Paris1972-Versailles2003

Again updating my older blog post this one is from 2014!! Well is not far from my house and we have been there several times even from the old museum to the new museum of Pont Aven. Really all is around the paintings but it has several nice areas and great shopping of traditional goodies. We love it and will tell you a bit more so you might love it too!

When we arrive we parked by the harbor parking le port right along the Aven river. For free. We set out into city center along the Aven looking at the nice stores and restaurants and taking a beat as to what to do later on.

The town of the school of painters of Pont Aven more commonly call the Americans.  As it was a Mr Bacon and Mr Wylie who first came here by 1864 and fell in love with the place painting their way attracting others thorought the years including the great Gauguin, and the word stuck even if most were not Americans. We went first to the museum of Pont Aven, as I knew it was under construction for quite a while until finally open beautifully . This is the one showing the great painters of the School of Pont Aven.

The town is there since 1790, but did gather real fame until the American artists began to arrive in 1865.  The American Henry Bacon was the first one, and describe the city as “Its the most beautiful village that I have ever saw until now, with its strange bridge below a river rapids that make turns several wheels of a windmills with the waters going to the ocean ,short distance away”  Bacon while in Paris finds his friends Robert Wylie and  Charles Way, both from the Philadelphia academy,and soon many others come from the USA, London, and the Nordic countries. The great Paul Gauguin, making 6 trips here from  1886 to 1894; and those that follow him,such as Maurice Denis, Emile Jourdan, Gustave Loiseau. Too many to detail here but you can see my post on the museum and do stop by…I give you the picture of the old museum before the renovation circa 2013 here

Next in fame here were the windmills or moulins; by 1880 ,there were 15 here, their names, Haut Bois, du Plessis,Moulin Neuf,Kermentec (painted by Gauguin in 1894), Kerniguez, Petit Poulguin, Pénanros,Scierie Brunou, Petite Tourte, Toulhoas,Rosmadec, Porte Neuve,Ty Meur,Grand Poulguin,and Petit Pénanros.

You have nearby the megaliths stones call Menhirs of Kerangosquer I, and the Dolmens of Kermac or Sainte Maudé.  Walking from the  rue des Meunières towards the place royale you have facades of nice homes from the 17C and 18C.  The Church of Saint Joseph was built in 1872 at Place de l’Eglise, smallist by local standards more like a chapel. We came around to take another look at one of our favorite here the Chapelle de Trémalo, it is believe due to a dating on the door that the chapel was built around 1550. The artist painters who visited and lived in Pont Aven frequented it.

The Aven river, has a unique toilet hanging over the river, a quant unusual place to visit while in town ::)  Right across the street you have the quant romantic nice promenade Xavier Grall; a wonderful laberinth of trails along the Aven river giving you an allure of old and just perfect for a family walk with windmills and river rapids, nice for a picnic in summer. We always take the walk here!

We set out to do some shopping very typical nice and good prices for this hidden gem of the Finistére Breton. The biscuiteries or cookie making companies are a boundful here,and we did grab a box or bag here and there on our favorites already from our last visit. The Traou Mad galettes , now under the umbrella of Biscuiterie Loc Maria webpage: https://www.biscuiterie-loc-maria.fr/fr/boutiques

The biscuiterie de Pont Aven is another gem not this time but have in the past and worth the stop;webpage: https://www.biscuiteriedepontaven.fr/

We check on the vedettes de l’Aven Maritime a cruise up the Aven river , and into the ocean. Really nice ride but will take you almost all day so prepare ahead. webpage: https://www.vedettes-aven-belon.com/

We went for some spicy seafood to bring home in jars at the Moulin de Rosmadec épicerie or grocery store, this is an excellent restaurant but more suitable for evenings , my take. The grocery store is right before getting to the resto and they have a small hotel as well; very chic. The items here are a mouthful. webpage: http://, https://www.rosmadec.com/fr/

These are very local goodies you can eat on the spot or take home to wherever you are lodged. The Niniches are the stars of the La Maison d’Armorine, and they have several stores as per their site we go to Carnac most often but been to all of them, superb. The niniches were created in Quiberon and they have won honors for their confection in France as the best candies, they come in many flavors; something unique to buy here. webpage: . http://www.maison-armorine.com/nos-boutiques

Somewhere in the above we stopped by our favorite gift store in the area rivals the other one we like,  ,,,, this is Lever Micheline, cadeaux Bretonnes. Here we got kitchen deco and t shirts with merlin the magician logos and dragons, snakes you name it. They carry the whole range of Breton goodies from food, liquors, to gifts of all sorts and with genuine made in Brittany or France logos. You should be here if in the area. It is at the main street diagonally to the museum, 2 place Paul Gauguin and across from tourist office. No webpage see photo

The highlight of the trip was to find another Maison Larnicol chocolate store here,  it is one of the original , George Larnicol was born in Quimper nearby. The store is right in city center at 4 Place Paul Gauguin . Lovely place with lots of chocolates, caramels,guimauds yummy gummy chocolates, fish shape chocolates and the kouignettes of many flavors is sublime!!! a must here.webpage: https://larnicol.com/magasins

And of course, we ate lol!! forgot the entry but posted the photos. The wonderful Le Moulin du Grand Poulguin by the harbor back , free parking, and great prompt service with delicious food. We had Breton beers Duchesse Anne Triple 7,5% and kids had Morgane, bio blonde beer. Just to try them. We ate from pizzas savoyarde and Forte to tagliatelle albacore tuna pasta and the Tagliatelle 3 fromages, all with expresso coffee, bread,butter,and water, limonade, menthe syrop drinks, and only 17€ per person tops!  webpage: http://www.moulin-pontaven.com/

The Monument to the Fallen of Pont-Aven bears the names of 29 people who died for France during WWII. Daniel Lomenech, a Breton native of Pont-Aven, engaged in the Free French naval Forces. He made about 30 trips with the boat N 51 on behalf of the English Secret Service, collaborating notably with Commander David Birkin, the father of Jane Birkin.

