We got up this morning not knowing what we would be doing during the day. After some research and back and forth, we decided to drive to something called Le Sillon de Talbert, a 2-mile long, 100-yard wide spit of sand, gravel, and pebbles extending into the English Channel.
Looks interesting, right? It took about 35 minutes to get there from Paimpol.
We found the parking lot and walked on a trail parallel to the water. It was sunny and cool, with a brisk wind. As we got closer to the spit, we realized that although the Sillon de Talbert might be geologically interesting, it wasn’t super scenic, particularly at low tide.
Although the view to the west wasn’t horrible:
On a 3-0 vote, we decided to go elsewhere. I did a quick search for other scenic spots and found a viewpoint marked on our hard-copy map just 4 miles away, the Phare (Lighthouse) de Bodic. Supposedly (according to the map, or my misreading of it) it had a nice view over the River Trieux. So off we went. After a few missed turns on one-lane roads (the Google Maps Direction Lady doesn’t know the Cote de Armor very well), we arrived at the lighthouse, only to find something unlike any lighthouse I’d ever seen.
Not only did this look nothing like a lighthouse (where’s the rotating light?), it was also located at least 500 feet from the river. This sign helped explain a bit.
Built in 1869, destroyed by the Germans in 1944, then rebuilt in 1967, the structure is 23 meters high and 55 meters above sea level. Equipped with a 23 watt (!) LED, it can be seen for 21 nautical miles, and is intended to be used with another lighthouse to orient boats entering the River Trieux. So, functional after all, but still bizarre.
I looked at the map again and saw that there was a road that would take us even closer to the river, so we gave that a try, and were rewarded with a pretty view over the river as it entered the English Channel.
It also afforded a view of oyster trays taking advantage of the tidal nature of the estuary.
So pretty much the day had been a bust. We’d abandoned our main destination, traded it for a bizarre lighthouse, and had only a nice view of the river to show for a lot of driving and time. Worse, we had all been getting hungry (it was approaching two in the afternoon), and because it was a national holiday (14 juillet, or Bastille Day, the French equivalent to the 4th of July), we were worried about finding restaurants that were open. We’d looked on the phone and almost everyplace was closed or would be closed before we could get there.
But driving south through the small port town of Lézardrieux, Suzie noticed a sign for an open restaurant, and even though we knew nothing about it, we decided to give it a try.
The day changed immediately. The restaurant (Le Lézard) turned out to be unexpectedly, amazingly good. We were expecting an ordinary brasserie-type lunch, but we got something remarkable. The wait staff was friendly and efficient, and the food was unbelievably delicious. We sat on the terrace and enjoyed a great meal on a pretty afternoon. We won’t remember the bust sand spit or the weird lighthouse, but we’ll always remember finding this gem of a restaurant in a very unlikely place.
That’s why I love to travel.
Finally, I had to post this picture of Suzie, not only in appreciation of her driving all day, but because it’s so cute.
Categories: France, Travel -- France