St. Renan Market

Five years ago we visited the Saturday market in St. Renan. Today we go again. It is a beautiful city and a beautiful market. Judge for yourself.

This is Un Ormeau (abalone). Note the holes in the shell.

These are tiny potatoes.

Four of these artichokes are destined for our table using Carol's special recipe.

The police are parked in front of the wine shop. Are they filling up the cop car? CJ was left alone far too long in this shop. He departs with a bottle of Scotch for Carol, 4 bottles of wine, and 4 bottles of beer.

This is the picturesque St. Renan town square. We decide to have a drink. Shopping is hard work, particularly in a hilly city.

This couple is from Switzerland. They own a second home in Le Conquet.

We make a stop at a favorite Boulanger. We sample a baguette with blue cheese.

A Short Walk and an Evening with Neighbors

We must stop having wine with lunch. A nap always follows. Didier serves a Château De Carolle. Eventually he modifies the bottle to read Château De Carol and jokes that we've come to France and purchased a chateau. 

At the market we purchased this butter. It is more yellow than the picture shows. It is rich and tasty, far more so than store butter. There is a oiseau (bird) imprinted.

We will have a crab dish at dinner. We are cooking two huge crabs.

The house is prepared to receive guests. Before their arrival, we take the electric car to the Plougonvelin waterfront to dump the garbage at the collection station, the poubelle. We take a walk. We can see the fort in the distance. When we arrived at this fort the first day, CJ knew we had driven to far.

We love the architecture along the waterfront.

The neighbors, Jean-Jacques and Nomi arrive about quarter past seven. Jocelyne's friend Isabelle and her navy fiancé, Jeff, arrive within 15 minutes.

Champagne is served with a string of appetizers.

Dinner is a multi-course affair of crab cocktail, roast chicken, CJ's selection of cheeses, and a pavlova.

We share the Australian Honey Malt Liquor with them along with Mirabelle made by Didier's father a half century ago.

The party breaks up when 83-year-old Jean Jacques decides to retire. It is after two. 

I

Let's Have a Walk

A morning walk is proposed. We travel to Pointe Saint-Mathieu for the first walk. CJ has been to this place many times, Carol fewer times. We have often toured the ruins of the abbey, toured the small fort, and dined at the fine restaurant either by choice or as business guests.

In our many visits somehow, we never discovered the small chapel.

The inscription is neither in Latin or French. It is in Bretton.

It is a very windy day. The best indication: the buoy.

This phare (lighthouses) of Brittany are renown. One of them is here.

The abbey ruins always excite. It is said, the head of Saint Mathew was held at this location.

Our next walk is along the coast in nearby Le Conquet.

With rain threatening, we seek refuge at the remodeled St. Barbe restaurant and hotel and enjoy a drink while the squall passes. This place holds many memories. At his first corporate dinner, CJ was introduced to Plateau Fruit de Mer, a literal mountain of fresh and mostly raw seafood: lobster, shrimp, snails, clams, oysters, and bigorneaux (periwinkle). Five years and many corporate and private dinners later, the Thomson team feted CJ's departure here.

The rains move in again and we spend a lazy day at the house.