Audierne is a tiny community, barely a square mile in area, located picturesquely at the mouth of the Goyen river. For centuries it was a fishing village that exported fish and cereal in exchange of wood and iron. Now it is a charmer of a town, with bustling quays and narrow streets, and a long, sandy Trescadec beach.
The heart of the place is the alluring town center, with its shops and hotels, bars and restaurants. I walked the streets, right up to the edge of the turquoise water, and sipped Campari at An Teuzar and Picon at L’Iroise on Quai Camille. The baffling variety of crepes, sweet and salty, bear the hallmark of the Breton tradition.
We have become so used to a frenetic work life that, on a vacation, we schedule a frenetic tour schedule, trying to cover all that there is to see. The transition from Paris to Audierne let me see another meaning of vacation: to vacate your itinerary and your schedule, empty your mind and fill your eyes.
A is for Audierne, the city that is also a port, where the sky is blue, the water is bluer, the air is crisp and cool, the people are warm, the crepes are warmer and better, a town that is -- in more senses than one -- a true harbor. 400 miles to a town of tranquility.