'Chocolate' Day out near Morlaix, 11th October 2022
Eighteen members came from all across Brittany to enjoy a day of interesting visits and a drive along the Bay of Morlaix, punctuated by lunch in the Maison de Kerdiès restaurant in St Samson with its amazing views over the bay.
The group met outside the reception of the GRAIN DE SAIL chocolate factory at Morlaix for tea and coffee before heading inside for the pre-booked visit to see the production facilities. A huge amount of information is provided during the visit, covering the history, organics and processes associated with chocolate manufacture.
A key aspect of this company is their ecological awareness as shown by their sail-powered cargo ship, used to transport French wines to New York and then bring back cocoa product from their Fair Trade producers in the Caribbean. They will soon be launching a second, bigger sailing cargo ship to augment their capacity.
We watched the factory production lines in action, a mixture of automation, robotics and human activity.
After a visit to the factory shop the group headed off along the east side of the river, then bay, of Morlaix and on to St. Samson for an excellent and very convivial lunch.
Our epicurian needs satisfied, we took to the road once again following the coast as far as Plougasnou for an arranged visit to the privately owned car-museum, 'Les Vieilles Soupapes' with its eclectic collection of French and British motor history.
Triumph, Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Citroen, Renault, Licorne, Hotchkiss and others are represented, along with a huge collection of cyling equipment and various artworks - the working Wurlitzer juke box also attracted attention. One of the cars has a very poignant historical background, directly related to the German occupation of France, and the life-story of the museum owner, Philippe Jaouen.
Philippe kindly took great trouble to explain the exhibits to us.
This is a link to a video (made by our daughter) on the museum
We headed to our respective homes after the museum visit, to try out the chocolate delights bought that morning, and thankful that the weather had been perfect for us throughout the whole day,
As organisers of the day we thank all those who participated, especially those who came such long distances, and for making this a totally enjoyable day for all concerned. Thanks also to the club for covering the entry fees for the two visits.
We look forward to the possibility of organising another day out in our North Finistère area in 2023 !
Steve and Wendy Chadwick
