Visit to Fougères

22nd of April:


Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Britanny against French aggression. Fougères is a town of Art and History.

It reminds me Ronda (Spain - Andalucia), it was a fantastic sunny day and hot.

The castle is one of the biggest French castle, with a 2 hectares area. Constitués de trois enceintes, les remparts sont magnifiquement conservés. Si le logis seigneurial est en ruine, les tours s'élèvent encore avec majesté.

Le beffroi

It was the first one to be built in Britanny in 1397. It symbolizes the craftship dynanism searching for independency.

7th of April 2006

Visit to Dinan / Dinard / Saint-Malo.

Dinan:

Situated in an outstanding location overlooking the valley of the river Rance, the fortified town of Dinan is indisputably one of the most beautiful places in Brittany.

In Roman times it was situated at the crossroads of two important roads: one went to Normandy, the other to Rennes. Dinan is still surrounded by one of the oldest and most extensive ramparts of Brittany.

About 13,000 people live in this picturesque town in the Departement Côtes-d'Armor. Dinan is crammed full of half timbered buildings dating back to the 13th and 14th century with narrow streets opening up to reveal their secret to the visitor - a physical and spiritual presence which remains intact.

I'm lovin' it !!!

Departure to Dinard around 5pm.

Dinard's reputation as the "Cannes of The North" has attracted a wide variety of stars. It really worth it. Winston Churchill enjoyed holidaying on the River Rance. Alfred Hitchcock spent many summers in Dinard and based the house used in his most famous movie Pyscho on a Villa standing over the Plage D'Ecluse.


Lawrence of Arabia lived in Dinard before his Arabic conquests and Piccasso, Monet and many other prominent artists enjoyed the stunning coast line.

In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malo's shipping merchants who built some of the towns magnificent villas on the cliff tops.
It lies on the Gulf Stream which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas.

It was a sunny day, I liked the two beaches and the various creeks that you can see along the the cliff walk. The sea colours were green, turquoise. There is a casino with a restaurant facing the sea.

Around 7, decided to go to Saint-Malo to contemplate the sunset.

6th of April of 2006

Visit to Vitré : old walled town obtained the label town of Art and History “Villes et Pays d’art et d’histoire », because of its very rich inheritance such as the Church of Notre Dame is a 15^th and 16^th century contruction.

Castle of the Barons of Vitré XIIIth

Medieval streets (Beaudrairie, Poterie, d'Embas "XV and XVI century half-timbered houses")

NB: For French People : Elle a également été une ville-test pour

• Les cartes VITALE qui ont été distribuées dès 1994 à Vitré car l'usine Oberthür qui fabrique ces cartes y est implantée.
• 

It was a sunny day, after walking around the city, went down the city to a stroll and had a walk, saw some nice sheeps and a black one.

2nd of April 2006

Visit to the famous Mont Saint Michel
It is on the north coast of France, near the border of Brittany and Normandy. In fact it belongs to Normandy nowadays, but used to belong to Brittany.

It is home to the unusual Benedictine Abbey and steepled church (built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupy most of the one-kilometer-diameter clump of rocks jutting out over the waters of the English Channel.

The Mont Saint Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 because it is seen as one of the holiest places in the world. It is also surrounded by a very historical and extraordinary bay.

The tides in the area shift quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse". The tide actually comes in at one meter per second.

When we arrived the tide was high so we could not walk around the bay therefore we decided to hanging around the village.
While standing in front of it I couldn’t help thinking it had fallen from the sky, as it is one really big piece of rock standing alone in the beach, surrounded by a plain of sand and water to one side and grassland to the other
I thought it would be a bigger rock, when you see it on TV or on Pictures it looks bigger than it is. In some hours you can see everything.

The streets were narrow and looked like in Carcassonne castle.. really nice...

We ate in Restaurant Du Guesclin ** (Mussels + roasted potatoes + Omelette de la mère Poulard + Caramel Dessert + rosé wine)

After that delicious meal we decided to try to get around the islet and we managed not to stain ours shoes till 30m from the entrance. See Pictures.

After visiting it, it came as no surprise to find out that it's actually the second most visited place in france, after paris, and in particular by japanese tourists.

Departure from Mont Saint Michel at 5pm to Saint-Malo.

Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Britanny.

It is the most visited place in Brittany :

• The walled city (La Ville Intra-Muros)
• The château of Saint-Malo
• The tomb of the writer Chateaubriand on the Ile de Grand Bé
• The Cathedral of St Vincent
  

Saint-Malo was the birthplace of Jacques Cartier (explorer of Canada) and Chateaubriand (1768-1848), writer and diplomat...

A bit of history: In past centuries it became notorious as the home of a fierce breed of pirate-mariners, who were never quite under anyone's control but their own; for 4 years from 1590, Saint-Malo even declared itself to be an independent republic, taking up the motto "not French, not Breton, but Malois". The Corsairs of Saint-Malo not only forced English ships passing up the Channel to pay tribute, but also brought wealth from further afield

I really enjoyed the large beaches at low tides with a fantastic sunlight, the sky was blue as i'm used to see it in Spain.

The building along the walls are rathe big (5 floors on average). The city is really charming.

Back to Rennes at 9pm by train .

Trip to Brittany

23nd March 2006

TGV to Rennes, is the capital of the Bretagne, as well as the prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.
The town is built on a hill. It is at the meeting point of two rivers: the Ille and the Vilaine.

The connection from the Station to the Place Saint-Anne is fast (10mn) , nice place.

The Parliament of Brittany, is arguably the most famous building in Rennes.

Colorful traditional timber frame houses are situated primarily around the city center.

I'm living in Plaza of the Lists (Place des Lices) close to "Les Halles Martenot" of the 19th century, host the market of the lists on Saturday mornings (the third market in France).

Culture

Rennes invests heavily in arts and culture and a number of its festivals (such as the music festival Les Transmusicales, les Tombées de la Nuit and Travelling (a cinematic festival)) are well known throughout France.

Rennes is home to Stade Rennais FC, who play at Route de Lorient in the French Premier League.