Monday, March 24, 2014

Treasure Island

Wandering Around The Cottage - March 2014 Edition


Maybe we all need a little break from my kitchen renovation. What about going on an island?

Bon, et si nous faisions une petite pause dans la rénovation de la cuisine? On s'évade sur une île?






Let's go to Bréhat a tiny island located off the North coast of Brittany.

C'est parti pour Bréhat, sur la côte nord de la Bretagne.


 It's only a mile off the coast, but I decided to sleep on the island, because I thought it would be fun, so please don't forget your pjs and toothbrush!

Même si l'île n'est située qu'à une dizaine de minutes de la côte, je propose qu'on y passe la nuit, ce sera plus drôle. N'oubliez donc pas votre pyjama et votre brosse à dents.


This is the little one bedroom flat I rented. I didn't really choose it, it was the only one on the island whose owner said OK when I told her I had a cat. Because, of course, Shadow took the boat with me. We have trouble sleeping if we're not together.

It was nothing fancy, but the landlady was very nice and the view on the harbour wasn't too bad either!


Une petite location toute simple, mais qui répond à mon critère numéro un - les chats sont acceptés. En effet, Shadow, le petit chat qui a un traitement à prendre quotidiennement, voyage avec moi. Et puis, même si l'intérieur n'a rien de luxueux, la vue sur le port suffit à en faire un endroit magique.


For some reason this map is upside down: the North is at the bottom of the map, where the "Phare du Paon" is, but I thought it showed how the South part if the island has a lot more houses than the North part, which is more windy (windier?) and therefore is known for its scarce vegetation and population.

La carte ci-dessus est à l'envers: le nord se trouve en bas de la carte. Mais je pensais qu'on y voyait bien combien l'île sud (en haut, donc, suivez un peu!) est plus peuplée que la partie nord, plus sauvage et à la végétation plus rase à cause des vents.


It seems there were already men living there during prehistoric times.

Il semble que l'île était peuplée dès la préhistoire.


As nearly everything here, the island's history links it both to France at some point and to England.

Et comme toujours en Bretagne, l'histoire de l'île rencontre à certains moments celle de l'Angleterre et à d'autres celle de la France.

For example the first building known on the island is a monastery created by saint Budoc, who came from England.

Ainsi, un des premiers bâtiments construits sur l'île était un monastère fondé par saint Budoc, arrivé tout droit d'Angleterre.


It is said that during the Middle Age, the island had six chapels, which is a lot, even in Brittany, for such a tiny island. That is before the English came to the island and destroyed everything that was on it, including the castle in 1409.

Au Moyen Age, les textes comptent tout de même six chapelles sur cette toute petite île... Même pour la Bretagne, cela fait beaucoup! Mais une grande partie de l'île et son château d'alors ont été détruits en 1409 par les Anglais (qui, je dois le dire pour être juste, agissaient pour le compte d'un des deux partis qui se disputaient alors la Bretagne).


The island has been a place where many pirates lived or stopped by at least. One of them, Jean Coastanlem, who lived in the 15th century,  is one of the most famous. 

L'île a été le port d'attache de nombreux corsaires. L'un d'eux, Jean Coastanlem, qui a vécu au XVe siècle, est particulièrement célèbre.


He attacked and pillaged the town of Bristol in England. Even if he argued the English had attacked first, it made the then duke of Brittany furious as he was afraid of a war against England and so Jean Coastanlem was exiled to Portugal.

Il a attaqué et pillé la ville de Bristol en Angleterre. Oui, je sais, ce n'est pas lui qui avait commencé, mais tout de même, cela a mis le duc de Bretagne dans l'embarras, car il essayait de ne pas se fâcher avec ses voisins anglais... Du coup, Jean Coastanlem s'est exilé au Portugal.


When he was in Portugal, it is rumored that his fleets may have discovered the way to America before Christopher Colombus... There is no proof though, as the Portuguese expeditions were secrets. So, just for today, we'll say America was discovered by a Britton.

Une fois installé au Portugal, Jean Coastanlem a participé à de nombreuses expéditions maritimes. On raconte même qu'une des ses flottes aurait découvert la route de l'Amérique avant Christophe Colomb... Aucune preuve, car ces expéditions étaient secrètes... Mais pour aujourd'hui, on va dire que l'Amérique a été découverte par un Breton!


During the French Revolution, one of the chapel, Saint-Michel Chapel, was used to store powder. This chapel was later destroyed, but an other one was built.

Pendant la Révolution française, une des chapelles a été utilisée comme réserve de poudre, un grand classique de cette époque.


The day I went up to Saint-Michel, it was a little foggy. It's on days like this you understand why Brittany is a land of mysteries and legends.


