loctudy

The destination of today is the tiny islands in the Benodet bay – Les Iles Glénan. As we approach the white beaches, we understand why people has been so excited about telling us to go there. It is a truly beautiful place with crystal clear water and white sand beaches. I am born at lake Vättern where the water is very clear and I like to be able to see what is underneath the boat. We anchor up and go for a swim. A lot of activity is going on among the islands – kite surfers, dinghy sailers, tour boats and many yachts. I take the dinghy up to Ile de Saint-Nicolas and take a look and the row of houses that hosts a couple of bars, a sailing school and a diving center.

Crystal Clear Water!

Taking the dinghy ashore

Jessica at the beach

Sofie at the beach

Melody in the distance at Ile Cigogne

Lifting the anchor

Ile du Loc’h

The tour boats come loaded

A lot of sailing activities going on

I need to mount a new anode again. Even though the design of the anode is clearly made so they fall off easily, they should last more than four weeks even in this salty water. The mount is easy is the clear water where I can go down with a mask and mount the one that is missing and tighten the other that is on its way. We spend the evening in the boat just enjoying sitting in the outpost to Bay of Biscay and watch as the sun sets.

Melody at anchor

Sunset

We wake up early to be able to go up the river Odet in high water. We have a very pleasant morning journey up the lazy river and pass some castles. We find the spot where we planned to anchor up for the night and go to Quimper by dinghy.

Early morning on River Odet

Chateau Kérouzien by the river

Going upstream

Chateau Karaudren

The narrow inlet where we thought we should anchor for the night

Since it was a long way to go by the dinghy, we decided to continue and see if we could find a good spot upstream closer to the city. Half a mile before Quimper we reach the low bridge that makes it impossible for us to reach it. But nearby there is a nice place to berth. We unpack the breakfast and, in the middle of it, the tour boat arrives with an angry signal telling us whom the pontoon belong. The skipper however is cool with us sharing the pontoon and gives us some ideas on how to spend the day and get back as soon as possible.

We split the pontoon with this tour boat with its nice skipper

After our breakfast, I launch the dinghy and we go up to Quimper when there is still water left in the river. The tide is now coming down pretty fast so as we reach the town, I go for a quick walk and then I leave the youngsters in the town. Seems to be a nice little old town and I would rather had stayed but I know that the tidal planning would not let me.

Jessica on her way to Quimper

Arrived safely in Quimper

As I return to the dinghy, I see that my suspicions are correct. The water is nearly gone so I need to push out the boat and float down the stream like a log. This poses no problem as the stream makes three knots and I get a couple of minutes just relaxing.

As we are all back in the boat, we cook some burgers and as we are waiting for the tide to be high enough, the tour boat shows up again. To save an hour we go in his footsteps back through the tidal basin and come safely out to the deeper river.

Floating downstream in the dinghy

Going Downstream on the river

We decide to stay the night in Loctudy. This is a small town with the beautiful fishing village Ile Tudy just across the water. We sit and hear the music coming over the water from some live music bar. A very nice evening.

Leaving Benodet and River Odet

Coming into Loctudy

Ile Tudy

We had a lazy morning of reading and relaxing. There should be a nice bakery a ten minute walk along the river so we decided to get some fresh bread and Macarons. As we sat in the boat, there were some showers going over so we did not rush into town until after lunch.

The promanade to the bakery

The nice bakery in Benodet

For sale. A project for the handy man.

Benodet is a small summer village centered on a beach where the restaurants and are located. The setting is beautiful and many boats on the river Odet as well as dinghies and canoes. On the opposite side of the river, the small village of Sainte-Marine completes the nice setting. We browse in some of the small shops and go for a snack and a drink in one of the restaurants before returning to the marina. We have a nice lazy afternoon in the boat before we head back to the beach and the restaurant Sans Souci where we have some seafood and fish down by the water.

The Church in Benodet

The beach promenade

Dinner by the sea

Sunset

We start early in order to get to the Carrefour supermarket that should open at 9:00. It is nice to have a car so we can buy what we want without have to carry it home. We drive back to the marina and I go to the airport to leave the car. Now my dear GPS lady “Fifi” takes her revenge on my bad behavior the day before. As I find the nearest gas station she recommends, it does not take foreign credit cards. The next one is closed for good. The third station is converted to a workshop. The fourth is a commercial truck station where you need an ID to fill up. The fifth is a square where it probably has been a gas station. As I turn into the sixth destination I swear that I can hear an amused tone in her voice.

