Brest day two
I've always wanted to go up the Aulne river to Chateaulin, 14 miles up. And the gigantic crowds and general mayhem, combined with convenient tide times, suggest today.
We sail quietly across the Rade, and get gently swept up the river.A lovely peaceful drift, in contrast to the frantic pace of Brest. We lock into the canal that Napoleon built to get to Nantes, avoiding the permanent English blockade outside Brest. We go past the beautiful Port Launay, with a hotel with famous food, for the practical reason that Chateaulin has wine, women and song, oh sorry that's Brest, I meant food, water and diesel.
We raft outside a French designed classic, similar in lines to Marcita, and I jump into the canal for a relief from the scorching heat, which makes Marcita's brass bits too hot to touch, even at 6 pm.
There's some sort of festival on, with food and music on the opposite bank, so we're off there. I've had moules frites for the last two nights, one delicious, one horrible, so something else, please.