Quiberon in Bretagne (Brittany) After our stops at Ile d'Oloron and Olonne-Sur-Mer, we finally reached our much anticipated Brittany. We started with the Presqu'Ile de Quiberon. 'Presque' is the French word for 'almost', so the name literally means the almost island of Quiberon. And it is an almost-island. Quiberon is divided into two parts, Saint-Pierre-Quiberon and Presqu'ile de Quiberon. The latter is separated from the mainland by a sliver-thin peninsula that is only about 70 feet wide. Driving over this narrow stretch, it's hard to believe that with the radical tide changes in the area, the road isn't sometimes underwater making the Presqu'ile, a true island. Still, the Presqu'ile feels like an island.
Presqu'Ile de Quiberon looking south As you can see from the satellite photo I borrowed from the Quiberon tourism website, it's about as close to an island as you can get. With an area of less than 9 square kilometers (less than 3.5 square miles), you can walk around the entire presqu'ile in about 4 hours on the sentier littoral which is part of the Grand Randonnee (GR) 34. The differences you'll see are amazing. On the mainland side, you'll find miles of sand dunes like we've seen along most of the west coast of France. Not far down the west side is the Cote Sauvage, a rugged rocky coastline with just a few small beaches. As you enter the main part of the village of Quiberon near the end of the island, you find small harbors and points which block the swells from the rest of the island, and as you round the east and northeast side of the island, you find long stretches of pristine beaches and harbors with calm crystal clear water reminiscent of the Caribbean.
Karen on the Cote Sauvage at sunset Karen and I arrived in Quiberon mid-afternoon. We were a couple hours early for our hotel check in but the staff was kind enough to show us to our spectacular ocean-view room. They also recommended a restaurant called Les Viviers on the Cote Sauvage. We drove over to the restaurant that stands alone on the cliffs, parked, and started walking the trail that runs along the cliffs for several miles, passing Menhirs, giant stones that date from about 5,000 BC. At one point we saw a ruined chapel on the edge of the cliff and not far away was a section that was cordoned off. It was an archeological site, a six thousand year old tomb. A sign indicated that most of the contents had been moved to the Prehistory Museum in Carnac, a few miles away.
We had a superb dinner at Les Viviers, consisting of broiled clams as an appetizer, mussels for a main course, and very nice Muscadet from the Loire Valley. Karen and I are mussel fans and these were the biggest mussels we've ever eaten. It's not the shells that were unusual, it was hard to believe the meat fit inside the shells. We walked a few more miles after dinner enjoying the memorable sunset.
We had a superb dinner at Les Viviers, consisting of broiled clams as an appetizer, mussels for a main course, and very nice Muscadet from the Loire Valley. Karen and I are mussel fans and these were the biggest mussels we've ever eaten. It's not the shells that were unusual, it was hard to believe the meat fit inside the shells. We walked a few more miles after dinner enjoying the memorable sunset.
 View from our hotel room |  One of many Menhirs along the coast |  Sunset on the Cote Sauvage of Quiberon |
The next morning we got up at first light and raced to Port Blanc on the Cote Sauvage to find some surf. After a two hour session, we returned to the hotel for breakfast and then walked around the tip of the island to the east and north. The points were lined with Cypress trees, and much of that part of the coast looked like Monterey and Pacific Grove. As we went further east, we passed old forts and encountered new harbors and long stretches of those beaches I mentioned. It was hard to believe how clear the water was - this was the North Atlantic Coast!
 High tide and onshore in the afternoon |  Heading east on the Sentier Littoral |  Small harbor and clear water - northeast |
We were a bit reluctant to leave Quiberon and wanted to explore more but decided to make a stop at Carnac a few miles onto the mainland to have lunch and to check out the museum and the local Menhirs. Karen and I are not big museum people but the Prehistory Museum in Carnac was fascinating, probably because it represented local history and prehistory starting 450,000 years ago. In addition to the finds, it chronicled the changes in the land mass, the effects of the ice age (which at one point froze the English Channel), and showed on maps where to go to see the original sites. It explained the construction of the Dolmens, tombs dating back to 5,000 BC, and how the massive stones were placed on top - they filled the area with dirt, dragged the stones onto the dirt and then removed the dirt. It also proposed numerous theories for the more than 4000 menhirs in the area and their unusual alignments.
 Dolmen near Carnac |  Menhirs a few minutes from the Museum |
We left the museum and had a leisurely drive to our next stop, Finistere - land's end (or world's end) depending on your interpretation. That is where we got a sense of how rugged Brittany can be. Quiberon, even with its remarkable coastline was tame in comparison to what we'd see next.
There's no question we'll be back to visit Quiberon and the surrounding area. Between the beaches, the history, the great food and the surf, it's a place we want to take more time to explore.
There's no question we'll be back to visit Quiberon and the surrounding area. Between the beaches, the history, the great food and the surf, it's a place we want to take more time to explore.
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