One of the gas station recommended by Fifi

Having lost a precious hour, we steam out of the Castle Marina into the fog. A good thing is that the tidal stream shoots us out of Brest and we gain over 10 knots over ground. After the inlet, we set sail and it looks like it is going to be perfect timing to the Raz. We get a visit by some dolphins on the way over and the day is very calm.

Leaving the marina office

Leaving Brest

New crew on deck – note the calm sea behind

Sadly, it gets too calm, the wind subsides and we need to motorsail in order to make it to the point in time. We get there a bit too late so we need to steam hard through the beginning tidal stream. This is an infamous tidal race and the many wrecks in the charts tells the story. Even if we have very light wind, the sea gets wild and I can imagine how it must be in strong winds and at maximal tidal current. We go from good sight, light wind and calm sea to upset sea and dense fog in a couple of minutes.

A couple of minutes later at Raz de Sein

The lighthouses at Point de Raz

The fog thickens after Point de Raz

After getting around the point, the sea gets extremely calm again. Only a light breeze remains so we need to steam against the current. Another group of dolphins come and plays around the boat and it is fascinating to see these fast and playful animals in the right environment. We also meet another Lagoon 380 also steaming through the fog.

Meeting a sister to Melody

The fog clears just as we come into Benodet. This is clearly a major yachting centre with two large marinas on each side of the river Odet. We find a spot in the marina and settle down for the night after a long day.

Lighthouse at the entrance to Benodet

Today, my family should arrive to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG). I get in the car and punch CDG into the GPS. The female voice (I call her “Fifi”) directs me in a direction that I do not think is correct but I go along. Google maps told me 2.5 hours but the route that Fifi suggests is nearly five! The road gets more and more narrow and limited to 30 and 50 km. After some dead ends – I decide to ignore Fifi and turn up the stereo. I am old enough to be able to use a traditional analogue map and road signs. I can hear Fifi get more and more desperate so I go for the final insult and just shut her off. Somewhere deep down, I know that ignoring a woman like this will come back on me, but soon I am out on the main roads where the signs say Paris. Victory! At next stop, I find the setting that asks Fifi to avoid toll roads. I tell her that I am fine with paying the tolls as long as I get to Paris in time. Avoiding tolls is otherwise not a bad idea here – the tolls are just as expensive as the fuel. After this correction, Fifi and I have the same opinion on the choices.

This is not the fastest way to Paris

I arrive in good time to CDG to park the car, which is good. There is a furious battle between taxis, buses mixed up by confused and stressed (or paralyzed) private drivers that are looking for a parking or going to pick up arrivals. In Paris, they really know how to honk their horns. Finally – I come through and find me a spot and I even have some time to get a cup of coffee and cool down before my family arrive.

Time for a cup of coffee

Seeing my family after a couple of weeks is very nice and Jessica has brought her boyfriend who I never met. It will be good weeks and get to know each other. We get into the car and go west on the long way towards Brest. We decided to stop in Chartres and have a lunch. By coincidence, we park next to their huge cathedral that seems to be this town’s main attraction. We find a nice little restaurant overlooking this truly impressive building before we jump into the car and continue.

The Cathedral in Chartres

The rest of the drive goes with no problem so we roll into Brest just as the sun sets. It is nice to come back to Melody and we start planning the next day’s trip to Benodet. It will be tight since we would like to be at the infamous Raz de Sein before three a clock when the tidal race will turn against both the wind and us. Before that, we should buy food for the next week and return the rental car. It seems doable so we decide to go.

Go west!

I wake up to another beautiful day and go down to eat a good breakfast looking out on the sea. I love these moments when you know that your day will be filled with new impressions. I take the car and drive around a last time in Cancale before heading east on the small coastal road. Todays main event is Le Mont Saint-Michel – the famous monastery and fortified city island that sits in the very end of the bay of the Channel islands. Here, they have one of the biggest tidal ranges in the world – up to 14 meters! This means that the island is in the middle of a field a lot of the time. This monastery was continuously fortified and was a symbol of French resistance in the Hundred Years War as it withstood the English attacks. It has also served as a prison. I have been looking forward to this both historical spot as well as its beauty.

