Lampaul-Guimiliau and Le Grouanec and walk on the shore

With all this driving you might wonder which make of car we got this time. As in the past, there were no automatic transmissions available in the car size we requested, so we got bumped up to a Volkswagen Passat. It had lots of pickup and VERY tight brakes. The woman at the rental wanted to back it off the side walk where it was parked and when she hit the brakes her head snapped. Needless to say Jan went easy on the brakes most of the time.

With more bad weather predicted for the morning we decided to make a much shorter trip to Lampaul-Guimiliau to see a Parish Close. In Brittany between the 15th and 18th century the urban areas grew wealthy on the manufacture of cloth. The urban churches were parish-size churches surrounded by walls with lots of carvings inside.

As we drove through the small town of Le Grouanec we noticed the wonderful church with a small wall around it. The lichen on the stone made the building come to life. While we were walking around the church yard and shooting photos, an older man who was tending to the church went into the church. When he came out he asked where we were from. Jan told him America and he repeated over and over as he walked away "Bienvenu", welcome. He was obviously pleased that someone from far away took interest in his church.

Welcomes like this have always made our stays in France more than just a trip around the countryside. The trip to Lampaul-Guimiliau went quickly after that and we found a parking spot right next to the church.

The stone cross is almost always a part of yard outside churches in Brittany. Sometimes they are tall and thin other times more substantial like this one.

Fountains like this one are also a feature of most of the churches and chapels we saw here.

Lampaul-Guimiliau is the home of one of the famous Parish Close. It was started in 1533.

The church seen from behind the back wall.

One of the gargoyles. The belfry (1573) was once one of the highest in Finistére, but it was shorted by lightening which destroyed the spire in 1809. Once inside, you will notice the Rood (a crucifix suspended in the choir of a church or cathedral) and the altar behind it. This Rood is call the Holy Rood of Glory and features the Virgin Mary and St. John in addition to the crucifix. The statues are supported by a beam with bas-relief scenes from the Passion.

The Holy Rood of Glory and altar

You can see the detail in the carving in this photo.

	The font made of granite dates to 1651. The large octagonal canopy held up by eight columns dates to 1650. Carvings represent the baptism of Christ by St. John. Below are carvings from the altar.
The Laying in the Tomb (1676) is carved in soft stone. The figures arranged around The Christ from left to right are Joseph of Arimathea, Salome, Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary, St. John, Mary the mother of James, Gamaliel and Nicodemus.

After our tour of the church we went next door to a boulangerie where we got an "American" sandwich— a small baguette with lettuce, tomato, pickle, chicken and mayo— enough to sustain us on the trip home.

On the bright side the sun started to shine as we passed through this town. Each town had at least one speed bump (Marked with white arrows on the pavement) that reduced your speed to around 20 mph. If you hit it a bit fast, you risk whiplash.

A walk on the beach

By the time we got back to the cottage, the sun was shining and we walked down to the beach from the cabin. Jan and I found some small shells and enjoyed watching the fishermen working along the beach. The rocks in the harbor are impressive.

Rocks off the coast

Horses behind the beach

Mouth of l'Aber Wac'h

Lighthouses of l'Aber Wrac'h