Why should you go and visit the French Côte d'Amour?

- because it is a long, long, long sand beach and a nice, nice, nice bay !
- because you are lovers !
- because we like nested Port, Pines and Promenade in Pornichet !
- because you’re lost and want to understand why there are 3 La Baule : La Baule Escoublac, La Baule Les Pins and La Baule

Located on the Atlantic coast, the beach of La Baule is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. Well, it is up to you to judge but what is sure is that it is quite long (almost 8 kms) and facing South West, which is nice as the sun is concerned! .



The bay houses 3 different cities and 3 different moods… Pornichet, La Baule or Le Pouliguen… It is on the French Côte d’Amour (love coast which runs from St. Nazaire to Le Croisic). This romantic name was given during the 19th century after a competition organized by a local newspaper : their readers had to baptize this already trendy coastline…

Let’s begin with Pornichet, the first resort to have a touristic fame during the 19th century…

It used to live from the salty marshes but that’s not something special as all the cities from the Guérande peninsula were living on salt too. Dunes and marshes were the common landscape. And it was also the problem of the area.
These mountains of sand were moving and in the middle of the XIXth century threatening the next village Escoublac. It was decided that the bay needed to be fixed by planting pine trees.

As one problem is never alone (un problème n’arrive jamais seul as we say in French)… the salt trade was going down and the port silted up… They seeked a solution ... that came from the railroad which connected Pornichet to St Nazaire in 1854.

In 1860, the success of this bathing resort began…

Soon the new wood pine was divided and sold to build villas.


The development of Pornichet continued, the salt marshes were filled up and horse races began in 1907.

During World War II, Pornichet, as the whole Atlantik coast, was part of the Atlantic Wall (defensive wall built on the coast by the Germans). It was covered with bunkers. Walking around you’ll still see plenty of them.

Pornichet is a family resort and quite different from its neighboring, La Baule, more stylish...

Known as one of the most mundane beach of Britanny like Dinard, it is a nice place to enjoy luxury… or more simple activities. You can rent bikes all year long in Pornichet (as in La Baule) or (less expensive!) use your feet.

La Baule used to be Escoublac, the village that was (as I already said) gradually invaded by dunes. End of the 18th century, the village was buried under sand by a violent storm and had to move.

La Baule, or rather Bôle as it was spelled in the 19th century, comes from the Breton language (that is one of the few places in the east Brittany where breton was still spoken) and means marshy shoreline covered by tides (the equivalent of salt marshes of Mont Saint Michel). The spelling La Baule we know today was given at the end of the 19th century.

As Pornichet, the same company seeked to stop the dunes with pine plantations.
400 hectares of pine trees (one hectare is about 100 m to 100) were planted : a magnificent pine forest grew and was called Bois d’Amour (love wood). Today a very small green spot still remains in the middle of La Baule Escoublac, close to the Parc des Dryades (nice park with 300 trees and playgrounds for children).

Soon, as in Pornichet, it was used to build villas.
The war (1939-1945) did its job too and used the wood for the implantation of bunkers, military structures or just as firewood. The ruins of a church are visible in the dunes, because it was under these trees that the old village is buried.

This wood is nice for long walks (when you want to escape the sea breeze).

The tourist boom of the station is linked with the railway (1879), 20 years after Pornichet ... Soon it became very popular and the need of a new church, the Chapel of St. Anne, to accommodate tourists was urgent (the population of La Baule increases so much during the summer time).



It is now a cultural center for concerts and expo. In the 20’s, the resort is quite successful and the erection of cottages continues. This is the beginning of a major urban development.

In the 30’s, the train station Art Deco is built at La Baule Escoublac.



There are three Baule : Escoublac the first one, La Baule Les Pins because of the wood and La Baule the international sea resort.

Today a large pedestrian walk (and road) runs along the bay, which has lost almost all its beautiful villas. Multi-storey buildings or hotels have replaced them. If you leave the waterfront, you’ll see the villas, which have made the reputation of the resort. Hundreds of them between Pornichet, La Baule and Le Pouliguen are to be discovered.
The plaza also houses luxury accommodations (this is a mundane city, do not forget it!): Hôtel Royal (built in 1896 combines British style and Belle époque)



or L'Hermitage (Anglo-Norman style)



host presidents, stars, singers and actors.

