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.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part 1: Vannes

The Ramparts of the city of Vannes, seen from the hill-side park just below our apartment.

We're on vacation! We've spent the last two weeks in the city of Vannes in Brittany. It's an endlessly cute town, full of half-timbered buildings, with massive 14th century stone ramparts. We were here before--first in 2016, then again two years ago, with Paula's brother Mark. (Read about that visit here.)

 A street in Vannes.

And that's why we came back! There is much to explore. Aside from the engaging downtown area, there's a fabulous market twice a week, and an indoor market open every day. But the real draw for us is the Golfe du Morbihan. 

Paula enjoying the Saturday market in Vannes.

Yes, two enormous piles of cherries! There's fewer cherries now, later in the season, but this is still our favorite fruit and vegetable place at the market (note the vendor, in black, handing out samples to passers by).

One of the main squares of Vannes, with its mix of buildings, old and older.

Love those half-timbered houses!

 This large bay (the gulf), which connects to the Atlantic Ocean, is endlessly fascinating. It has an extensive coastline, all of it interesting and worthy of exploration, and the bay itself is dotted with islands small and large. 

Many marinas, lots of boats in the Gulf of Morbihan. The red-sailed boat is a misainier, a traditional Breton craft. 

One of our walks along the shore of the bay took us through this delightful pastoral scene.

Another walk took us to this beach...

...and passed by here. The stone walkway is needed when the tide is up (there are 15-foot tides here!)

 Oh, and then there are the megalithic sites, prehistoric stone structures whose purpose can only be guessed at. We'll have more to say about the jaw-dropping alignments of standing stones in another posting, but for now, here's a simple one:

A dolmen, assumed to be a burial site, from about 6000 years ago, in someone's front yard!

The end of our second week here marks the halfway point of our allotted time. What have we done, and what will we doing? 

 Well, our stay here began with rain. But that was OK, we were just getting settled in. Rain is certainly not unknown here in Brittany; it is famous for its cool, wet weather... another reason we chose to come here. Temperatures are in the 90s in Montpellier, and humid. We're happy to be in the cool (and occasionally wet!) weather of Brittany.

Another lovely, gray day in Brittany! The entrance to the Golf of Morbihan, looking out into
the Atlantic Ocean.

And, there's music in the air. France is full of music festivals in the summer, and Brittany is no exception. Two or three nights a week there is "street music" in Vannes: a street is blocked off for a musical group, enjoyed by patrons at the near-by cafes, and by passers-by. The other night we listened to some pretty good French folk (accordion and guitar) before moving on to another neighborhood that was hosting a group of old rockers, where we were treated to 80s American pop music. (And well done it was, too!)

Modern blues in the streets of old Vannes.

One big, big disappointment: no Bastille Day celebrations! The 14th of July, know here as the Fête nationale française (or, officially, le 14 juillet), is French independence day, typically celebrated with parades and fireworks, music and picnics in the park. Two years ago Vannes had a wonderful celebration with costumed characters wandering the city and 16th-century plays on makeshift stages.

This year, nothing. Que dalle! Not even fireworks! We were SO disappointed...

But, at least, there was a major jazz festival the next weekend.

Stage and crowds for the Echo Jazz Festival, set against the city ramparts.

The venue was well chosen, with a stage set up in front of the city ramparts. The tall stone walls made an effective backdrop for the stage, and provided a great screen for the accompanying light show. There was plenty of space for the crowds of people, and facing the ramparts was a wooded hill, a city park. Its terraced slopes gave a perfect view of the whole event. It worked out particularly well for us, since our apartment is located at the top of the hill. In a few minutes we could be out the door and among the trees with a fine view of the whole scene.

And it only got better as the sun went down!

The musicians on stage.

Looking back up the hill; great views of the festival from there!

Our American friends Kate and Debra visited for a few days, escaping from the heat down south and enjoying Vannes and the Gulf. We spent a day visiting some of the charming towns in the area, one of which has the coveted Les Plus Beaux Villages de France award (most beautiful villages of France). We also had time to visit the locally famous market in Vannes, and sample some of its truly fine restaurants.

The four of us in one of those Plus Beaux Villages (Rochefort-en-Terre).

Debra, Paula, and Kate gather around the location map at the tip of the Quiberon peninsula, with the Atlantic Ocean behind them (and the wind blasting hard!).

So what's next? We've still got a couple of weeks in Vannes, plus more time around the gulf, then a few days in the Loire valley for my birthday! And, we have more (much more) to say about the astounding megalithic sites here in Brittany.

The Vannes marina with the city behind it; the canal on which the marina is located connects through the bay to the Atlantic Ocean, about 10 miles to the southwest.

Brittany—Our First Week

 

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A bridge in the village of La Gacilly, of photo festival fame.

Since we’ve been moving chronologically backward through Brittany, this last installment is of our arrival, in Vannes, a city in southern Brittany. Our other Brittany blogs are here, and here.

This was our second trip to Brittany, the first being in 2016. This time, though, we were joined by Paula’s brother Mark, who had driven up with us from Montpellier. We had come here, at least in part, to escape the heat down south. That aspect of our trip didn’t work so well, at least for the first week.

We arrived in the city of Vannes, our first stop in Brittany, to record high temperatures. Brittany has a reputation for being cold and wet, so nobody has air conditioning!

