Last pictures of France - for now!

I think this was my favourite feature in our little house. The cottage was so like something from a period drama and I felt a bit like Demelza, lol!

It was chilly but not heavy sweater weather, so I dug out the shawl that I made last winter from hand dyed Leceister Longwool. It's one of the few shawls I've completed, but I'm getting there :D

This is the view from La Moulin de Pont Samoel. We had a beautiful picnic here with olives, goats cheese and big chunks of baguette washed down with blond beer <3 It was so very French ;)

In town, this was my favourite shop. I spent a lot of time here!!!

Back to the lakes, there are a lot in Brittany, and this is the largest, Lake Guerledan. It's actually a very large man-made lake that is used to generate hydro-electricity but it's also a popular visitor attraction. There are all manner of water sports and little holiday resorts all around it.

I loved the still silence of this place,

and the rugged shoreline, grey and stark but painted with the colours of the autumn leaves.

The views were just awe inspiring and we had to sit here in silence and simply soak it all in.

Just before our adventure was over, we decided to go for a special meal. Most days, Saturdays in particular, it seems to be a tradition for villagers to take long leisurely lunches and rather than go to a bigger town and expensive restuarant we decided to follow the locals. I couldn't believe what a special experience it would turn out to be.

The local people were friendly and the food was wonderful. We paid for our food with no idea what would be served, there were no menus, just something called 'menu tous les jour'. It was a selection of food chosen by the chef and we sat in excited anticipation as each dish was brought to the table. Eggs stuffed with mackerel on a bed of crunchy salad, a slice of a sort of pizza and then a dish of rich beefy chunks in thick gravy served with buttery potatoes. There were a variety of desserts, but I managed to squeeze in some clafoutis. Everyone ate slowly, sipped their wine and devoured big baskets of bread. We stayed for nearly two hours and then took a slow walk around the town to recover :D

This was the iconic bridge that signified for me the end of our visit. On the other side was Le Havre and our boat home. However, we will be back :D