Pebbles in France discovers an Oyster Opener, a Living Art Village and a Scarecrow in a hidden garden!

Hello Girls, me again!  As promised, here are more of the highlights of my trip to Brittany.

On Tuesday we went up to Locmariaquer http://morbihan-way.fr/en/ which is famous for oyster production, and 

Hunky Davide

visited friends who own an oyster fishery. I met the cutest chap called Davide who told extremely rude jokes and smelt rather of fish. He had lovely broad shoulders though, and he certainly helped the day to pass by very pleasantly indeed! I thought how much Creative would have enjoyed his accent, although not too sure whether oilskins pass as a uniform.

Lake-bound house guarding the oyster beds

We strolled around the area and I was very taken with the beauty and tranquility of the place, despite the numbers of (French) tourists milling around. 
Can you believe, this house was built in the centre of a lake in the 19th century, in order to guard the oyster beds. It's now a listed building and very lovely in it's setting, although probably impractical and doubtless very damp.

Delicious fresh oysters

We ate fresh oysters in the evening. I must admit I had been dreading this, as I have never ever managed to master the opening of these little beggars, and it does rather take away the enjoyment when you're skewering your hand and flicking bits of shell and oyster flesh around the dining room. However, never fear - Michel is a practical and enterprising chap and he has invented a brilliant oyster-opening tool. This simple gadget is so easy to use, it's astonishing and even I could do it! Michel has put his invention into production and it sells worldwide, particularly to restaurants. How cool to be able to design and produce something so practical, makes me feel a bit small.  

       www.louvhuitre.com

The fresh sea air means I slept extremely well (possibly helped by the wine imbibed 

Old wash house,
with Tourists

with the evening meals, which stretch from around 6pm until bedtime). 

Reclaimed land at
it's best

Wednesday took us a little way down the peninsular to a suburb where the community have been given a piece of land about 10 hectares in total. It's a long narrow valley squeezed between a railway line, industrial and housing estates and six years ago was just a patch of gorse and bramble. It's called le lavoir du Ragout, as it was at one time the site of a village and they have retained the ancient wash house which is now a sunken garden feature.

Very slowly, a group of volunteers have started to enjoy the land by planting a wonderful garden. A stream patters down the centre of the valley, where every year, more land is reclaimed and planted out. Every single plant and tree is named, and the group foster the inclusion of anyone interested in being involved, at any level.

Bird Tree House -
made for climbing!

Scarecrow - also
made for climbing!

 I loved the bird's house tree, and Mr Scarecrow was a delight - and only gardening clothes, so even Creative can visit here without others being embarrassed! 

There were butterflies everywhere which was a real treat, but I couldn't identify any with certainty - Dizzy, you would have recognized a Pontia Rose straight away, I'm sure.

Pontia Rose?

Selfie at the Semaphore Tower

Another kilometre away from the hidden garden is a Semaphore Tower - you can see I tried a selfie here! From the very top you have a full 360 degree view of the peninsular with both coasts and you can imagine the signals flying to and from ships sitting on different sides of the land, relayed through the tower and passed on up towards the greater mass of Brittany.  

 And so my lovely holiday passed by, with interesting things to see and learn about, including the vibrant, massive Saturday market in Quiberon where we bought the local delicacy Kouign-amann (butter pastry tart) for Sunday - along with everyone else as this is a traditional Sunday staple. I've brought the recipe back for Dizzy to have a go at making some, as it's absolutely scrummy.
By contrast, the Sunday market on the quayside at Portivy comprised just eight or ten stalls selling fish, fruit, household goods and some local art and craft.

Every wall is an exhibition

Every garden a sculptor's delight

Our final excursion was up into Brittany, to the most surprising, enterprising and exquisitely pretty village of La Gacilly, Its traditional stone cottages are bedecked with flowers, and heritage features such as old bread ovens, fountains and menhirs abound                

 It is a town of arts and crafts - you would simply love it. Potters, painters, metal workers, glass blowers, leather craftsmen, book binders... all manner of crafts are represented here with ateliers (workshops) to visit and goods offered for sale. 

Gardens grow more than plants

Every Street a feast for the soul

The majority of residents are artists or artisans of some kind, and the entire village is a permanent exhibition of work and open studio.

It is also the home of the Yves Rocher beauty empire, and the luxury spa hotel he had built there to showcase his products has a fabulous restaurant, if you feel like a real treat!  http://www.lagreedeslandes.com/uk/yves-rocher-la-gacilly.php

Huge representations of artworks - more than 600 in total - are mounted on boards absolutely everywhere. It's a feast of colour and inspiration, and I'm afraid my little camera and meagre description just can't do justice to this enterprise. You would both adore this place, and I urge you to visit the next time you visit France, it's truly something you have to experience. You can get a better sense of the place by looking at the images: la gacilly photo  

You're probably relieved to hear that that's about all I have to relate. It was such a lovely break and one which I know you'd have adored - do say you'll come with me next year, and let's get booked up straight away!
For anyone wanting to book a holiday - www.homelidays.com       Then follow the pathway of clicks - Monde Entier - Europe - France - Bretagne - Morbihan - Pays d'Auray, Location vacances - Saint-Pierre Quiberon - Location 6098650 (6 people) / Location 6098640 (4 people).   It's worth the effort!   

Look forward to seeing you both soon,
Lots of Love,
Pebbles xxxx

© Jay Hooper and Carol Kennedy July 2013 all rights reserved.