Merci beaucoup. I'm following along too.

Very lovely shots and interesting placements of the artwork. Pas de pipi made me giggle at the thought of dogs reading! Wonderful TR.

What a fun trip report with great photos. Thank you.

Paqngo, this is delightful. Thanks for including photos.

We loved La Gacilly and Rochefort-en-Terre. I remember lots of flowers in both towns.

When we visited La Gacilly, the photographic exhibit was not such a big deal, but that summer it featured Edward Curtis's photos of native Americans, which made us a touch homesick.

Coquelicot- His photos are beautiful.

La Gacilly to Pont Aven

This morning we took one last walk into town and got in line at the local Boulanger for a couple of croissants then walked back up the quiet cobblestone road to our Air bnb. We then packed and cleaned up before heading off to Pont Aven.

The travel time would only be a couple hours but we planned to stop on the way. Our stop being Base de Sous-Marins. It is a giant WW2 German Navel base.

There is free parking although the site itself is harder to find. I think there are three different areas that can be toured. Unfortunately, the K3 bunker tour would not be available. We along with some other lost tourists found the museum. We spent a good hour watching different videos about the history of the area that led to how the bunkers were built. There was a submarine at the end that you could explore. In the end I was glad we came. It gave us a good sense of the enormous destruction on the town and to the people who lived in the area.








There were a lot of racing sail boats in the harbor and also being worked on in adjacent areas.


Now, usually I am the navigator and my dh is the driver but to give him a break I drove the rest of the way to Pont Aven. Getting into town was easy but finding the narrow road between two buildings on the side of the square was a bit more difficult. Thank goodness there was a second option to get to our Bnb.

I had booked a room at 4 Wonderfull Guest rooms in Pont-Aven France - La Passerelle. This was recommended to us and we couldn’t have been happier. The owner greeted us and led us to our room for the next three nights. It was a lovely room with a wonderful window that overlooked the river.




Unpacking saved for later we left to explore the town and to get a cold drink/snack. We ended up at Roy Aven for a cold drink and a piece of pistachio cake.



We found out that the river rises and falls as the sea level rises and falls. It really is quite spectacular to sit and watch this happen.

We walked down to the kiosk for boat tours and took a picture to try and make reservations online.

Dinner was an easy meal and one of my favorites. A salad de chèvre chaud and we shared a caramel galette

The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast that the owner put together. Yogurt, cheese, fruit salad, croissants, baguettes, butter with marmalade or a citrus compote( a mixture of grapefruit, oranges, and lemons). Fresh coffee and hot chocolate. It was very, very nice and wonderful way to start the day.



We knew the weather would be changing so we went for a long walk along the river and then back through the town. The farmers market was being set up and we found our way through that to a path that led behind the building. It was a promenade that was next to the river but behind buildings beautiful plantings and benches to enjoy along the way. Was interesting to see the walls behind the houses and how they had stairways leading to the river. We got to see some of the moulins and learned about the history of the town.












After that, we decided to drive to the coast and see another moulin along the way. Moulin à marée du Hénan was our first stop.

We then drove to Port Manec’h. It was very pretty to see the home that overlooked the water and the boats bobbing in the bay. From there we headed to Port de Trevignon. By then the wind had considerably picked up. We did get out of the car and attempted to go for a walk along the coast, but we’re having to hold onto our hats and brace ourselves from falling over. We decided to head back with the rain starting on the ride home.







It was still raining when we headed for dinner and the options were few due to it being on Monday. We did find a restaurant where we had a nice dinner outside. A little cool but that was OK.

The wind and rain continued the next morning so we lingered over another breakfast. We did make it to a musee and saw some artwork inspired by Paul Gauguin. The museum was founded in 1985 to honor the artists of the Pont-Aven School (1880-1950) and their influence on subsequent generations of artists. The museum is housed in the former Hotel Julia, the headquarters for artists who were drawn to the village's artistic life. Initially a small fishing village, it was popularized by American and other European artists starting in the 1860s who were attracted to its picturesque scenery.





It has cleared by noon so we ventured it to explore some more of the town. We did not have luck making reservations for the boat cruise so we went to the kiosk at four to buy tickets. The boats are on a set schedule due to the tide coming in and out. The ride is supposed to take you to the ocean and to the next cove area but it just turned around and came back to the dock. Not a great trip for the money but we did get to see some of the area. The ride being about an hour.




Dinner that night was a challenge also but we ended up having a galette with salad and split a galette sucre. It’s great how people can take dogs to restaurants. All the dogs we saw were so well behaved.




He was a very big dog and reminded me of a wolf.


I got up early the next morning grabbed my camera and went to take some shots of the boats and houses along the river. It was still kind of drizzly but hopefully I got a few shots that are printable.

Breakfast, packing and Googling for our next location. We decided to stop in Dinard along the way.

I'm loving your trip report! Your photos are great! It brings back good memories. I'm so glad my trip report inspired you.

Now I really want to go back to the La Gacilly photo festival.

Just wow, Paqngo. I googled Edward Curtis's photos and they are amazing. More soon, please!

Thanks pgtraveler. I would love to back also. I really liked La Gacilly.

Thanks Tdudette.

Pont Ave to Dinan via Dinard

The drive from Pont Aven to Dinard was another winner. We wound up finding a parking spot right by the bay. Perfect for going for a walk to explore some stunning homes and being close to the water. The sun was out and the water was sparkling. There were a lot of children getting ready to go out for a sailing lesson. We walked along the walkway stopping to admire St. Malo across the bay and the beautiful plantings in gardens on our left. An older woman was hanging out her wash to dry on a balcony that overlooked the bay. What a view.

