Rest day: Morlaix, more or less

September 23, 2021

Goodbye, summer! Autumn is the season to tour. Crisp mornings, brilliant displays of foliage, no heat waves, fewer crowds. The down side is chilly days when there is cloud cover or rain, fallen leaves stuck in your fenders, a bit more wind, and campgrounds closing for the season. To that end, I have spent a fair amount of time identifying places that will remain open until at least the end of September for the next stage of our tour.

Rain is forecast for every day starting tomorrow. I'm doing my best to ignore it. It's not going to be that bad. I want to continue camping if we can. I have to admit it's getting a little more difficult as we age, but that's precisely why I am being stubborn about it now. In a few years, we'll jettison the tent and replace it with a credit card. Until then, let's continue to live a little closer to nature, and save a few dollars here and there so that we can afford to tour for as long as our bodies allow.

We knew nothing about Morlaix coming in to town. It's not exactly a tourist destination. I like small cities a lot. They have character. They have stories to tell that not many people want to listen to. We didn't have time to give Morlaix our undivided attention, but I liked what I heard. We had a few errands to take care of today, as is often the case on our rest days, and then there's the resting part that we really needed. We rode for 8 straight days, and most of them were quite challenging!

So, for instance, when we walked across the viaduct that looms over the city, we felt the soreness in our legs as we walked up the steps to reach it. Otherwise, walking felt good, but so did just lounging around, so we did some of both. There are a lot of charming shops here. I'm not much of a window shopper, but today I made an exception. I also enjoyed the murals, mosaics, and stencil graffiti that dot the walls here and there:

Here are some viaduct photos:

We wanted to visit two historic houses of architectural significance, but one, la Maison á Pandelez, was closed for the month. We had to "settle" for la Maison de la Duchesse Anne, which, while not as impressive as a chateau or cathedral, evokes a sense of earthiness and practicality to counter its grandeur.

We were disappointed to discover that the incredible-looking boulangerie down the street, A La Reine Anne, was also closed for the week. We thought everyone took their vacations in August! What gives? I suppose our waistlines are better off as a result.

Yesterday we literally turned a corner as we pedaled south for the last few kilometers to Morlaix. Tomorrow we will continue in that direction, chasing warm weather, new scenery, and more adventures.

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