Thursday, January 30, 2025

Washing Oysters

 

After spending the night in Pontorson, we went to Cancale to find a boulangerie to get some breakfast. Cancale is a small fishing port about fifteen kilometers east of Saint-Malo. It has a reputation of being the "oyster capital" of Bretagne (Brittany). We first went to the cliffs from where we could have seen the oyster farms at low tide if there hadn't been any fog. However, it was foggy and we only saw this:

Arriving at the center square, we were drawn to the fountain in front of the church Saint-Méen, dedicated to a Breton monk who is said to have founded Cancale in the 6th century. Les Laveuses d'Huitres (the oyster washers) is a bronze statue by the sculptor Jean Fréour which pays tribute to the women of Cancale who washed oysters at the beginning of the 20 th century before mechanization.

It must have been a hard job.

It was October when we were in Cancale and the two women are wearing pink in support of Pink October to symbolize breast cancer awareness.

The faces of the women are for Nicole's Friday Face Off. Please note the spider web.

On a completely different note - this mountain will always be Denali for me.

Photo taken at midnight from Wonder Lake campground in July 2005.


14 comments:

Iris Flavia said...

Schönes Nebel-Foto, jedoch hätte ich auch gern die Ernte gesehen...
Die Unterstützung in Pink ist sehr stark, wie auch das letzte Foto.

roentare said...

These bronze sculptures are truly artistic

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Oysters are one thing I have never really taken a liking too, and about twenty years I developed an allergy to shellfish anyway, so I don’t even have to think about giving it one more try! The statues are quite wonderful, especially clad in pink. Hugs - David

Tom said...

...Les Laveuses d'Huitres is fabulous and fog adds a bit of magic!

Gene Black said...

I love public art like The Oyster Washers. It is interesting to see the statues dressed in a bit of color. I think it really enhances the art and draws the eye in.
The spiderweb is very detailed. It blends in so well with the face that I almost didn't see it.

My name is Erika. said...

That statue is amazing, and I think even better with the pink additions. It must have been very hard to wash those heavy baskets all the time. And I'm with you. It will always be Denali. Not some obscure president who as far as I know had nothing to do with Alaska. Have a wonderful last day of January and start to the new month Carola. hugs-Erika

Mae Travels said...

The clothing for the statues makes them look more like toy dolls than like works of art, so I was glad you explained that the pink shirts were not part of the artist’s concept. Your trip continues to be very enjoyable for the armchair traveler.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Christine said...

Great piece

DVArtist said...

OMGosh! These photos are simply beautiful. The statues are outstanding and the tree photo is amazing. Thank you for sharing with FFO.

Michelle said...

I am not a fan of oysters, but I do like that statue of the washers. Yes, it will always be Denali.

peppylady (Dora) said...

I do like oysters.

Antonio Rodriguuez said...

Precioso blog. Me gusta como capturas la belleza en tus viajes.
Un saludo

Teresa said...

Bonito monumento, me gusta mucho, también la fotografía de la montaña. Besos.

Granny Annie said...

Love Oysters. Congratulations for being a Feature on Nicole's Friday Face Off today.