How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part 2: Stones, Sails, and Songs

The alignment of menhirs at Carnac.

        Stones

Stone is what was used to build the earliest human constructions... or at least, the earliest ones that are still around.

And there are some impressive stone structures in the world today. The pyramids of Egypt are perhaps the best known. Oh, and Stonehenge in England. And the stone alignments at Carnac...

Rows of stones: the alignment at Carnac.

Carnac is an area along the Gulf of Morbihan, west and a bit south of the city of Vannes where we are staying. In and around this area are found an astonishing number of stone structures dating from 5000 or 6000 years ago.

We've long been interested in these mysterious stone constructions, and we like to seek them out; they seem most prevalent in the Celtic regions (Ireland, England. And, yes, Brittany!)

These structures are assumed to be (since no one really knows!) tombs (called dolmens) and burial mounds (tumuli in the plural). There are also individual standing stones (menhirs), plus long rows of stones (alignments). In all, there are over 10,000 Neolithic stones in the region.

More of the Carnac alignment.

Most impressive are the alignments. Around Carnac these extensive rows of menhirs are divided up into three separate groups, although that's a distinction we'll leave to the academics. What we saw on the ground was astonishingly long rows and rows (and rows!) of stones surrounded by plants and wild flowers (it is summer now, after all!).

A museum near the alignments gives perspective to these stones and others found around the world. We saw an excellent short video about the megalithic structures in the area, and recent theories as to what they were for (which is: nobody knows!). 

Standing stones—menhirs—of the Carnac Alignment

The stones themselves are fenced off (at least in the summer time—apparently the gates are open at other times of the year). We could look at the stones from outside the fence; the only way to get close enough to touch them was by taking a tour.

We took that tour when we were here a couple of years ago; unfortunately, it consisted mostly of standing in the field listening to a lecture (in French); not very satisfying! This time around we contented ourselves with walking all around the alignment outside the fence.

A dolmen (prehistoric grave...?) in someone's front yard.

The Cairn de Petit Mont, a tumulus (made of earth and rock) containing a cavity, possibly for burial. (We didn't go into this one.)

Our American friends Kate and Debra were still with us, and were equally fascinated by the stones at Carnac. 

Debra had a keen interest in a particular tumulus—a mound of earth and stones over a grave site—located on Gavrinis, a small island in the Gulf. Getting there required a short boat ride.  The tour (yes, they're unavoidable!) started with a brief lecture on what is known of the megalithic culture (almost nothing!) and information on other sites around the gulf. 

The boat to the island of Gavrinis. That's Debra on the far right' Paula is ahead of her.
The island itself is that row of trees on the horizon; not far away!

Entrance to the Cairn of Gavrinis, another tumulus with an extraordinary chamber inside.

At the time these tombs (it is assumed they are tombs; the acidic granite dissolves bone long before it can fossilize) were built—some 5000 years ago—the landscape was quite different. The sea level was much lower, so rather than a body of water dotted with islands, the area was hilly, cut by two rivers. The tumulus on Garvinis was built on what was then a hill top, as were all the megalithic structures. Back in the day, and without the current vegetation, it would have been possible to see all the structures from any of the hill tops. 

Implying, of course, that this was not an isolated burial chamber but part of a whole system. In fact, some of the tumuli in the area contained stone and jade tools that came from far away, indicating an extensive trade network. Who knew??

Gavrinis is similar in layout to Newgrange in Ireland, furthering the speculation that the early inhabitants of these lands were in contact with other groups much further away. As in Newgrange this tumulus has a passage to a chamber, assumed to be for burial. And like Newgrange, the real reason for the structure has been lost to the ages. 

Passage into the chamber in the Cairn de Gavrinis.

What makes this tumulus extraordinary are the rock carvings inside...

...of line, loops, and spirals. And these mysterious holes.

It's a tight fit in that narrow chamber!

What are the grooves carved in the rocks for? What do the loops and swirls mean? Why was it done?

A mystery for the ages.

A stone picnic table and benches, circa mid-XX century.
Fred Flintstone would feel right at home.

Sails 

It was impossible for us to be near this vast bay with its many sailing vessels and not feel the urge to get out on the water! There are any number of boat tours available and in the past, we had taken one aboard a very crowded ferry boat.

This time we opted for a sailing vessel: the Lys Noir, a boat that has been in use in the gulf for over 100 years. 

A picture of the Lys Noir showing the sail plan: six sails!

A picture taken on the deck of the Lys Noir, showing... us!

Our stalwart skipper, at the helm.

Although the wind was limited, the boat's crew did put the sails up (all six of them!) and we did sail for most of the three-hour trip. About half-way through we were served snacks and wine or cider (a traditional Breton drink). That loosened everybody up, and we began to chat a bit with our fellow passengers. It seems many were or had been sailors, or had a personal interest in sailing. There were some interesting stories told!

Paula, contemplating the beauty of the gulf.

Paul, contemplating what to photograph next.

    Traditional Song and Music

Our time in Vannes started with the Echo Jazz Festival (mentioned in tour previous blog); it ended with a festival of Breton music,  a Fes Noz. We were serenaded by bagadoù—bands playing traditional instruments, often accompanied by people in traditional costume. Which led to traditional dances, with the robust participation of the locals, all of whom seemed to know the steps (and the words to the songs, in Breton!).

A bagad playing at the Vannes port.

We saw many (many) pipes like this biniou bras (Highland bagpipe);
in the background a man is playing the small clarinet called a treujeun gaol.

Another bagad playing inside the Vannes city walls.

The Breton flag being carried past Les Halles, the indoor market.

A somewhat less traditional group, Jahiner, playing at the port.

Well, the instruments are traditional...

And, at the end of the day, there was a huge parade of bagadoù from towns and villages all over the area dressed in traditional costume playing Breton music on traditional instruments (there's the biniou bras,   Scottish Highland pipes; the treujeun gaol, a form of clarinet; and drums, lots of drums!) Each village had its own bagad (traditional band) carrying a flag or standard; bagad competitions are regular events in Brittany (and this parade may have been part of a competition, too).

Dancers in the evening parade.

A whole bagad of biniou bras!

And at the end of the parade, huge puppets!

Whew! that was a lot! But we're not quite done with our vacation. After Brittany, we spent a couple of days in the Loire Valley, home of many famous chateaux. August is not a great time to go: everybody in France is on vacation, and things tend to be crowded. So we confined ourselves to the western end of the valley, near the mouth of the Loire River. You can read all about that in Part Three of How We Spent Our Summer Vacation.