A Drive Through Brittany
Breton Culture and Megaliths Show You
A Different France

Bypass the Loire Valley for now. For your drive through Brittany, head out of Paris on the E50 through Le Mans and drive to Rennes, the capital of Brittany, and on to Vannes.

Most of Brittany juts out into the Atlantic on the northwest corner of France. It is hugged by the English Channel on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and south. There are great beaches on the south facing part of the peninsula that attract French tourists to the area.

There are many reminders of the Breton/Celtic culture in the villages in this part of France. Crepes and cider are traditions here, and you'll hear Celtic music and see some traditional costumes at festivals.

The people of Brittany have always felt they were a little different than others in France. Even today a quarter of the population speaks Breton... a language that is closely related to Cornish and Welsh. They do speak French, of course, but in many small villages they prefer to speak Breton to keep their traditions. It's from these ties with the Celts of Great Britain that the Arthurian Legends spilled over into Brittany.

Rennes is the capital of the region. It's a good size city. You could stop for lunch here on your drive through Brittany. If you stop, concentrate on the old center of town where some of the half-timbered houses of the medieval city survive.

If you'd rather see a medieval castle, continue on to the Chateau de Josselin, and lunch in the attractive village that sits under its walls on the Oust River.

Continue on your drive through Brittany to visit Carnac. The great prehistoric megalithic alignments of Carnac are about 6 hours from Paris. The stones are scattered all over this area. There is a Musee de Prehistoire to give you some insights on the stones.

There are plenty of small hotels and B&Bs near the beaches and all through Brittany. Have cider with Crepes and Gallettes (a buckwheat flour crepe). Try the great sea food of the region.

After you've spent a day or two at Carnac, drive up the coast to the town of Concarneau. Drive right in to the Centre de Ville (center of town) and you will find the 14th century Ville Close (the walled town) that is built on an island in the harbor. This picturesque little village is completely encircled by massive granite ramparts.

There are a couple of small places to stay right on the island. The whole town is an important fishing port, so find a restaurant, and you'll have some great seafood... Let me tell you a little story about that...

One of the memories we have of staying in Cancarneau was of the Chef and owner of the little inn we stayed in. We had the option of including a prix fixe dinner with our stay. At first we weren't sure we wanted to do that... and we mentioned to him that we might just want to go and have some crepes....

WELL!!!! Henri, puffed up and informed us that, "Ze crepes.... they are JUST PANCAKES!"

Guess that set us straight. We laughed and laughed, and we decided to have dinner in his restaurant. We were SO glad we did. It was wonderful.

If you want to get a real feel for the Breton character of the area, stop in the town of Quimper. If you happen to be there for a festival, this is where you may see some of the women in traditional costumes, and hear them speaking Breton.

Drive up to the north coast and visit Saint-Malo. This was once a fortified island. Though damaged in WW II, it has been restored. The great ramparts that circle the city give you great views of the tangle of cobble-stone streets within the walls and sweeping views out to sea.

On the return part of your circle drive through Brittany, stop in Dinan. The old town (Vieille Ville) is another of those medieval villages of half-timbered houses and cobbled streets surrounded by ramparts.

You probably didn't have enough time with the neolithic stones and medieval villages, but make your way back to the 21st century through Rennes and Le Mans to Paris.

Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it!   Judy and Mark

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