Morning view from the hotel

I take the walk out to the island to come closer to be able to soak it in. It is truly impressive to see the city grow from a dot in distance to the giant construction that this is. Sadly, it seems that I am not the only one who is interested – the crowds are also impressive even if I am an early bird. I decide to go for the museum and the abbey as soon as possible to be able to see something. The museum is on its way to the top and have display of one of the noblemen’s house still intact. Hard to connect though in a never-ending stream of people. I continue to the abbey that is as impressive as I believed. The same goes here even if it seems that most people have not climbed this high up yet. I am lucky. There is a mass in a couple of minutes, and non-Catholics are welcome. I take a seat and try to sort out a combination of unknown rituals and French language. The feeling when the nuns and monks start singing in this perfect hall is out of the ordinary. Just to close the eyes and float into the moment. A very interesting experience although the priest looked a bit disappointed at the Communion as I crossed the hands over the chest, as you should do if you were non-Catholic. I am happy that we live in our age so I was not thrown into the dungeons as a heretic.

Le Mont Saint Michel

View from the bridge

In what I thought was a crowded small street. Just wait…

Away from the crowds

A noble mans bedroom

They did not have any armour in my size…

Outside the Abbey Church

View from the church

Inside the Abbey Church – just before the mass

The mass

The refactory where the monks worked. Now they work somewhere else – in these crowds there is no place for deep thoughts

As I return to the world from the mass, two things have happened. The tide has gone out, there is no sea around the island, and the tide of tourists have entered. In the tiny streets with souvenir shops on both streets – the effect is impressive. I manage to sneak out of the crowds and back to my car.

NOW it is crowded!

My next idea was to visit the landing beaches from D-day and go to some of the dozens of museums that describe the event. Since the hour is later than planned – I instead decide to go up to Cherbourg and drive the coast down. After a late lunch in Cherbourg – I go to Omaha beach. This was one of the worst beaches where the fighting was the hardest. As usual when I come to these places – I am grateful that I am born in a time and place where I did not need to be part of this event. I do not envy the allied men that came to the shores covered in mines and heavy gunfire nor the Germans that knew that it was only a matter of time before they could not hold out.

Omaha Beach

I spend the evening in Caen – a midsize city with a surprisingly lively restaurant and bar life as well as a number of large churches. It is smaller than my hometown Örebro but still it seems we could fit in all the population in Örebro in all these churches. Again, this is a pretty, little city that I hope to come back to.

Rue de Vaugeaux in Caen

The castle

One of the many churches

The impressive city house

Waking up to a new sunny day – I decide to go for a walk in Saint-Malo and then head for lunch in Cancale. As my hotel ”Ambassadeurs” is also a Creperie, I start my day with some crepes, coffee and a view of the incoming sea. Perfect start looking at the waves splashing at the promenade wall.

Morning view

Waves coming in on the promenade

My positive opinion of Saint-Malo does not change seeing it in full daylight. It is truly a beautiful city. It boasts to have the most visitors in Bretagne and the population quadruples in the summer. I walk the streets and walk out on the pier. It has a lot of history and there are small signs telling stories about Saint-Malo everywhere so the walk takes its time.

Streets of Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo from the pier

Saint Malo houses

First stop of the day is Cancale – home of the oysters I tasted yesterday and claiming to be the oyster capital in Bretagne. After a short winding road after the coast, I reach this small town and park my car at the town center. Time for some exploration! I love this feeling when you come to a new town and you have no clue where to go or what you are going to experience. Cancale feels like a nice calm little city. On the main square, there are a nice statue of two women with oysters. I find the tourist information and ask if there is some oyster museum or alike in town and get told that there is a tour at two. Fits good into my plans so I head down to the port where you can buy oysters on a small seafood market and if you want, they open oysters for you and serve them with lemon. I take a plate of large oysters (no 2) and get a dozen served on a plate for eight euros. Unbeatable. This is really a nice lunch, sitting in the sun on the pier with some oyster beds beneath and Mont Saint-Michel in the distance over the bay. I decide to go online, book me a hotel room and find Le Querrien on the Quai that looks like a nice hotel with a nice restaurant.

The oyster farmers on the town square

Some vendors on the small seafood market

A nice plate of oysters

Oysters on the pier with beds beneath

From my hotel, there is a kilometer walk into the forest to reach the place where the tour should be. Ferme Marine is a oyster farm and they have a display of oysters as you wait for the tour to start. We are a very small group so you can ask questions without ruining the tour for everybody. A very informative walk through the different stages of their farming from breeding, harvesting, preparation for transport and packaging. A well spent afternoon.

