Come November in Northern Brittany, the weather gets rougher. Not necessarily colder though. But windier, much windier... This is the time when you start seeing more dishevelled waves and choppy seas in a fury than calm waters.
The winds no longer blow. They howl and they hiss and they hammer on your windows and shutters all day long and all night long. This is not frightening, let me reassure you. This is exhausting because there is no place you’ll get some peace and quiet. Nowhere.
And you learn to live a normal life while getting about while being drenched by the lashing rain which sometimes calms down to a drizzle.
Brittany is probably the only place in France where you do not see people walking around under umbrellas because of this wild and omnipresent wind. Instead the beach becomes quite colorful because we wear yellow or red hooded oilskins and windbreakers.
And you learn to live a normal life while getting about while being drenched by the lashing rain which sometimes calms down to a drizzle.
Brittany is probably the only place in France where you do not see people walking around under umbrellas because of this wild and omnipresent wind. Instead the beach becomes quite colorful because we wear yellow or red hooded oilskins and windbreakers.
Yesterday morning, when I opened the shutters, my eyes were met with sandy raging waters.
The beach was drifting away right in front of my eyes...
The beach was drifting away right in front of my eyes...
The night had been quite stormy. I am very used to high winds but I woke up a couple of times because the noise was pretty deafening despite our house being such a cocoon.
So there it was. Slack water a few minutes before ebb tide. The waves had kneaded the beach all night long and on their way back out to sea, they were dragging and sweeping the sand away.
So there it was. Slack water a few minutes before ebb tide. The waves had kneaded the beach all night long and on their way back out to sea, they were dragging and sweeping the sand away.
Now this process only happens just above the ground and pretty soon the sand will settle down again a little bit further away.
Our sandy beaches are covered in such a thick layer of sand that this temporary loss won’t show except in some places where the beach will remain scarred.
Our sandy beaches are covered in such a thick layer of sand that this temporary loss won’t show except in some places where the beach will remain scarred.
Until next tide, that is.
And then one day, our beach will look like this again.
And then one day, our beach will look like this again.
*Good Luck, and Good Night*
