The flight over to Belle Ile was beautiful.  We were anxiously looking out our windows, enjoying the beautiful french countryside. 

I couldn't find a car on the maze of roads below.  Giullame reminded me that it was a holiday and "it is lunch time in France, everyone is inside".  (But of course!)

Within an hour, we could see the Brittany coast and the Atlantic ocean.  A beautiful peninsula lapped up the coastline. 

This is where you can take a 45 minute ferry from Quiberon to Belle Ile.  We flew over the turquoise colored waters, looking below at long stretches of beach and rugged cliffs...........then we spotted the beautiful island that was our destination. 

The island is only 12 by 6 miles and has a wild coastline, they call it "cote savage".  It has numerous inlets with small coves and beaches.  The interior of the island has sweet neighborhood communities with small cottages.  Some of the communities have pathways right down to the ocean...........

These pictures don't do this island justice.  The colors of the countryside were so much greener than they appear and the water was an unbelievable greenish blue.  It took our breath away. 

Once we landed, we decided to go to one of the beaches that we saw from the air.  We called a taxi from the small airport and drove about 5 minutes to the beach.  We had a picnic lunch and an extra pair of clothes for the kids so we were set. 

The kids ran ahead of us down the long pathway from the road and screamed with delight when they saw the blue ocean.  They could not get to the coastline fast enough.  

A small hotel at the beginning of the pathway sat  overlooking the ocean.  The sky was so blue, the sun so intense, the breeze so refreshing.  Beautiful bodies lay all over the sand, glistening and brown.

Once the kids made it to the water, they stripped down to their undies and jumped into the cold water. 

They became quite the spectacle.  It was fun to see the other vacationers swim close to them, smile and laugh at their utter joy; listening intently to all of us.   

I will leave you with your toes in the sand and cool water running over your feet.  Let's continue this little trip tomorrow..............