L'ORIENT, FRANCE

This half day tour will take us to one of the most romantic cities in Brittany; Pont-Aven. Nestling amid the greenery of the Aven estuary this small town has attracted artists Paul Gauguin and his friends of the Pont-Aven school in the 19th century because of its poetic scenery.

This half day tour will take us to one of the most romantic cities in Brittany; Pont-Aven. Nestling amid the greenery of the Aven estuary this small town has attracted artists Paul Gauguin and his friends of the Pont-Aven school in the 19th century because of its poetic scenery. Our first stop will be made at Le Pouldu, a small seaside resort, where in 1889 artist Paul Gauguin and Jacob Meyer de Haan stayed in a local café: the ‘Buvette de la Plage’ owned by Marie Henry (1859 – 1893). During the winter of 1889 they decorated the dining room with their paintings on the walls, doors, ceiling and windowpanes. World famous artists such as Serusier, Filiger, Laval, Maufra and Bernard also stayed in this inn from 1889 to 1893 and participated in its decoration. As the “Buvette de la Plage” was transformed several times by successive owners, its identical reconstruction was carried out in an old house, built according to the same plans and located only ten metres away from the original. The visit of Marie Henry’s house includes the kitchen, the bar and the famous dining room as well as the bedrooms on the first floor used by the artists. All of the rooms are fully furnished to give the impression that it is still inhabited. On arrival in Pont-Aven we will follow our guide for a scenic walking tour. The town lies in a very pleasant setting and the Aven river used to drive numerous mills, hence the saying: “Pont-Aven, a famous town; fourteen mills, fifteen houses”. The place seduced a lot of painters of all nationalities. After Gauguin formed the “Pont-Aven school” in 1888, colonies of English and American artists settled in the region. As Pont-Aven is famous for its Breton pancakes more than for its art galleries, we will be able to take advantage of our free time for shopping or tasting local specialities.

DESCRIPTION CORRECT FOR 2007 CANARIES & MEDITERRANEAN CRUISES