8 August 2010 Sunday

 

Another lovely day,so i decide to head South.

My first stop is Piriac-sur-Mer for lunch..

I eat at a restaurant I have been to before Bodega Bay,it is quite busy but I'm able to grab a table outside.

I decide to try their Plateau du Tapas.

Wow,when it is served there is an amazing array of food: king prawns,langoustines,calamari with garlic dip,spicy chicken kebab, prune wrapped in bacon.scallop,fish rillette,whitebait,melon prosciutto ham,smoked meat-a real feast!

After lunch I head off to my favourite road in Brittany which takes me across the salt marshes. For once it is not packed full of tourists and I can enjoy the rhythm of the curvy roads.

From here i ride the short distance to Guerande-another of my favourite places to visit-a small medieval walled town with cobble streets of interesting shops to browse round.

The square in front of the Cathedral is often used by street entertainers and today is no different.

I join the crowds to watch the trio of jugglers perform their act.

I decide to try a different route home from normal and head north east, passing through St Lyphard & Missallac , then north through St Dolay &  Rieux. At Rieux I am caught up in a queue of traffic waiting for the drawbridge to close after letting a yacht through on the Vilaine river. Then its cross country through Peillac,St Matin & Ruffiac-another great ride.

I get home about 6pm-it is still really warm so I lie in the garden for a couple of hours for spot of sunbathing whilst finishing my book.

7 August 2010 Saturday

Not such a nice day today-overcast and drizzly rain.

The couple staying at Motaranis want to go to Josselin as its market day so I ask if I can join them on the ride over.

We stop on the way at Le Roc-St-Andre-one to show them the chapel carved into the rock by the river,but also to put on our waterproofs as it has now started raining quite hard.

Waterproofs on!A small stone water font at side of road

More street lamps!

We park up and take a wander round the market. It is bigger than I remembered. Josselin is a very popular tourist centre and we hear many English voices as we wander round the market.

There’s lots to choose from at the local seafood stall

After walking round the market I say my goodbyes and head off to the English book shop which is run by English friends from the village Martin & Jennifer.

I have a good natter with Jennifer and she invites me to dinner with them on Tuesday evening.

 

Back view of the Chateau courtyard

I return home and spend a lazy afternoon reading ,snoozing & watching TV

6 August 2010 Friday

 

I go back to Vannes today as the Grand Bradiere is on.

This is a huge market which takes over most of the town. In past years when I have gone to this it has been very busy,making it hard work to walk round all the stalls,but this year it is definitely quieter but once again there is nothing I fancy buying.

I have lunch at one of the restaurants on the harbour front. these are a little more expensive,because of their position, but it is such a nice day I want to be sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and carrying out my favourite pastime of people watching!.

I opt for moules and frites and an espresso.

I decide to pop in to see Lesley & Ken,so take the long way round through country lanes and small hamlets. its amazing how many new roads there are to ride down,despite coming out here for the last 7 years!

Lesley & Ken invite me to join them for dinner later and stay the night so I can enjoy their hospitality to the full! I gladly accept & return home for a spot of sun bathing and to pick up my things,

They have one English couple staying with them at the moment and I park my bike in their garage,next to their Tiger

As always,its a lovely night,good food,plenty of wine and good conversation-swapping biking stories!

5 August 2010 Thursday

It is a beautiful day today,I’m looking forward to a good ride-out.

As its Thursday is market day in Maelstroit. I wander round the market,then sit and have an expresso & coke,whilst I sit and people watch…hours of entertainment!

Then I head off  to visit  L’art Dans les Chapelles www.artchapelles.com.

It is about an hour’s ride away-on the way I pass this church & fountains in one of the villages-whose name I forget!

The chapels don’t open until 2pm, so I stop for lunch first at St Nicholas-des –Eaux, at a small place next to the river.

I have a non-alcoholic beer with my lunch-it seems so wrong for Stella to be non-alcoholic!

My Gallette Campagnarde-cheese,mushrooms and garlic butter-yummy!

It seems that after the success of the photo exhibition at La Gacilly,more villages are following suit, although here there are only a couple of photos along the river bank.