Views from Dinard







Dinan

Dinan


We saw the clouds building so we turned back and tried to walk faster knowing what was coming. We did make it back to a small outdoor cafe that had lots of umbrellas. We snagged a table about three minutes before the sky opened up. Getting a cold drink and watching the rain we chatted with a couple next to us. They were from the UK and visiting the area for a few weeks. They had kids about the same age as ours. We commiserated on the cost of them wanting to buy a home and the extremely high cost of doing so. By then our drinks were finished and it had stopped raining with the sun popping out again.

Our stay for the next two nights was in Dinan Residences & Castles – Hotel de la Porte Saint-Malo – DINAN | Official website. It did not disappoint and we found parking right in front.

Checking in and dropping the bags off we went to explore the town.

Dinan's historic center is Place des Merciers, still lined with picturesque half-timbered buildings. They date from the time when property taxes were based on the square footage of the ground floor. There were all kinds of stores and I enjoyed exploring the town. I wish we would have had a bit more time to walk along the river.

We grabbed a bite to eat and enjoyed some people watching. Unfortunately the meal was disappointing.

We did find a restaurant on the way back to the hotel and made reservations for the next night (Friday).

Our next morning was an early drive to St. Malo. The traffic circle gate was closed and traffic was at a standstill. We made a wrong turn into a port area where we fortunately were able to U-turn and get in another line of cars to exit. After about 15 minutes the traffic cleared and the gate opened to get us through the traffic circle. Parking was easy and we were able to find a great spot for some breakfast.



We explored the town and zig zagged through the streets. We climbed the stairs to the ramparts and walked snapping pictures of the beautiful views as we went. It was great to look below to see how the waves hit the walls and also some small beaches. We even saw the place we walked in Dinard across the bay. We spent most of the day in St. Malo and took another route back to Dinan.


St. Malo restaurant






Kew from the ramparts St. Malo



Cute pups



I love flower displays


Dinner that night was a winner. It was an Italian restaurant that had opened up three or four months before. The service was good and the food was excellent. It became really busy and they were turning people away with no reservations.


Mortadella pizza

Wine and a cidre

Lasagna

Today was a day to see Mt. St. Michel while on our drive to Bayeaux. Our next four nights would be at an Air bnb just outside the city.

We got up early and had breakfast at our hotel. The drive was stunning with lots of farmland and fields of corn along the way. We could see glimpses of our destination with it getting bigger and bigger. Parking was easy and there are buses that will take you closer but we chose to walk the whole way.

Stopping here and there to take pictures and soak in the views. I really think the best part is the view leading up to it. There were huge crowds going in with it being almost impossible to go up the stairs.

The drive into Bayeaux was through tiny towns with old homes lining the roads the rock walls built like fortifications. We did stop by the grocery store before arriving at our home for the next four nights. Just in time for the rain to start.














The bus where the driver switches ends. There is no room to turn around.

How long is the walk from the parking to Mt. SM? Cool bus.

Tdudette- It’s about a mile and a half.

I can never get enough of that view of MSM as you approach from the causeway! Beautiful pics

I stayed at the Mercure Hôtel once in the central zone. There was a shuttle stop directly in front of the hotel. This was great for visiting at night when the mont is empty while not being stuck in the creepy ghost town itself. The shuttle ran until after midnight, usually completely empty.

Thanks Paqngo... and then a hike in MSM itself? Oh my aching feet!

That's a great idea, kerouac.

When we visited Mont Saint-Michel, we camped on the road leading to the Mont. It was an actual campsite. Our campsite neighbor from England warned us how bad French bread was and said she always brought a Hovis loaf from home. Our French neighbor told us when using the lavoirs we should always use savon de marseille.

We actually did see women washing clothes in lavoirs in towns and villages. We didn't think we'd be using any lavoirs, but as it turned out, laundromats were rare in those days and we had to resort to a lavoir once or twice. Yes, this was a few years ago.

Coquelicot- That is a great story.

kerouac- It is a great advice to stay overnight and explore early or later in the day.

Thanks ANUJ

Our next three days were spent exploring the coast of Normandy in between rain and crazy winds.



Port en Bessan Huppain was our first stop. It was about a half hour from our Air bnb and also had a farmers market. We explored the town and port a bit and then dove into the farmers market for some things for meals. We ended up buying some goat cheese, salami, veggies, roasted chicken and a baguette from the boulangerie.



We decided to drop everything back and go out again to Arromanches-les-Bains. This was part of the Gold beach landing areas for the British. It is a beautiful town with a musee and different war displays around the town. We spent some time reading the plaques and exploring the town. The town played an important role for one of two artificial harbors built to help the allied troops in WW2. You can still see part of harbor that was built using Phoenix caissons. Massive, hollow concrete blocks weighing up to 6,000 tons.They were sunk to form the harbor's breakwater and protect it from waves. These were built in secret in Britain and were floated across the ocean. It is really quite amazing. I had to look up why they called them Phoenix caissons. It’s because they were sunk and then floated over to be re-sunk just like the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes.

It’s a bit heavy absorbing everything so we took a break and had a cold drink. The rain was just starting again so we headed back for a quiet evening.


Farmers market dog

Port en Bessan Huppain farmers market


Port en Bessan Huppain




Our goodies. Roasted chicken, baguette natural, goat cheese and salami


Gold Beach photos




Landing bridge

Anchor (called a kite anchor) for landing bridge. It was designed by Major Beckett to help hold the floating roadways and the piers.







Countryside church on the drive back to Bayeaux.