Penmarc´h

Britany- Penmarc´h and the surrounding area.

Day 1

Friday

We got ourselves settled in, it was nice weather so we got the table and chairs out we would be dining al-fresco from her on in (hopefully). We had done a shop at a larger supermarket, bought pork chops (a sort of Kaseler Cutlet), these very lightly fried and added to a tin of Haricot Blanc and a few chopped onions made a very tasty meal, a type of cassoulet a-la Smith.

Reiner came around and decided we would walk to the little harbour of Penmarc`h, here there are two small fresh fish shops, a bakers, a couple of bars and a restaurant. 
On the way to the harbour Rainer pointed out some fascinating features and facts along the coastal path. The area is full of flora and fauna, as well as ancient relics. The bird life is quite amazing, We passed a long trench cut into the ground, Reiner informed us that this was where the locals of by gone years would burn sea weeds and use the ask to fertilise the fiels.
He also told us that this area has lots of flowers one especially is very pretty, an Orchid art.

We sat outside in the afternoon sun, drank a cidre or two while we chatted about this and that, Reiner is a web designer who works for a Canadian firm, he lived in Montreal for a number of years, then moved to Paris before deciding for health reasons to buy a small house on the Brittany coast.

It started to cool down so we decided we would eat in the upstairs restaurant, so asking if a table was free, up we went got seated and were presented with the menu. We all ordered something different, Reiner an assiette of locally caught prawns, I my 6 oysters, and Linda a crab mayonnaise, she thought this would be crab meat in a mayonnaise dressing, wrong, wrong, wrong, along came a whole spider crab and a pot of mayonnaise. You deal with this by removing the carapace (I did this for Linda) and scrape out the brown meat, then remove the legs and the pincers, cracking them to extract the sweet white meat. She did enjoy the taste of it but doesn’t really like fiddling about to get to her food. We helped her, I do not in the least mind playing the violin for my food, Next came the mains. Reiner had picked a cod dish, Linda a platter of various fish and I just to be different ordered the Entrecôte steak all perfectly cooked. Desert followed Îsle flottante (a lump of méringue floating in a vanilla sauce for Linda, Reiner, Profiteroles covered in a caramel sauce and I went for the Crème Brûlée. Everything we ate was very tasty and perfectly served a real French dream come true.

Saturday

It was a very nice morning, as we had decided to hire cycles for a week, we had agreed that we would meet up with Reiner at his house, we walked along the beach doing a bit of beachcombing, picked up Reiner, then walk to the Phare Eckmühl where the cycle hire shop is situated. 

The beach from the campsite to the harbour

Beachcomber Smith

The harbour mudflats

A little Egret dabbling on the harbour boat ramp

One of the harbour restaurants

Reiners little house

On our way to hire bikes

EckMühle Lighthouse

We hired the bikes and set off along the coast in the direction St Guénolé, a larger fishing port, we had bought a sandwich (half a baguette stuffed with Ham, tomato and lettuce), this was devoured sitting on the rocks above a sea that was smashing into the rocks splashing up sea foam. Reiner did say that this was a very dangerous part of the coast and people are at times washed off due to their stupidity, Reiner why are we here? 

Eating a ham and tomato baguette in a precarious position

We passed the church of Notre Dame de La Joie, this is a granite church standing above the sea. (we visited again on Monday so I shall tell you more about it then). 

We cycled on to the fishing harbour, of course the Sardine canning factory was closed for lunch, as was most of the other shops.

We cycled to the supermarket, yes also closed, that’s what happens when you trust your life in the hands of the locals. We did buy bread at the bakers at the harbour, when the supermarket opened, we bought some courgettes, red peppers and some lamb chops, we had decided we would BBQ that evening. Having done our shopping we watched a fishing boat discharging its catch, then we watched the fishermen playing the local game of quoits, nothing else to see that day we  

We headed back in the direction of St Pierre, the part of Penmarc´h where Reiner lives then it was out to the campsite. Reiner arrived and we set up the BBQ, we had brought our flat packed BBQ with us, I had charcoal, firelighters, some pork chops in the refrigerator, cool wine, so that was this evenings meal sorted,  charcoal lit, and food grilled, food al fresco always seems to taste better, or maybe it is just about how much wine you drink. 

