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| Le phare de la Vieille et la pointe du Raz |
The wild Atlantic Ocean boils around the La Vieille lighthouse at the Pointe du Raz in on the western tip of Brittany, France. This lighthouse started operating in 1887 after five years of construction delayed by fierce tides and the fact that they could only build for half of the year because of the conditions. La Vieille or The Old Lady and its companion the Petite Vieille, guide mariners through Raz de Sein with its whirlpools, strong currents and sharp rocks. The Point du Raz lighthouse that can be seen on the rocky headland in the distance consists of a lighthouse and a lighthouse keepers cottage but stopped operating in 1887, presumably when the grouping of lighthouses out at sea came 'on stream'.
This part of the coast is a popular tourist destination with the added interest of spotting the lighthouse when one gets to the end, however the photographer, Jean Guichard, has braved the elements with his photograph. For landlubbers the Finistère coast has attractive coastal paths and if you want to go for more than a saunter then this is the western end of the E5 European Long Distance footpath which runs for 3200 km (1988 miles) to Italy.
Postcards for the Weekend theme this week - Lighthouses - set sail to see more at Connections to the World
5 comments:
What a remote lighthouse. It's interesting how long it took to build it too. Great card!
Wow - that looks rough!
I remember when I was there. Not in the lighthouse itself, but on the shore. It was summer and the sea was rough... Well, for me: I'm a Mediterranean girl!
It's a beautiful postcard, indeed.
Kudos to Jean Guichard for capturing this view of the Pointe du Raz with the boiling waters!And kudos to you Joy for sharing this card. Until next weekend.
Joy, I enjoyed this post. The card is interesting and I really like all the information you passed along about the location and construction that took 5 years. That water does look rough! However, the light looks solid as the rock it's built on! Thanks for sharing and have a fine week ahead!
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