Paula and Mark at the entrance to the old city of Vannes, Porte Saint-Vincent

Once inside the gates the old city is full of... old buildings!

No one knows who added this couple, or when. Locals call them Mr & Mrs Vannes.

These half-timbered houses are a hallmark of Brittany, and northern France in general.
 (And no, nothing is square or plumb!)

.

There were a number of things we'd planned to do in Vannes: repeat the boat tour of Morbihan Bay; re-visit the astounding standing stones in Carnac; tour the countryside around Vannes and visit some of the many picturesque towns. We did spent several days wandering through old stone villages, the ancient buildings now housing cafes, restaurants, art galleries, and shops selling all manner of local products and tourist items. Many of them are designated as villages fleuris*: villages where the inhabitants have made a marked effort to ensure the place is especially attractive, which generally includes planters throughout the city filled with… yes, flowers.

*This is actually an official designation, awarded by an organization whose goal is to encourage the beautification of French towns and cities.

The central square in Malstroit.

Malstroit, along the river.

Paul and mark in Rochefort-en-Terre--a village fleuri!

Also Rochefort-en-Terre. What is it with the old bicycles?

Of the towns we visited—Malestroit, Rochefort-en-Terre, and La Gacilly—the last was particularly interesting because of the summertime photography festival. It features works by artists both famous and unknown. Some photos are displayed as huge posters on the sides of buildings; others in more modest size along the extensive convoluted lanes through parks and woods. Quite extraordinary!

Summertime means photo festival time in La Gacilly.

A path in the woods in La Gacilly.

There are photos everywhere in La Gacilly.

 

And then, as we were driving to the seashore, we came upon the Domaine de Suscinio, the former home of the Dukes of Brittany in the Late Middle Ages. (It's great to stumble on an unexpected gem like this!)

Not far from Vannes is the town of Carnac, with its rows and rows of standing stones—hundreds of them—from Neolithic times. No one know exactly when they were erected, nor why, nor by whom. It’s hardly the only field of such stones, but it is one of the most extensive. We have long been fascinated by these stone alignments, and menhirs (single upright stones); we’ve seen them in Ireland and the UK (Stonehenge being the most well-known, but hardly the only!). But Brittany seems to have an extraordinary number of them.

Carnac, with rows and rows of standing stones... fenced in.

Anyway, we wanted to wander among the stones, as we did last time here. But, no doubt a victim of its own popularity, the alignments are now fenced; access is solely by guided tour. Eleven euros later we were inside the fence, trying to make sense of our guide’s endless lecture. Here we were among these stones that begged to be examined and explored, and all we were allowed to do was stand and stare. Very frustrating, for an area so full of mystery.

Carnac: rows and rows of mysterious stones!

Once done, we drove off to re-discover a menhir we’d discovered before. Fifteen feet high and a bit off the beaten track, it, at least, was not fenced in! 

The Geant du Manio. What was it for? Nobody knows!

But one thing we had not planned on was the July 14^th celebrations in Vannes.

 

July 14th, Bastille Day (as we call it in the US). While we tend to think of Bastille Day as similar to our Independence Day, the Fourth of July, in France it’s more a celebration of history and culture. While the big parades happen in Paris, Vannes celebrated with a medieval craft fair, a day of costumed characters roaming the streets of the city, and a fireworks display at night. It was special in a way that only a city full of 13^th Century buildings can be!

 

The fair occupied the huge gardens in front of the ramparts of the city. While we’ve been to numerous Renaissance Faires over the years, it’s difficult to beat the air of authenticity given by a backdrop of actual 13^th century stone walls. Plus, it’s likely that many of the participants were actually living out the lives of their great-great-…-great grandparents. The gardens were beautiful, the participants amazing; it was really wonderful so long as we could avoid the heat of the sun!

Ancient ramparts give an air of authenticity...

...that compliments the recreation of old (and current!) artisanal skills. A stained glass maker.

Making arrows--and magic wands--was very popular with the kids.

Deeper in the city, costumed characters wandered the streets: older couples representing rich merchants and nobles: younger people in wandering musical groups; and fantastical creatures, some with costumed handlers, and others just wandering wild.

Costumes!

 

Creatures, great and tall.

Mark gets a love kiss!

Read my book?

Oh, you'll want to hear my story!

As we were finishing our lunch at a sidewalk restaurant, Mark was confronted by a huge walking book, a lady’s head peering from above the spine. The tome opened to reveal a story of a knight and a dragon. After a brief response from Mark, the lady said, in lightly-accented English, “Oh, I don’t think I can do this in English!” She then proceeded, in French, to tell the story of the brave knight, Mark, rescuing the princess, Paula, from the ferocious dragon (who may well have been named Paul). And every aspect of the story was lavishly illustrated by drawings in the book.

 

A tale of the great knight Mark...

...defeating the fearsome dragon.

            It was hysterical!

The weather did cool, and we did do all we’d wanted to (except wander among those stones at Carnac!) Soon enough, it was time to move on to our next location, further north in Brittany.

 

 

No, it really is Vannes in 2022! A music troupe, on their way... somewhere.

Up next: We’re off this week to visit Corsica. This time we’ll be taking our own car across on the ferry. We’re sure to have some interesting stories to tell!