We sat and chatted until it became a little to chilly, we cleared up, as the grill area is adjacent to the main entrance and this is where the main rubbish bins are, no problem. We (Linda and Reiner) washed up, then Reiner headed off home and we headed off to bed.

Sunday -Guilvinec

Reiner arrived at the appointed hour or thereabout and we cycled to along the coastal path to Le Guilvinec for the Sunday market, hitching our bikes right at the start of the market that runs the length of Rue de la Marine.

It is a very fine market, with everything you could wish for on-sale, wonderful. We wandered from stall to stall, vegetables, meat, charcutier, oysters, fish of every description as well as the normal goods and chattels to be found on a French market.

Selling lunch

Removing the bone from a nice ham hock

Oysters

And more oysters

Artischocke galore

Herbs and spices of every hue

Do you fancy a fresh roast chicken

We popped into a restaurant across the road from the Hotel Ville, drank Cidre and ordered our Galettes for lunch. I had a one filled with sea food, Linda, ham and egg, Reiner a Ham and mushroom. Also a chance to pick up a free recipe on the place mats.

Linda Ham and egg

Mine, mixed sea food

Reiner Ham and mushrooms

The place mat

We walked to the harbour as we wanted to buy some mussels as we were planning to have Moules Marnier that evening, alas all of the mussels had been sold, but they had very nice cockles, so it was to be a vongole in a vegetable stock. I bought some whelks and winkles, the whelks for me (I noticed the wrinkled faces of the other two), the winkles to go into the pot to add the taste.

We went up to the panorama walkway, where during the week you can watch the onloading of the fishing boats, it gives a smashing view over the whole harbour. 

We went back to our bikes, Linda and Reiner wanted to head back by a longer route, I chose the shorter way.

That evening we ate an assiette of small eats, sausage, cheeses olives, the vongole all very tasty and as I had eaten my whelks while the other two where meandering through the countryside, they did not need to watch me in my ecstasy, devouring these jewels of the sea and of course neither do you.

Monday

Reiner had to work on Monday, so we were left to our own devices. We had a lazy morning, I think that Linda done some washing (I did notice bits of clothing wafting in the breeze on the washing line that I had attached between the camper and the fence) Leaving the washing to dry we decided that we would cycle once again to the Port of St Guénolé and do a bit of food and souvenir shopping.

We were passing the small restaurants in Kerity harbour so decided to have lunch, Linda a Galette just for a change, this time with local sausage and tomato and I a very nice squid in a sauce Amercano, with chips.

We saddled up and peddled  along the coast,

A nice display of poppies on 6th of June

Then on to the church of the Notre Dame de La Joie, this time we stopped and took a bit of time to   have a look around and pop in to take some photographs of the interior.

I bought a tin of Breton Soupe de poissons and Linda a few useful bits and pieces. We then headed back to Reiner as he had invited us round for supper. On arrival he had a plate of starters ready for us, Oysters, (Linda and Reiner did try a one) and we chatted while he cooked the rest of the meal, it was Saith or as we know it in the North East Coley, it also goes under the name of Pollack. It was accompanied with lentils, carrots and buckwheat galettes filled with courgettes. 

The meal was finished off with a fine plate of local cheeses. 

We drank the local Kerity Cider with the meal, it was a very nice evening, we cycled back to the camper and fell into a satisfied sleep.

Tuesday

Is the big day in Kerity ( the area of Penmarc’h which contains the small harbour), it is market day, there are only about 12 stalls, but they have a great diversity of fresh local produce (Reiner buys his Bio-veg there).

As it was our turn to cook, we bought all of the ingredients from our market, we decided on a non-fish main course, but did think that it would be a shame not to make use of some of the fantastic fresh fish on sale. We thought (well Reiner and I did) local sardines would be an excellent starter, as said before Linda doesn’t like fiddling with bones and as we all know Sardines have plenty of them. I bought a couple of large crab pinchers for Linda and a few whelks for myself, along with some nice fresh crusty bread, that was the starters sorted.  

While passing the poultry stand, I spied rabbits, that would make a fine meal, the stall holder had already prepared them so I bought 3 nice pieces of saddle. We then bought from the charcutier a nice slice of smoked bacon, then it was on to the veg-stall to get broad beans and new potatoes.

