Équipe Brest 2017: Our first excursion

At Pointe des espagnols

Friday was our first excursion. The plan was to go to Pointe de Pen-Hir and Concarneau. We went those places, but go a bit of added bonus.

We use a tour bus company based here in Brest, called Labat. The drivers are incredible. They manipulate these huge busses on the narrowest streets and the tightest turns safely and wisely. Our driver today, Patric, offered to take us on a scenic route and to stop by Pointe des Espagnols, which has a great view of a really long stretch of the Rade de Brest, the 25 mile long “harbor” where Brest and a dozen other small cities are located.

Très bonnes amies!

It was beautiful. There were fortifications built in the 1600s by Louis XIV, with which the students got to actually interact. It was a great stop.

Ash says mom hates the peace sign in photos, so...

Then it was on to Pointe de Pen-Hir. This is a rocky outcropping into what is called la Mer d’Iroise, the Breton Sea. Where it stops and the Atlantic Ocean begins is vague. On the top, where we were, is some 200 ft. above the sea with waves crashing into the rocks below. It’s beautiful. The cliff faces vary in color based on their mineral composition. The wind and the rains of eons have formed some very rugged terrain. The students were overwhelmed by the beauty of this savage, rocky point of earth so close to civilization. And they took a million photos.

We kept the students on the indicated, safe paths, much to the chagrin of some of them. I think we have some aspiring rock climbers.

First stop at Pointe de Pen-Hir, the group photo!

Our driver took us to this little town, Camaret-sur-Mer, on the seaside to have our picnic lunches. Some of us got really adventurous and waded in the ocean. There are beautiful beaches here, but the water is generally pretty cold, even in summer. The current brings the water from near the Arctic, after all. Based on the squeals, it was cold.

It was a cool little town with a beach on the Rade and a harbor with tons of boats berthed there. There was an historic chapel and some wrecks the town has saved as harbor “decorations.”

GQ Magazine here we come.

Then it was off to Concarneau. It is an historic, fortified village that sits on an island in the middle of an estuary. There’s only one way in or out. It dates from the Middle Ages as do the buildings. I saw one shop with a sign that said it had been in business since 1897. That’s not medieval, but it’s a long time. The fortified village is mostly a tourist attraction today. And we were attracted. An actual city has sprung up on the river banks on either side. Fishing is a huge industry there, as well as shipbuilding. But we were enchanted by the ramparts, the shopping and the ice cream.

It was back to Brest, and our usual meeting spot Moulin Blanc, on the harbor, tucked kind of behind the city.

Upcoming events are the Mayor’s reception on Monday and playing the traditional game of pétanque on Tuesday. Our speakers at the reception are Ash and Marilynn. I intend to video that. I may video pétanque as well, based on how funny it turns out to be.

So next post will probably be on Wednesday.

Who's that model at Pointe de Pen-Hir?

I mentioned this to the students on Facebook, but I wanted to tell the parents as well. As a professional photographer for 30 years prior to teaching, I photographed about 5,000 senior portrait sessions. If you would like for me to do a portrait session for your soon-to-be senior while we are in Brest, tell them to let me know.

I offered this last year, and about half of the kids did it. There’s no charge and it gets me some one-on-one time with the students. And it is just fun! How many of their peers can share senior portraits done in France? Très peu, I would say.

Six weeks seems like a long time, but we are past a week here. If you want this, I will have to schedule them. So have them let me know as soon as possible.