Normandy & Brittany - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 275

Camaret-sur-Mer
POP 2600
At the western extremity of the Crozon Peninsula, Camaret (unusually in French,
the final 't' is pronounced) is a classic fishing village - or at least it was until early
last century, when it was France's biggest crayfish port. Abandoned fishing-boat
carcasses now decay in its harbour, but it remains an enchanting place that lures
artists. There's an ever-increasing number of galleries dotted around town, particu-
larly along rue de la Marne and around place St-Thomas, one block north of the wa-
terfront.
Three kilometres south of Camaret, Pointe de Pen-Hir is a spectacular headland
bounded by steep, sheer sea cliffs, with two WWII memorials.

Quimper
POP 67,250
Small enough to feel like a village, with its slanted half-timbered houses and narrow
cobbled streets, and large enough to buzz as the troubadour of Breton culture and
arts, Quimper (pronounced 'kam-pair') is Finistère's thriving capital.

Sights

CATHEDRAL ST-CORENTIN
(place St-Corentin; 9.30am-noon & 1.30-6.30pm) At the centre of the city stands
this impressive cathedral, the distinctive kink built into its soaring light-filled interior
said by some to symbolise Christ's head inclined on one shoulder as he was dying
on the cross. Begun in 1239, the cathedral wasn't completed until the 1850s, with
the seamless addition of its dramatic twin spires.

Cathedral

MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS
( 02 98 95 45 20; 40 place St-Corentin; adult/child €4.50/2.50; 10am-7pm)
The ground-floor halls are home to some fairly morbid 16th- to 20th-century
European paintings, but things lighten up on the upper levels of the town's main art
museum. A room dedicated to Quimper-born poet Max Jacob includes sketches by
Picasso.

Art Museum

MUSÉE DÉPARTEMENTAL BRETON Breton Museum