And we had a mouthful of day in lovely quant Pont Aven or the bridge by the Aven river! A wonderful family day recommended to all. Hope you enjoy it and do visit when possible.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

And going going going like the old commercial of Duracell batteries you know! It has been a wonderful tour to see these memorable posts again and of course, updating and revising them. As I have pictures in unique post on the sights will leave this one in my black and white series, no pictures. Thanks for your support over the years!!!

There is a nice peninsula here full of nice quant towns and beautiful beaches that we enjoy coming to over the years living here. Let me tell you about the towns of the Presqu’ïle de Rhuys!!

11 November 2016 was a day off here or Armistice day 1918 the end of WWI or the Great War; in some other countries such as the USA it is Veteran’s Day with a different meaning. A day to remember especially in France from those awful days past, never to be repeated. Ironically, I am writing the update on this post again on 11 november 2020!

And I said , we took off to some areas we have been before but not in a while right in our wonderful backyard of the Morbihan. We took our car and rode on the N165 to the exit for Sarzeau and got on the D780 road. We were headed for the Presqu’île de Rhuys . We decided not to head first to the better known areas and took some country roads such as the D195 and D20 before getting back into the D780 main road.

We continue to the next village, Surzur. The town has an oceanic feeling crisscross by several small creeks and rivers. It ,also, has several chapels and manors or big homes almost like castles all over the territory. The one we stopped by was the Chappelle de Sainte Hélène. It has a nice simple façade with nice main door dating from the 17C and on top a small bell tower in stone.  The windows are older and of gothic era. The interior is simple  with several nice statues such as the one on Sainte Hélène, The Virgin, Sainte Marguerite, Sainte Thérèse, Saint Mathurin.  We syphon the city center seeing in the distance the Church of Saint Symphorien (Roman style from the 11C)as there was work going on in city center. We continue to the Cidrerie Nicol with it’s wonderful cider products already tasted here.  This is Surzur and its chapels: https://www.surzur.fr/chapelles/

We took a turn back into the main road to reach the main town of Sarzeau. Again a visit was pleasant and not crowded for a Holiday.  You come into literary history here as it is the native town of Alain René Lesage (1668 -1747), a writer that wrote of his times with inspiring work known by us such as the Le Diable boiteux, Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane, and theater plays such as Turcaret, and  La Tontine etc.  One of the greatest actors of the 18C he has a bust in front of the hôtel de ville or city hall of Sarzeau. The always wonderful Sarzeau has many manoirs, castles ,Chappelle’s , fountains of historical value all around and worth a detour. The one we like is the Church of Saint Saturnin right in city center. The original was from 1670 now current one is from 1883, as well as the wonderful Chateau de Suscinio (see post).

We past by on the parking of the Port de Crouesty seeing the Church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption in Arzon, b.1815 but renovations up to 1920,  but we went to the boat pleasure marina for a leisure walk and lunch instead.

And we arrive at Port de Crouesty. A harbor paradise we love. This is a huge pleasure boat bay all around are shops and restos, tourist office , spa like Miramar La Cigale hotel , the megaliths stones of Petit Mont  ,and great views any time. We have done  bike riding in tandem with Abbis Location, and eaten in several of its restaurants as well as shopping like today!

And of course, we ate at a new place, O’Brothers bistro (by L’Equinoxe) at 7 Quai des Cabestans . This has a nice terrace covered and facing the quays of the harbor; then a fix building with a hallway between it and the terrace. Inside is cozy and very friendly. We as most arrive after regular lunch hours but so what, we settled for nice pizzas and good cold beers. The giant screen TV allowed to watch the PSG vs Rennes (4×0) first League 1 football/soccer replay as well as the first half of the Brazil vs Argentina (3×0) World Cup 2018 qualifier’s. We had rounds of leffe beers and the owner server counted wrong and came in with a third round, so we say no problems leave it, and he said ok this one is on me !!! Can’t beat the good old Breton positive side of things.. in the Morbihan of course.  Well sadly another resto that is gone by now a while back, here just for the memories ok.

The tourist office for the Morbihan on the peninsula: https://www.morbihan.com/accueil/decouvrir/le-morbihan/les-principales-destinations/presqu-ile-de-rhuys

The tourist office for the Gulf of Morbihan on the peninsula and more: https://www.golfedumorbihan.bzh/explorer-vannes/decouvrir-vannes/incontournables-golfe/

The tourist office of Brittany in English on the peninsula: https://www.brittanytourism.com/destinations/the-10-destinations/southern-brittany-morbihan-gulf/suscinio-and-the-rhuys-peninsula/

Enjoy the Prequ’île de Rhuys a wonderful peninsula of wonders to see and enjoy with the whole family or alone.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!