Cancale from the south on my way to the farm

A big old oyster

Hard-core oyster servant

Cleaning the oysters

At the afternoon, the rain starts falling so I take a digital afternoon and take care of this blog. It is pretty nice to sit in the hotel restaurant looking out on the sea and the rain is falling on the street. After an evening walk, I decide to have the dinner in the hotel restaurant – and yes – I had local oysters….

Cancale at low water

Cancale at high water

Sampling station

I visit Alain the sailmaker and the Lazybag looks great. As I mount the Lazybag, I need to refit some lines but the end result makes the cost and labor really worth it. I hate when the boat is not in order and working properly. I also check the engines and refill some oil. After cleaning up the boat – it is now time for a road trip!

The fixed Lazybag

My plan is to check out Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel that was originally on the sailing plan but we did not have time to visit them. After that, I will go and get my family in Paris as they are coming down for a couple of weeks. I check which tram that runs to the airport and it does look easy enough. Being lazy, I think that if I see a taxi, I will take that otherwise I go by the tram. Taxis are pretty rare in Brest so I end up on the tram. All of a sudden the tram starts running the other way so it seems that IKEA was the end station and I needed to take the bus. There is a timetable but no bus so I use the ever so friendly IKEA staff to call me a taxi so I can come out to the airport before they close. I managed to reach the deserted airport and get my car – this time a Ford Mondeo.

My Ford Mondeo

The first stop is Saint-Malo that I read about before and should be beautiful with nice beaches and good seafood. I reserve a room at the beach and park the car. It turns out that all I read is true. I arrive at high tide and the combination of the sunset and the waves splashing over the breakwater is something extra. The city architect of Saint-Malo did not go in the same school as his colleague in Brest. Just as Brest, this city was totally demolished but they decided to rebuilt the city as it used to be. The result is amazing, it has all the charm of an old city with winding small streets and irregular planning but it all looks nice and fresh.
I get a table at Le Café d’Ouest and it is time to test the Seafood reputation. The oysters from Cancale next to Saint-Malo is be considered some of the best so I order a plate including two “Pied de Cheval” ten-year-old oysters. After having these large tasty oysters, I change my plan to go to Cancale and have a look and eat lunch there the next day. As I am curious of the town, I complete the day with a night walk through the beautiful streets and stop by the local microbrew who serve a nice local Blonde and the “La Belle Epoque” bar with sand on the floor and a lot of atmosphere. A very nice stop.

Sunset

Saint-Malo

City gate

Cancale oysters

Pied de Cheval – Foot of a horse. Good description of this big oyster

La Belle Epoque

Streets of Saint-Malo

The Saint-Malo micro brewery

Before I get the Lazybag back from the repair, I need to get some new lines so I borrow one of the bikes at the marina. The chandlery is located in the other marina and I decide to go up the hill on the main street that turned out to be a long climb before I can roll down to the Moulin Blanc Marina. Time for lunch and of course, there is a nice guy at restaurant L’Admiral serving irresistible Moules Roquefort J Next to the marina is the Oceanopolis, a very ambitious ocean exhibit that took some hours to walk through.

My bike

The Moulin Blanc Marina

Moules Roquefort, Again.

Oceanopolis

Halfway home, a heavy rain started to fall. One of the nice warm summer rains so I did not mind. But the heavy chandlery paper bag did so all of a sudden the stuff was spread over the road. I put the small stuff in the pockets and tried to wind the paper around the other stuff and carry it like a baby biking back. As I got back, the sailmaker had completed the work on the Lazybag but he had made “some improvements” that sadly would not work with my rig. I asked him to redo it the way I wanted and he promised me the bag early next morning. I go back to the boat and fix some other things.

The remnants of a paper bag wrapped around boat parts.

As I am in the middle of cleaning the teak parts, the guys at the Polish schooner Kapitan Borchardt next to me ask me over for dinner. This became a very funny evening with the international crew from Spain, France, Poland and Sweden. The ship has a long history – built 1918 as a Dutch cargo vessel, sold to Germany and during the war she was stationed in Gdansk as a training ship. Sold back to Netherlands after the war and bought by Swedes 1953 as a cargo ship before returned to Netherlands. From 1989 to 2011 it sailed as a cruise vessel in Stockholm under the name Najaden before she was sold to Poland.

Kapitan Borchardt

Me and the crew at the dinner table