 

The starting point for the tours is at Saint-Nicodeme. I buy a guidebook and decide which of the 4 routes I fancy doing. They are colour coded and I chose the yellow route, which takes in 4 chapels.

The first is chapelle Sain-Jean at Le Sourn.

You would never find this place is you were looking for it without-its up a tiny track which takes you through a farm and then out onto a hilltop where the chapel overlooks the area around.

houvboruidru et djcfhskufbv by Nicholas Guiet

The route is well marked with these little sign posts

The next stop is chapelle notre-Dame de Joie at Saint-Thuriau.

 

vhwk icl by Nicolas Guiet

This is one of my favourite of the chapels and one of the few where one of the artworks has been kept,with the interior mural now being shown for its 7th year. The contrast between the blue paintwork of the chapel ceoling and the pink mural is stunning.

Passage by Bernard Cousinier

My next stop is chapelle Notre-Dame des Fleurs, Moustoir-Remungol.

most of the chapelsare manned by students, but this one is an older guy, who starts chatting away to me in french about the exhibition. i explain that I am English and only know a little french, so he slows down!.

I think he said that it the world in minituare, but i’m not sure! I have to admit this was my least favourite!

He also takes the time to explain the statues of the 4 saints at the alter-one of the statues dates back to the 14th century

                    

by Nicolas Chatelain

The final stop is chapelle Saint-Nicodeme at Guenin

The question posed is  “Is the construction or destruction?”

                    

by Vincent Mauger

 

The chapel doorway & water fountain

As the weather is still good I plan my route home to take in one of my favourite roads in the area, heading to Colpol, St Bily, up to Tredion, then across to St Guoymard. This is a great ride,through country roads ,with little if no traffic and lots of winding twisties through woodland – great fun!

The chateau at Tredion

4 August 2010 Wednesday

 

In the morning I carried on with my decorating- it all takes so long!

In the afternoon I rode to La Gacilly. This is one of the places I always visit when over here.It is a very pretty little town,set on a hill,with small cobble-stoned roads full of art & craft shops selling items such as as stained glass,ceramics,paintings,windv anes,leather goods and lots of other goodies. Many of the shops have the artists working in them,so you can watch the crafts people at work.

Since last year a new tourist information centre has been built on the banks of the river. This includes a shop selling some lovely arty textiles as well as a couple of exhibition rooms-which this year have exhibitions of textiles.

View of new Tourist Information office

 

View south from new pedestrian bridge

Here’s a couple of the photo exhibits. These are in a new wooded walk.

 

 

This one is of the South American Rain forest & they have set the scene by having water mist pumping out as you walk by!

They have extended the photo exhibition a lot this year,as well as the wooded walk there are some new areas…

…as well as the photos on the side of the buildings as in previous years.

I go for a wander round all the shops, but most of the same as previous years.

This small sign next to a closed doorway catches my eye-the literal translation I think is” Wise Woman”,-perhaps someone with better french can confirm.

3 August 2010 Tuesday

I woke up very late this morning-gone 11am!

The weather was again overcast,so I spent most of the day glossing the skirting boards.

Not much else to say really!

2 August 2010 Monday

 

This morning was spent in painting.

Then in the afternoon I rode to Porcaro…to the biker’s chapel,

where I lit 3 candles: one for Steve, one for Ben Gray –  who used to be the RAT ( Riders Association of Triumph) co-ordinator who died in a motorbike accident earlier this year and one for all my other biker friends who are sadly no longer with us.

This chapel is such a special place – you can’t help but be moved by its walls full of memorials to local bikers. But it is always so sad to see

1 August 2010 Sunday

 

Not much to say about today. weather was rubbish,so stayed in all day.

Those of you that know me well will be amazed to hear that I have decided to tackle some decorating!

We had the house tiled throughout two years ago which meant new skirting boards-all of which need painting,so I have decided to give it a go as I’m out here for 3 weeks.

I’m told its all in the preparation so I spent today masking tape the top & bottoms of the skirting boards,as well as undercoating those in my bedroom.

In between time watched WSB from Silverstone