Le jour où je suis montée jusqu'à la chapelle, il y avait de la brume. Ce sont les jours comme celui-là qui permettent de comprendre pourquoi la Bretagne est une terre de mystères et de légendes.


Now, let's walk to the Northern part of the island, shall we?

Rendons-nous maintenant au nord de l'île. Vous me suivez?


It'll be easy because when Louis XIVth was king, a little bridge was built to link the North part to the South part of the island that used to be separated at high tide.


C'est facile depuis que, sous Louis XIV, un pont a été construit pour relier la partie nord à la partie sud : plus besoin d'attendre marée basse!


We're heading to the "Phare du Paon" (Peacock Lighthouse). Built in 1860, this lighthouse was destroyed during World War II, but it has been rebuilt after the war.


Le but de cette dernière promenade est le phare du Paon. Achevé en 1860, ce phare a été détruit pendant la seconde Guerre Mondiale, puis reconstruit.


I visited the island before I began blogging and I have no picture of the very famous glassworks, even though I spent hours admiring the men, I mean their work, not their sleeveless arms, creating amazing objects. I'll have to go back someday

J'ai visité l'île avant la création du blog et je n'ai aucune photo de la célèbre verrerie , alors que j'ai passé des heures à admirer les hommes (enfin leur travail, pas leurs bras musclés, évidemment) en train de créer des merveilles. Je vais devoir y retourner...

I hope you enjoyed the tour.

J'espère que vous avez apprécié ce petit tour.


I'm very busy at work lately, so don't be offended if I don't visit your blogs as often as usual, believe me I wish I could. Spending a weekend grading papers is no fun!

See you soon,

A bientôt,

PS1: If you'd like to see more of the same area, I took my readers to the "Pink Coast" already: here and there.

PS2: Should I create a page for you to find all the "Wandering Around" posts as soon as I have time (probably in July)? - UPDATE: Working on it!

PS3: I'm partying with some awesome bloggers.

Grab My Badge         Lavender Garden Cottage            Photobucket         

Join me on Fridays and see where we've all been!           Rooted In Thyme            Travel Photo Monday

41 comments:

  1. Good morning dear Magali,
    that must have been a wonderful voyage, the view is great! I hope Shadow likes travelling around with you as much as I do, sipping on my first cup of coffee in the morning. All "Wandering around" posts gathered together would be quite a treat for me... Something else: I hope you found lovely things in that nursery and your garden is blooming allover by now! Yours Sarah

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  2. As I was reading it I thought - oh how lucky - she got a weekend away lol - I didn't realize it was from another time - but what a beautiful getaway !
    xoxo

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  3. It's a lovely part of Brittany, indeed. I wonder if St Budoc was our Cornish ST Budock?

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  4. magnifique reportage... et je crois avoir repéré 2 petites jersiaises (je parle des vaches,bien sûr!!) tout cela me donne envie d'aller y faire un petit tour
    merci Magali

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  5. Oh what an amazing little island! And since there are glasswork labs there there must be beautiful sea glass. Did you look for sea glass?AriadnefromGreece!

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  6. Tes photos sont magnifiques ! Il faut absolument que nous y allions nous aussi ! Je ne connaissais pas ce corsaire... il va falloir que j'étudie cela de plus prés. Bon courage pour cette semaine.

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  7. Thanks so much for taking us along. What a beautiful place. Your photos are wonderful. I so need a little getaway.

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  8. How beautiful! I feel like I've gone back in time... Lovely photos Magali! Thanks for sharing xoxox

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  9. So lovely, Magali! I can certainly understand why you wanted to give us a tour. I would love to spend a month there, at least! As far as the issues between the English and the French, I guess I am on the "guilty" side. I have ancestors from both!!!

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  10. Thank you so much for taking us to that lovely little island, Magali!!!! I love the photos, and I'm so glad you took Shadow with you. I understand about sleeping better when the kitty is there. :-) And yes, I'd love it when you have time, if you categorize those posts. It's wonderful to go to a lovely island when we're sitting here in 2' of snow.

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  11. Wonderful tour and excellent pics!! I should probably go on that tour with you to see those sleeveless....I mean the glassworks. It would be very educational ahem!

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  12. Beautiful. That looks like somewhere I could go and just stay forever. (And it's so sweet that Shadow came with you.)

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    1. Shadow has travelled all aorund France with me, he's used to it!

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  13. See how ignorant I am Magali. I didn't even know such islands exist in France!!!! Just beautiful dear! Thank you for the stories and the wonderful pictures, it definitely feels like a place to get away from it all for a while!

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  14. I love that you travel with your cat! Mine hate a change in environment. It took them 2 weeks before they would leave the bathroom when we moved into a new house! You should definitely make a "Wandering Around" page as my husband and I are going to France for our 10 year anniversary and I would love to reference all the places you've introduced us to!

