Morlaix - day 2

Arrrgghhh!  The Morlaix mosquitos like the taste of me! I am SO bug-bitten!

City Hall - Hôtel dis François du Parc

Greyish morning – seems to be the pattern to have a cloudy start and have it clear later, so I took my time this morning, and went late to breakfast.  When I came back to my room I got a few things done, and then lay on the bed and went back to sleep for three hours!  Not sure where that came from...  Unfortunately it seems to have been the point at which the mozzies have moved in. No pharmacies open – the French take Sunday off very seriously. I daubed myself with Benedryl (which doesn’t seem to be working) and sunscreen, and dug out my sun-hat and headed down-river.

Cormorant drying off

The river is not very deep and requires locks to access it at the right times, but it’s been an active port for small boats for hundreds of years, and for goods both legal and illegal – trade in linen, mainly, and the activity of corsairs in the 1700s. In the mid-19thC the King's architect designed Le Manufacture – a tobacco factory, which grew through the advances of industry, and doubled in size between the two world wars. Since 2020, the “Manu” has become a home to contemporary art & culture as well as a science and activity centre.

Le Manu courtyard

Image through the entrance 

Same image but closeup

Lovely container planting

It’s Sunday, so everything was closed, but the complex of buildings was open, and was fascinating to walk through.

Another courtyard

Local school photo-project - 17 ans

Le Manufacture

They’re doing some construction to one side of the river, so fencing prevented too close an approach, but the ducks obviously liked it that nobody could bother them.

Past Le Manu, there was a floating pontoon over the river, so I was able to cross and return on the other side, getting pics from mid-river. 

Looking back at downtown Morlaix, dominated by the viaduct

Looking north toward the river mouth; the bridge you can see is the bypass

There were some large fish, and a lot of very small fry - but too much reflection to get a good photo.

Mountain ash in full berry on the left!

Walking back, there were some very steep side-streets marked for Access au Viaduct - I was not tempted!

Celtic symbolism is big in Brittany

Nor by the promise of climbing up to Ste Melaine

Up the hill to church!

There were a number of bars open, but no shaded spots, and I am not a person who can sit in the sun!  I decided that what I needed was a refill of my waterbottle with lemon electrolytes – fluid rather than food - and some more dabbing with Benedryl. I’m just a little nervous about the bus tomorrow, because my first research put me on a shuttle up to the station and then on the Roscoff bus – but the e-ticket that has come through has me getting on the bus at the Viaduct – and I saw it sitting there earlier today, so it’s likely right....

Now I think I’m going to unmake my bed, and sleep under the duvet cover without the duvet – and hope that will keep me both cooler and mosquito-protected!