No biking today; a well earned rest day. So we are taking Emma's suggestion and driving to Ile Aux Moines. This island sits only 300 Meters off the mainland in the Gulf of Morbihan, a large inlet off the Atlantic.
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| But first we visited this in-town Chateau. It opens at 10 so we arrived a few minutes early, walked around the expansive park grounds and then waited for the doors to open. |
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| This is not the largest or most elaborate one we passed on our wanderings, but it was convenient. |
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| The front facade is very castle looking with many turrets surrounding the building. We could see through the window at the interior furnishings but no sign of life. Finally we found someone lurking inside so we tried to ask about the tour. She called someone then reported back that a tour was not going to happen. Well scratch that. We have been to a Chateau or castle - whatever. |
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One last picture of the front gates and we are out of here.
On our way to the sea. The route we took to the port actually continues across to the island. Our GPS lady exclaimed as we got to the dock - Take The Ferry! Right, as if we could drive the 300 meters over the water. |
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| At the water's edge. We parked the car, bought our tickets (billets), and waited for our ship to come in. |
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| Since we just missed the ferry on our arrival we waited the 25 minutes until it made its return. It is a quick turnaround on this end and the crossing is only about 5 minutes. My kind of boating. |
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| This poster captured Kim on the downhills. Speedy LeRue. |
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| Neither rain, nor sleet, nor darkness of night will prevent the mail from getting through. On this small island a scooter is all you need. |
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| Or a plain old bicycle. We have photos of a postman on a bicycle from our first bike trip to the Loire in 1987. This is a much newer model. |
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| A double digit grade, which would appear as two chevrons on a Michelin map. 3-8% is one chevron, 9-12% is two chevrons, and 13+% is a three chevron monster. |
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| Our master plan called for a walk around the island then a relaxing lunch before heading home. My search for mussels (Moules Mariniers) and frites is fulfilled. The sailor's mussels are au natural - not any creme, curry, or cheese for me. Yuck. |
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| Kim opted for the rose. The second glass was even better. |
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| Our food arrived - two of the popular favorites on the menu. Kim's steak comes to the table raw on a heated stone which cooks the meat to the desired done-ness. Not a problem for someone who eats steak tartare but if you want well done choose another dish. |
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| Now that is a man sized portion of mussels but the frites were a bit skimpy. No problem since Kim got a lot more than me. |
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| Well that looks almost done. A bit more on the other side and Viola, perfectly blue. |
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| The shoreline. |
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| These carts are lined up near the dock. You can hitch it to your bike and haul them inland which is a convenient way to get your groceries home from the mainland. |
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| After a lovely stroll around town and superb lunch it is time to return to the mainland. |
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| Approaching the wharf of Port Blanc - our departure point. |
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| Whoever Andre was he is no longer with us. At least he has an Esplanade named after him. Don't come across many Navigators these days. |
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| From whence we came we do return. Now for the drive back home. |
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| A pizza vending machine. We did see one of these on a previous trip to France. |
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Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are tempted to give it a try just to see how they can cook the pizza in just three minutes. I am sure the guy inside is quite the chef.
In case you could not guess, we stopped for yet another bread and some fresh pastries in Elven before arriving back in Tredion. What a perfect day with warm sunshine, a mild breeze, and not a drop of rain. A simple dinner and we call it a day. Life is good. |