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  15. How sweet that Shadow accompanied you on your trip! I am so glad you shared this today...a little virtual vacation for me since I am on spring break from school this week! Hope your workload dwindles down soon. Have a great week and just keep counting down the day to summer break...:)

    Blessings, Vicky

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  16. Thanks for the little mini vacation. Your photos are wonderful. How fun to walk around such a picturesque island.

    I would gladly help with the grading of your papers, but my second language is Spanish so I would not be much help.

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  17. Such a beautiful get-a-way! I feel in love with this beautiful island, such history, and how sad so much was lost because of stupid wars and governments. I love that you could take Shadow, don't know of many places my way that would allow that. Don't work to hard! Miss ya visits!

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  18. What a beautiful little Island! Maybe the beauty lies in its size (the UK also is an Island, but way too big to get the true "Island feel"... This summer, I will take my kids to an equally small Island (4km x 16 km) along the Dutch Wadden coast, "Schiermonnikoog" ... quiet, small, beautiful nature and stunning views, no traffic allowed (like on Sark, also on my list) ... If I had my way, we would go island-hopping every year : Ile de Ré, Ile de Bréhat, the Channel Island, the Danish islands and so on... People definitely should get more holidays :-) Marcy

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  19. What a beautiful fascinating place. I'd love a vacation in a spot like that. I'm having a hard time visiting blogs too...Started a new job last week. It will be a balancing act for me. Loved this post!

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  20. just another beautiful, mystical place to dream about...

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  21. Love the post - thanks so much for sharing. Have a wonderful week.
    Mary

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  22. What a dreamy coastal island. Perfect weekend retreat!

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  23. It's very beautiful. It looks like it was a wonderful get-away for you and the kitty. I like the photo with the cross and the fog. ♡

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  24. I love wandering around with you, Magali! It looks like a spectacular place, and I would love to visit. The foggy photos just add to the drama. Fantastic!

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  25. SO beautiful! I love your tours! But wait...NO ARMS????? Why???? :)

    -andi

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  26. Déjà, je trouve que le Nord de ta carte d'en bas vers le haut ressemble à une petite France, je ne l'aurais pas vu si tu l'avais mis dans le bon sens. Il faut dire que je vois d'énormes personnages quand je regarde les nuages & que je peux voir d'étonnants personnages dans n'importe quelle surface bétonnée......................complètement allumée la fille!!!
    Tu habites une bien jolie région. aimes-tu les fruits de mer & tout ce qui va avec??? Si oui, tu dois être servie.
    Bisous bisous. Babette

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  27. C'est la matinée Bréhat; je viens de regarder une série de photos de Bréhat croulant sous les fleurs Je te l'envoie...
    Bonne journée.

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  28. What a lovely place and how adorable that you could take your cat with you.
    Sorry that us Brits destroyed all the chapels and the castle, we have always been very good at destruction unfortunately !
    Once again you're showing masses of agapanthus, my favourite flower. I divided up my agapanthus last year so I hope to have loads of them this summer.

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  29. I just loved the virtual getaway. It's the only kind I'll be taking for a while. I'll be glad to join you anytime. And yes, you must go back and this time get some pics of the men, too. ;-)

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  30. What a lovely tour, Magali. The history between England and France is fascinating to me. All those arranged royal marriages between the French and English designed to maintain peace. So interesting. I love your photos; the historic buildings, beautiful sea, and pretty flowers. The lighthouse, and the cows grazing in the meadow. . .so quaint. I love your tours. Thank you for sharing your very charming world.

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    1. Being part English and part French, I'm also fascinated by all the connexions that existed and still existed between the two countries and it's particularly true in Brittany.

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  31. Thank for the nice tour. You are a good guide. I love the last picture.

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    1. Thank you so much. That last picture shows agapanthus, the symbolic flower for this island.

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  32. What a wonderful place to go and relax and explore, Magali--I loved seeing it all, and your telling of the history was fascinating. Glad that Shadow got to come along, too! Did you know, I grew up on an island off the coast of Washington State? You have to take a ferry boat to and from the mainland. I'm not there anymore, but would love to go back and visit.

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  33. There's something about this place that is both romantic and mysterious. I would love to go there!

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  34. I really enjoyed your photos of this pretty island. The red rocks and misty scenes are my favourites. Popping by from #OhThePlaceI'veBeen from the Côte d'Azur.

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    1. The island is actually located on what we call the "Pink Granite Coast", hence the pink rock.

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  35. Now I have another place added to the list of locales I need to visit before I die!

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  36. Fabulous looking place!! Magali, what service do you use to find places to rent?

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  37. What a perfectly beautiful destination! Thank you for sharing!

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