What to do

This is a very good destination for a long weekend anytime because many activities are possible throughout the year.

If you want to walk gently along the bay or enjoy cycling around the peninsula of Guérande (rentals available all year in Pornichet and La Baule).
If you love the sea and the elements : no problem for sea fishing (port Pornichet), sailing, waterskiing, kite surfing or kite flying.




Families, go to the Aquabaule (heated leisure pool).

Riding, golf or first flight, parachuting are possible if you’re bored !!!

But if you re looking for nice gastronomic restaurants or thalassotherapy centers you’re also in the good place.

The Pouliguen ends the bay .. and its wild coast await you.

A map to help you...



Read it in French : Tourisme sur la Côte d'Amour : La Baule ou Pornichet

When I was walking on the seafront at La Baule, I saw a sign that attracts my attention : war cemetery. War cemeteries are quite usual in Normandy or at Verdun but here in La Baule, a place of watersports and leisure…
So I went to see it. And it is not an American but a British cemetery from the second World War.

It is hidden in a housing estate close to La Baule aerodrom. But it is part of another town la Baule Escoublac.

You may not know that we are no more in Brittany (administrative region) . In fact we are in the historical Brittany, that means the one that used to be the Duchy of Brittany. Loire Atlantique (which is the name of the department where La Baule is) does not belong anymore to Brittany but Pays de Loire. Explanation : During WWII, in 1941, Pétain (the leader of the occupied France at that time) decided to reorganise French regions for economic and strategic reasons. He wanted the department Loire Atlantique to be part of the Pays de Loire. The Loire flows to Nantes (capital of Loire Atlantique), but Nantes has been capital of the Duchy of Brittany… Anyway, the decision took effect in 1955, much later. But till now some Bretonese want it back...

Let’s go back to our cemetery. British people take care of it. More than 300 soldiers are buried there, most of them quite young. They died in 1940 and 1942 and a sign explains both in French and in English what happened to those combatants.



Why 1940 ? France lost the war and British troops are hurrying to Saint Nazaire, a port on the French Atlantic coast for the evacuation. Several ships are there, one of them is The Lancastria.
The requisitionned cruise liner is overloaded (survivors talk about 6 to 9000 passengers) and is sunk by the Luftwaffe (German Airforce). Probably between 4 to 7000 people died. It occured the day of the French capitulation (17th of june 1940) and Winston Churchill decided not to talk about it, he didn’t want to demoralize more his citizens. It is probably the worst British maritime disaster of all time.
In 1942, Saint Nazaire is a German naval base for submarines. The British wanted to destroy the only dry lock capable of repairing battleships. The soldiers, who rendered unusable the lock till the end of the war, were Commandos from UK, but also New Zealand,



Australia, from occupied countries such as Poland…



Operation Chariot was successful.

All the pictures of the graves.



Read it in French : Cimetières de guerre de la seconde guerre mondiale en Bretagne

Book the last week end of November to go to the first Breton gastronomy fair in Brittany (salon breton du livre et du gourmet). We won’t talk about French cuisine but Breton cuisine…
Go to Saint Brieuc with an empty stomach !!! Because lots of breton chefs and wine waiters will be there, cooking or showing their cooking secrets !!! You will also taste fine local products, see professionnal tools, discover plenty of recipes and cooking tips. You will get the signature of famous breton chefs that will present their books.

And you’ll also enjoy the evening meals that are prepared by those local stars for the event in their restaurants (you have to book now !). Or you can taste chocolates that will be done on the fair. Or appreciate scallops specialities !!! (Saint Brieuc is on the Breton coast).

Love goes through the stomach, I think you say,then you’ll leave the fair with a love feeling!!!

It is the first time of the fair, it is free, don't miss it and enjoy it !!!

