However...Vannes was our destination today. It is a Medieval city with a modern population of around 52,000 people, a Port and a the remains of a Walled City.
We took forever to get to the motorway, twisting in and out of little country Hamlets (always makes me think of what my sons call that...Little Pig...get it? Hamlet!) and towns where I have to change down from the normal 90kph to 70 for the Hamlets and 50 for the towns. I don't mind, as it means we can take our time checking places out. We usually go through the Centre Ville (Town Center), so we get to look, and sometimes stop there and find out what makes the place special. Usually there is a Catherdral or Eglise (Church) in the middle of town...typical in most of Europe...and they are usually built of stone. Their spires are long and skinny and many figured, with plenty of Gargoyles and places for pigeons to sit and poop...yes, that is a real problem, often addressed by netting on both roofs and special statues in and around the church. There is a wonderful movement to resurrect these lovely buildings and clean and renovate them in general. It is amazing to see what the centuries have wrought on the figurines...some of them are barely recognizable now. You will see this in some of the photos yet to come.
Most of the 'country' roads we travers are barely one lane wide.. but wherever you look, you see little settlements in between the pasture..Hamlets and Towns.
Before getting to the autoroute, we went through the small town of Malestroit, which is noted as a Town of Particular Cultural Interest, in the guidebooks and also on the sign as you enter the town. All these towns have cultural significance in one way or other. Malestroit is significant for its Medieval feudal beginnings in the 11th century. Parts of the town have buildings dating back to the 11/13/16th centuries, and of course most of them have been rebuilt at some stage or other. This is Living History!
This is the bridge into the town. It goes over the Nantes to Brest Canal (northbound). Yes, boats have to be low to get under these bridges!
This barge is apparently a Taxi for hire.
We went for a walk along the tow path, for a ways, and then turned in between the houses, back to the main road, which had no sidewalk, and motorists who were not good at giving us some space, walking tight up against the houses. This is common here, where the houses are right on the road in many places. You literally come out the front door onto the road!
Finally we hit the autoroute and were happy steaming along at 110kph, and finally exiting to Vannes. We passed through the industrial part of the city before entering the ancient part of town. Finding a parking space on this Friday was another matter. En France, it pays to be patient...something the French are not good at. Not only are they not patient, in general, but they are also tailgaters, or did I already tell you that.? They leave no room for indecision AT ALL, so we have made some motoring decisions that have necessitated some U turns as a result. Better that than being rear-ended! non?
We ended up driving along the Marina, therefore waterfront, in Vannes, and it was old eagle-eyes Waz who found our parking lot that was Gratuite...Free!yay! All the others were pay places and those create their own problems, as we have to then read the wretched meter! :) Our free parking lot was up a steep hill...good for walking down, fresh of limb, but not for walking up, after a few hours on our feet...more on that later.
We went around and around and finally spotted someone coming up the stairs and heading for their tiny car. We asked her...Vous Allez, Madame? (You are going?) Oui! Ahhh! Merci!! Tres Bien!
So we followed her to her car, giving her just enough room to back out so that the car behind us didn't sneak in in front of us, as they are want to do! We parked in a space wide enough, for once, and locked and went down the hill. Immediately we got to the Marina at the bottom of the hill, we regretted that we didn't have our jackets and scarves. The wind was FREEEZING!
Not far along the waterfront we spied a restaurant, this now being 11.30am..Lunch time. We know it costs more along the tourist route, but we fancied sitting in a restaurant eating and looking at boats..ha! I wonder why???:) We tent to gravitate to water, no matter where we are.
We decided on the Plat du Jour for 11euros each for Cannelloni Saumon et Poirons (Salmon and Leeks), which was delicious and we decided on a Café Crème to follow, which was a treat. Lunch came to 26euros, which wasn't too bad, and we were full!
Now replete, we started towards the Medieval center of the town which is marked by a figured gate, and lots of people were pouring into and out of it's mouth. We stopped for post cards at the entry, .40centimes each. I guess you could say we have disobeyed all the rules of being a tourist, so far today.
As was typical, in Medieval times, a fortress or Chateau was built with a Ramparts surrounding it, and in time, villages grew within its confines for the safety of the citizens, but also because there was always a need for commerce within. As these were feudal times, safety within the walls was good for everyone, and many crafts were fostered by the Lord and master, and different areas became known for different crafts and products according to the countryside....fishing near the cost, blacksmith near the farming towns etc. This small city is on the Marle Estuary. In the center of the old town is the Cathedral of Saint Pierre which is undergoing much reconstruction and renovation of its exterior.
The Gate to the Medieval City of Vannes. YEs, that is a tourist train to the right, in the photo! It was full
We entered the gate and immediately spied a culinary shop...of course we had to enter therein and ooh and ahh over all the fantastic cookware:) and even buy something...which I cannot divulge because it is for my youngest son for his 24th birthday. He is a total foodie and excellent cook, and it is always fun finding interesting 'things' to add to his collection of cooking apparatus.
It appears that the whole of France is festooned with flowers, this summer. I know this is the end of the summer season, but they are all still in bloom and we are enjoying them all immensely. Love these bicycles!
Ok, now for he good stuff. This Catherdral is being renovated, as you can see by the scaffolding. Thank goodness it is, too. It looks a million buck from this side, but the other side shows it's age!
Some of the figures were so badly aged that they were almost unrecognizable:(
Lots of Timbered houses, which is pretty common in most places in Europe. They are mostly from the 13th-18th century. Some of them were very rickety looking and definitely not square.
This is the one remaining tower in the Ramparts. Parts of it date back to the 13th century. You can probably see which parts!
The wonderful doors on the Cathedral. I went inside, but it was too dark to see much and there was plenty to look at outside. The older man in the photo, with his back to us, was offering the younger man some wine. There were a few Gypsy beggars inside the old town, but we weren't inspired to give them any money.
We marveled that someone had to get up there and re-roof that dome! Don't you love the Frieze?
Such wonderful embellishments everywhere we looked.
Now these pastries are Breton specialties, so of course we had to try a couple. You can find the other pastries anywhere, but these are 'local'. We bought a Cointreau and another butter an caramel pastry. Very delicious, but very buttery, both of them. One was plenty.
This made me laugh. I really took this photo for my middle son who is a gun and knife fanatic...
This pretty garden had been planted in what looked like a dead end, in the Ramparts.
Look up and this is what you see, in the same garden space.
The Hotel de Ville is not an Hotel. It is the Town Hall, and this is it. Fancy huh!
You would laugh...we were walking along, minding our business, per usual..yes, really! and there in a shop window was an All Blacks jersey. We went into the shop whch was dedicated to all the Rugby World Cup clothing, and declared that the All Blacks would win the cup again! The shop assistant agreed with us, and all the French we have met so far are All Blacks fans. They don't think the French are great Rugby players at all! :) We have to agree of course, and we can always make ourselves understood when it comes to talking Rugby, around here. They are fanatics, and the Cup is about to begin. We hope to watch the matches on one of the TV in the Manoir.
We drove home around 4.30pm...rush hour. I was a little frazzled and happy to get off the autoroute and onto the country roads again.
We got home in daylight and went to visit the animals before feeding them and putting them to bed for the night. Dinner was a simple affair, fortunately, as we had some Chipolatas..yes, they have them here...everywhere. They are good too, and ALL meat! no fillers.
Another day gone, and lots more to tell tomorrow. Au Revoir!
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