We arrived in Portmouth mid-afternoon and had time for a wander round the new development by the Spinnaker. This is a surprisingly large shopping area, mainly outlet shops and restaurants. I have acquired two new shirts and new shoes from the Timberland store.
We walked maybe 3 miles today and my knee is a little sore by the time we get back to the hotel. But it does seem to be improving each day still.
Next time we go to France, we will try the St Malo overnight ferry. In retrospect, it was pretty daft to stay overnight in Portmouth when we might just as well have been asleep on the boat. Not only would we get off the ferry three hours earlier, we would be over an hour closer to our destination.
A daft decision to leave Thursday morning
Thursday
My knee is actually quite sore this morning and I had a very poor night's sleep. It lools like I overdid it yesterday.
It is a very smooth crossing to France this morning. Nonetheless, Wife doesn't see well and spends some of the trip on the small open air bit at the back of the boat where all the ill people are. So maybe a 6 hour sleeper trip might not be the best idea.
The drive from Cherbourg to Concarneau always seems to take longer than we expect. Lunch is a pucnic at one of the aires we passed. Such a contrast to UK service stations!
We get to our hotel later afternoon and are out for an early dinner in the small town of Fouesant nearby. We have a favourite bar / restaurant where Wife can have a huge goat cheese salad and I can have a totally delicious disk of veal kidneys and chips
Friday
A relaxing beach day today. I am reading Richard Wolin's book, The Wind from the East, about French Intellectuals flirtations with Maoism in the late 1960s and early 1970s
To Concarneau for dinner. Wife seems stressed and it is not a happy evening. Hopefully not a sign of things to come this holiday.
Classic harbour view at Concarneau
An egret, if I am not mistaken
The first of many beers to be consumed this holiday
The first of many kirs to be consumed this holiday
Goat cheese salad - the second night
Moules a la creme
Saturday
To the beach again and a slightly sullen mood over the day. I sleep lots, read lots, drink lots of water and coke.
I have started Julia Kristeva's The Samurai. I have read two or three books by her before, but not her novel. Most people refer to her as one of the most original modern thinkers. That might be a polite way of saying she talks a lot of nonsense, most of the time!
Fouesnant again for dinner tonight
Sunday
A slightly overcast morning and off to Concarneau for the morning. There is some sort of jousting event on in the old part of town. We have a long phone call from Daughter who is not enjoying the last few weeks of her current employment before she departs for India in September.
A local band - Micamac - are playing in town. We first saw them back in the early 1990s when we first holidayed in Brittany. They had CD versions of the two cassettes I have by them. While we are away at our next location, one of my all time favourite performers is playing in Concarneau - Alan Stivell. I would have loved to have seen that show.
Micamac in concert.
Late afternoon, we have the preparation for our departure tomorrow - we haven't had long enough here for Wife to be fully relaxed yet and we now have a few days of househunting, which will not be relaxing either.
Most of today has been the Mousterlin Festival of the Sea, which we attend late this evening for crepes and more beer / wine.
Then despite planning an early start tomorrow, we stay up till 1:00am to watch the Olympics closing ceremony.
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