Reminiscing

It was idyllic. Cruiser bikes and flat Dutch countryside with domesticated deer, horses, sheep, thatch roof houses, and orange flags flying. Attempting to inflate my tire resulted in me walking a heavy bike back 3 km to the cottage. But the views were lovely.

Margreet and Wybo opened their hearts and their house to Patrick so many years ago and did so again, hosting a get together with all of Patrick's host families. The food and the treats were wonderful.

Black Saturday and a long drive to Paris

Unbeknownst to us, we decided to drive 600km on the first day of summer vacation which traditionally is called black Saturday due to the number of fatalities. We survived the many toll booths and assertive drivers and made it to Charles de Gaulle airport for our flight to Amsterdam.

 The kids amused themselves with water bottle faces.

Patrick's host families were so kind and met us at the airport and led us to our cottage near Voorthuizen. Provided with full orange regalia for the World Cup game, we were ready to cheer on the Dutch.

Le sentier des douaniers and Men Ruz

Nifty toilets abound in Europe. Here is an eco orbital outhouse at the beginning of the Sentier des douaniers. Apparently smugglers hid contraband in the pink granite outcroppings and defended their booty with guns and cannons.

 The colours were spectacular.

 Here is a munitions storage shed.

Patrick took the kids across jumbled rocks and fissures where the sea churned below. I took a photo and stayed on solid ground.

The tides change so much that a rescue boat is stored at the top of a long ramp so that it can always get into the water fast enough to reach an emergency.

 They call this rock Napoleon's cap.

 Here is the old wooden statue of Saint Guirec in the chapel. His nose is missing from the pin pricks people make for luck in love.

 Men Ruz is the lighthouse, its name means red rock.

Les Sept Iles

There are around 40,000 nesting Northern Gannets on this island nature reserve off the coast. They only nest on the one side and thus half the island is green and the other half white with birds.

 We also saw seals and a few puffins swimming along.

The most entertaining aerial display was by this seagull who managed to steadily fly about three feet above our heads as the boat sped along. A tourist threw up an apple core and he dove within a foot of my head to retrieve it.

 We arrived on Ile aux Moines and disembarked to explore.

 There is a lighthouse and some ruins.

 We made a sand horse on the beach after our return to land.

The Gallic village, the Menhir de Saint Uzec, and chocolat crepes

Patrick and I were laughing so hard we could barely turn the crank on this unusual wooden ride.

 Adlai was not at all convinced about the water worthiness of this vessel.

We played all sorts of low tech games and learned about the dolmen and menhirs and history of this celtic area. Patrick braved the super dark and creepy maze inside the funerary replica of a dolmen and managed to find his way out.

We also found the Menhir of Saint Uzec which is 8 meters tall and weighs over 60 tons and is thought to have been there since 2,500 BC. The carvings and Christian engravings were likely added in the 17th century.

 Patrick climbed barefooted to the top of a tall rocky promontory and took these photos.

 Our after dinner treat was wine for us and chocolate crepes for us and the kids. It was a hit!