Some impressions I got the last weeks in random order while living in St Nazaire...

Driving down the honda from Bredene to the Daphne, 1005km in one day, avoiding the highway and enjoying the Normandie and Breton countryside. A special stop at the circuit of Le Mans where the superbike race is going on. I could hear the race way before I could even see the circuit. With the screaming hi-revs of the Hayabusa’s still in my ears arriving at St Nazaire at the dock and a first meet with the Dock’s Bar, located in the 2^nd world war submarine bunker in the center of the city, a lot more will follow...

Les Machines de l’ile, a magnificent exhibition with all kinds of serious heavy duty functional art in the old shipyard in Nantes. Small example: a 12m high elephant capable of carrying 40 passengers and a metal tree/garden who sizes 30m across and 20m high. Even for me (not particular into art) this is definitly worth a visit.

Meet Dieter, our “neighbour”. Let me say first that he has more than a loose screw. He has a wooden, 10m long, 40years old fishing boat with he bought in St Nazaire after his other boat sunk and is docked behind the bridge close to us in the shadow of a big, confiscated freight carrier. He is on his way to Fiji to marry his 34 years old girlfriend and wants to arrive there next year. Not only is he close to 70, his planned route crosses the Gulf of Aden, world famous for it’s pirates and as his boat has a fuelrange of only 350nm, he has to go to port in the Gulf.

Driving down the coastline to the Golf de Morbihan, searching in the pittoreske towns for the freshest seafood you can get your hands on, ending up walking on the beach and collecting ‘des huitres’ ourselves on the beaches of Carnac.

The unbelievable incompetance of the average employee of any metalshop, Leroy Merlin, carshop,... in France. If you work in a plumming supply shop and you don’t have high-pressure valves I don’t mind, but do not tell me they don’t exist.

One morning we drove up to the Mt Saint Michel. It frightens me how commercially exploited they made the whole thing. It’s still impressive but it is implemented in it’s own little Las Vegas. Complete with the St Michel casino and ready-when-you-wait paintings. Borderline sad...

The first preformance of Bart Peeters in France ever, free and with maximum 250 people at the scene and still, from the 2^nd song he got the public on his hand, great party, great night.

I was sorting the stuff in the front peak when a deep bariton voice was holding a serenade on the dock where we are moared. Beeing alone on the ship at that moment I go outside and meet a 60 years old Scottish viking with the Latourette syndrom who was a Atlantic king crab fisher during his life. He invites us for dinner the next day. An evening filled with good Scottish food, cursing the French and Chanti songs was the enjoyable result.

Of course we return the favor and the day after tomorrow they are our guests on the boat, promising...

And the fridge still looks really familiar

24-10-2011 om 22:07 geschreven door Gibbon