Carnac

We have never been to Stonehedge, and we should go there, but we were impressed with Carnac. We now have the question: Why are those rocks there? I also liked the fact that at the time we visited Carnac we just drove up, the road come along one of the fields, there were the rocks. You parked and were free to walk through the field among the 2,935 memhirs. Of course that was travel two decades ago, and the things may not be as relaxed now.

The age of the stones span quite a distance as evidently, oldest of the stones date back to the Middle Neolithic Period (about 3300 BC) and some of the most recent one are from the Early Bronze Age.

There are different alighnments of the stones and for some you only really get the impact when you look at an aerial photo, but nevertheless, just walking through the field you can see how the stones are laid out in a pattern and it fires up questions in your mind, why?

The church in the town is also interesting as it dates back to the 17th Century.

As you drive near Carnac the are many opportunities to see the ancient rocks.

Dinan

This is a town your would expect in Brittany with the cobblestone streets and old timber houses. The gray granite does create a bit of a dark feel, but the window-boxes with flowers bring colour to the town. This is one towns in Brittany that should not be missed. It is considered one of the best perserved medieval towns in Brittany.

The centre of the town is the Place des Cordeliers. Along here and the rue de l'Apprt are timber houses. The Church of St. Malo has 15th Century cloisters that have been restored.

Walk down the rue du Jerzual, it will take you down the hill to the port, the area of the town along the river.

When we go back to Dinan we will have the climb the Tour de l'Horlog, the old clock tower, open July to September 10 - 6:30, and get a view of the town looking down on it. I am told it is a great photo shot.

Between Dinan and Combourg is the Chateau La Bourbonsais. It dates from the 1580s and visits are by guided tour. Most of the interior dates from the 18th Century.

 

Josselin

We are making our way towards Vannes and decided to stop in Josselin. It was interesting and we lucked out with a medieval festival in progress. It made it all the more interesting.

The château dates back to the 11th Century. But later in the 12th Century when Henry II tried to take hold of Brittany and lost, he had the chateau torn down. A few years later the château was re-built but it was to be doomed yet again as in the 17th Century during the religious wars it was sacked. Luckily it was rebuilt in 1860 and that is the structure that stands today.

A good day and evening here. We called our friends, the Le Goueff's, in Vannes, to let them know we are arriving the next day. Oh, the flood of french language over the phone, I knew I would be some trouble with my limited French but heck, surely I thought it was bound to come back!

Josselin

Rennes

Located about 100 km fron Nantes and 348 from Paris, much of Rennes was built after a fire in 1720 pretty well wiped out the city. The area around the cathedral and Rue Saint-Georges will has a medieval look despite the rebuilding that took place.

There are plenty of students as well as old grannite buildings in this town.

When we first arrived the size of Rennes was more than we wanted but after we stopped and walked along the river and I found a number of good pen stores the place took on a different feeling for me!

The Place de la République, which is down by the Vilaine River, is the heart of the town. The Palais du Commerce was built in the style of Louis XIV, constructed between 1868 to 1932. The Hôtel de Ville, pictured above, with its bell tower and flanking pavillions is pure Louis XV. So there is a grand feel about the place.

If you walk along Rue St-Georges, this is where you will find the oldest of the houses that still exist in Rennes. The Notre-Dame which is the Church of St. Mélaine was at one time an abbey church and has a pleasant cloister built in 1683.

This is also a good town to make rail connections if you are going to travel the area by other than car.

 

The walls of half-timbered houses create beautiful patterns,

Vannes

The town overlooks the Gulf of Morbihan, and is about 2 1/2 hours from Paris. The medieval town is charming. The walls remain around much of the town.

• The old medieval centre has what you would expect, cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses and an impressive market. the Place Henri IV is the historic squre of the town. Surrounded by old buildings this is the place to get the atmosphere of Vannes.

• The medieval ramparts remain and you can walk along the walls with views of the old town and the gardens which provide a nice break from just seeing old houses.

• The Cathedral Saint-Pierre is beautiful. It is one of those churches that took forever to build, in this case 600 years.

 

Vannes