When you're so close to the ocean like we were in Brittany, it is unavoidable to come upon a lighthouse. We visited the Phare d'Eckmühl, an active lighthouse in Penmarc'h in the Département Finistère. It is 213 feet (65 m) tall and thus one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. Constructed in 1897, the light was automated in 2007. Like so many lighthouses it has a Fresnel lens.
The lighthouse is open to the public and in order to reach the viewing platform you have to climb 307 steps - 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase.
Entering the lighthouse, we were greeted by this view to the top:
It wasn't exactly encouraging and I wondered whether my knee would actually make it all the way. While Kaefer and the Geek sprinted to the top, I took my time, stopping every now and then at one of the many windows. Eventually I reached the top as well. While it was sunny, it was also pretty windy and quite chilly.
The view over the Atlantic was quite nice.
I watched the fisher boats for a while and the gulls that were following them in the hope of catching a fish.
The long shadow of the lighthouse onto the neighborhood was interesting - I always like shadows.
Finally, we went down again - my knees weren't too impressed with that! First view down:
It is a bit dizzying, to be honest. The look back up after the climb is much better, knowing that we had made it.
Spiral staircases are so fascinating.
We walked around the neighborhood a bit - I really liked how the lighthouse appeared with the sun behind it. Doesn't the cloud look like the lighthouse is fuming?
16 comments:
What a spectacular light house. I agree my knees would not have like those stairs either. I love this photo for FFO. Thank you and have a lovely weekend.
What a remarkable experience, climbing all those steps must have been a challenge, but the reward of that sweeping Atlantic view from such a historic lighthouse sounds truly worth it
Haaaaahh... Höhenangst! Ich hab nur schnell durchgescrolled (ist das ein Wort?).
Aber die Möven, oh,schön > Urlaub! Das Meer, wunderschön!
Und eure FFO-Fotos, toll. Bin gespannt, ob wir dieses Jahr wieder CSD haben.
I am pretty certain I could not have made it up and down those stairs. The photographs are amazing though. As is the view.
Thank you for participating in the Pride Festival.
...Carola, I love lighthouses and this one is fabulous in a beautiful setting. Your images of the stairs are dramatic, but I don't think that I could climb them today. Thanks for taking be along to see these sights. You sure make a colorful couple.
Quite a climb, Carola. You were very smart to take it in stages and rest when you needed to. A few years ago one of my knees was giving me a little trouble and I found that going down was harder than going up. Whatever caused the problem healed itself, fortunately. I am glad that you made it to the top and were able to provide us with wonderful views. Kudos to you for taking part in the pride parade. We all need to support each other. I am sending you 307 hugs, one for each step of your ascent to the clouds! David
I love lighthouses. I am not sure I would have made it to the top. Those iron staircases can make me quite nervous due to the noise they make.
I love spiral staircases although they can be hard to walk up and down. But what a view as a reward! And I love the photo of you both in your Pride finery!
Wow, that is quite the lighthouse. And the view is pretty impressive Worth taking your time to get up I'd say. Glad knee didn't fuss so much you could get up there. I enjoyed today's post. You've still inspired me to add this trip to my list. :) Happy Frdiay and weekend Carola. hugs-Erika
Lovely lighthouse and stunning photos. Love your faces too.
Well done reaching the top! Those steps had to be a killer with the knee but you were rewarded with marvelous views and fabulous photo ops!
Beautiful!
Lighthouses are irresistible! The designs used for them vary amazingly when you consider how they all have the same function. Your photos are super!
Sounds like an awesome adventure! The lighthouse views are stunning, and that climb must’ve been tough but worth it. Love that you joined the Pride Parade—such a great way to show support!
A print of this lighthouse hangs in my brother's bathroom. They loved it there for the summer holidays.
Me encantó el faro, bueno me gustó todo. Yo no habría podido subir, las rodillas no me dejas. ¿ Tu rodilla te quedó bien ?. Besos.
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