The shopping done it was time to have lunch, we popped across the road to a small creperie that also has a good selection of other foods. I ordered my half dozen oysters to start, the other two only wanted mains, Linda a warm goats cheese salad, moule frites, for Reiner and I. I drank the local beer and Linda and Reiner white wine. 

Reiner with his moule frites

My Oysters and a pint

Oysters gone beer going

Linda giving her goats cheese salad the eye

My portion of Mussels and chips

Suitably refreshed, I headed back to the campsite agreeing on a time for dinner that evening. Linda and Reiner went for a bike ride (I don’t mind riding a bike, but it must have a purpose).

When they arrived back at the camper, had done most of the prep (almost, there was only the beans to pod and the shallot to chop, those tasks were left to Reiner. I cracked the crab pinchers, fried the sardines (I would have loved to have grilled them but lighting up a BBQ just for 6 sardines is a little extravagant. I ate my whelks (I don’t know what the other two have against whelks)?

I browned the rabbit pieces all over in a little oil, speck, when fried I added the chopped shallot and a few torn sage leaves (from Reiners vegetable patch, next added 500ml of chicken stock allowed to bubble up, turned the heat down and allowed to cook. Linda scraped the new potatoes and I set them on to boil. In another pan I boiled the broad beans when boiled I added some diced speck and onion.

It was ready, we ate the meal, washed down with a Kerity Cidre.

Wednesday 5^th Lemon soles day

I had a lazy day sending Reiner off on a bike ride with the instruction to buy something for the evening meal, Linda bought three Lemon Soles at least one of them was well under age and shouldn’t have been out on his own, that was Linda’s. I boiled some new Tatties and carrots and with a bit of bread that was it, we had cheeses and sausage and ended with a piece of Fare Breton as desert, cake that we had become addicted to.

Thursday 6^th Reiner cooked Tuna

Thursday we had decided to return the Bicycles, the weather had turned a bit wet and chilly, so we cycled to Reiner, and set off to the Eckmühle lighthouse, we popped into a couple of souvenir places, I was looking for a pin for my “old friend” the wandering hat. No joy, it has to be something special, not any rubbish will adorn my titter. I was actually looking for an Eckmühle one, but not to be found. We walked back to Reiners and then on to the campsite along the coastal path.

Reiner was cooking fish that evening, which he had yet to buy, he also was cooking broad beans and carrots. The fish shop (run by the lady at the market) gets its langoustines fresh every day, they are delivered to the shop and outside is a board that announces the time that they are delivered. They are cooked fresh before your eyes. We decided that the tuna steaks looked nice, so we selected three nice looking steaks. Next a half a dozen oysters for me and off we went home.

 Unfortunately, Reiner doesn’t have an oyster knife, so a screwdriver was used as a substitute, but I managed, nothing keeps this lad away from his oysters.

So we dined on Tuna, potatoes and broad beans washed down with the finest local cider. A most enjoyable evening.

 Friday 7^th Restaurant Emma and our last evening in Penmarc’h

As this was to be our last day in Penmarc’h we decided to get everything packed and head off to the Harbour of Kerity to Restaurant Emma so that no one needed to cook. As we had had such a nice meal on our first evening, we decided to book a table for that evening. This we had done at midday while sitting on the terrace. We had lunched at the adjacent creperie, also very nice, but for a real speciality one must go to Emma. We sat on the terrace watching the tide come in and the antics of people parking and unparking their cars (a few near misses). We had booked a table for 19:00, so a little before we asked if we could go upstairs to the restaurant, affirmative, so up we jolly well went, got the choice of tables, we took a one overlooking the harbour.

Linda having learnt her lesson did not make the same mistake of ordering Spider Crab Mayonnaise.

Reiner ordered langoustines and I an Assiette of shellfish. It was monstrous, ½ a brown crab, 4 oysters, a pile of winkles, a couple of langoustines, rosé prawns and a pot of mayo.

Next the mains, Reiner ordered Saith, I Turbot and Linda a selection of fish. All very nice and excellently cooked. They drank wine and I drank water; I was driving.

Only down fall was it was pouring down outside, but we sat for a while and then I decided I would go and fetch the camper, which I had parked at the allotted parking area about 500mtrs out of town, but I got it and then picked off the other two, dropping Reiner off at home and headed back to the campsite for the last night’s sleep. 

Tomorrow it's off to Quimper then on towards Concarneau.