SBCC Le Tour 2015: 2

Lac de Gualerdan

We went to the lake to take in the view. Lac de Gulaerdan is a man-made lake with a large hydroelectric dam at the eastern end. When we got there this is what we saw . . .

In my best French I asked the barman at the water's erstwhile edge "ou est l'eau"; his reply "they pulled the plug . . . " In fact, of course, the lake had been drained to allow essential maintenance on the dam, in the processs spoiling the summer ouward bound activities of countless French school kids. The scene elicited many excrutiting comments along the lines of 'the lack of lac', 'lacklustre lac', 'the lac that lacked a lac' etc... you get the idea. Strangely, the long submerged trees still stood in the mud.

Nantes-Brest Canal

We stopped at St Aignan for le déjeuner of galletes and crêpes. Now, I don't know about you, but a gallete doesn't really do the business nutritionally when cycling, so afters of a banana, choclate, almonds and whipped cream crêpe, washed down with a couple of beers, was largely de rigeur. From there we climbed the hill to Mur de Bretage, then back along the canal to the Abbaye de Bon Repos where they have an annual medievel event, complete wIth fake peasant village and armoured knights. The mind's eye conjours up a scene from 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', with shit-encrusted serfs having their limbs lopped off, and 'witches' submerged in the canal by ducking stool . . . but I'm sure it's nothing like that though.

So after the inevitable cafe stop we continued to Gouarec to do some shopping, and back up the hill. I'm not sure that I got the nutritional balance quite right . . .

Guess what we're having for dinner . . . spaghetti bolognese!

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