Read it in French : salon breton du livre et du gourmet à saint brieuc fin novembre

On the French side of my blog, I wrote a post about what it meant to be Breton in Brittany... But it is not really interesting for non French people...
So, I'll do it on my English side more worldwide : What does it mean to you being French? Lots of clichés, for sure... Same things about French manners ! How French man or lady act in society ?
Wide question !
Are you intested in learning more about the real way of life of a French or of a Breton... If you travel by car, you must cross Brittany, our small Britain. And you want to understand more about this wonderful place for sure...
By the way, as you probably know, Bretagne in French is either Britain or Brittany. Britain is for us the Great one (Grande Bretagne, Great Britain) and Brittany (Bretagne) is the French one. And Breton can be used for British and for Breton.
So, while travelling around, investigate the French way of life and the one of Brittany's people ! and compare ! French clichés for beginners ! !!!

About French table manners
French people like to remain at table for hours
If you don't sauce your dish with bread, you're out !
One hamburger is eaten while 9 baguette sandwich are tasted
365 cheeses on the French territory, one a day... with green salad !

The French way of life in the Breton cuisine
- Bretons feast in a creperie
- They buy only cauliflower "Prince of Brittany" (and produced in Brittany , not in Britain!)
- They enjoy oysters on the port of Cancale (and during good months ...)
- They only eat Plougastel strawberries ... (Plougastel is a city in the west of Brittany)

French feel French when
They speak loud
They criticize their administration
They strike all the time
The national sport : to steal tax

Bretons feel Breton when they ...
- dance in the Fest Noz! (fest noz is a breton word meaning night party where you dance to Breton music).
- swear that their grandmother wore a cap in the last century!
- punctuate every sentence with a Kenavo (thank you in breton language)!
- wear a sticker "A l'aise Breizh" on the car (means be confortable, man)

How French Parisians look at Bretons
- They wear wooden clogs
- They have discovered the frigde in the 2000's
- They're narrow minded,backward.... in short stubborn like a Breton
- Brittany, it is "province", there's nothing to do there...

How Breton look at Parisians
- Look how slow he is driving... Must be a Parisian on holydays...
- Look at those Parisians with their yellow raincoat and boots... Ah, Ah, Ah !
- Don't know how to eat pancakes : just two ingredients, more you won't taste the galette, ignorant !
- I do love Parisians ! No, no way, they're too arrogant and do not know anything about anything ...

See how the love story goes ! French unions are perfect !
I could go on (LOL) .... !!!! but I leave the pen! For Your opinion! About French manners, acting, speaking, eating...
And don't act wrongly now !

Noël en France ! Christmas in France, in Brittany!... Why not ... ? A short weekend break for Xmas ! Cold is not too fierce and tourists are not too many… It’s the best time to enjoy historical places and avoid the scuffle...
If you’re visiting the western part of France, have a look at the Christmas markets.

Even if this is not something traditionally Breton, Christmas markets are many across Britain today ...
It used to be a German tradition in the Middle Ages. One of the older one is known since the 14th C, dates in honor of San Nicolas ... the equivalent of Father Christmas.

And it is in the 90s that the idea is spreading and that those markets are becoming more common in Europe. And elsewhere ... Germans who have emigrated to the New World began to disseminate the idea in America.

Originally the market was celebrating the Christ child and began just some days before Christmas. Today it lasts several days to almost the entire month of December, according to the capacity of each municipality. By cons, it stops on Christmas Day and until December of next year.
These markets are on hold on the main square or on a few pedestrian streets and gather animations, stands of handycrafts, merchants, food ... and lots of entertainment and music.

Outdoor booths are everywhere. Have a break from Christmas shopping, enjoy vin chaud (mulled wine with cinnamon) found on all the Christmas markets or eat something very rich that will heat you up in the cold weather ... It is also the opportunity to buy another gift, but a more original, handmade by a local craftsman ... or discover specialties other French regions.

And then enjoy Christmas animations often for children. Or Santa Claus who is lost in the corner ...

In our region, Brittany, there are many Christmas markets: Rennes for example, has two, one on the Parliament Square where you can eat, you warm up with a good wine with cinnamon and Alsace specialties, another one that is not called Christmas market Place Hoche is a gathering of craftmen from here and abroad. We have a third market in Colombier.

Each department and most city hosts a market ... If you want to visit one and know its opening days and animations… try the links… The Regional Tourism Committee of Britain that centralizes the news.

For a more precise information try the website of Côtes d'Armor (North of Brittany).

The departmental committee d 'Ille et Vilaine, Brittany High will help you around Rennes.

The far West of Brittany, le Finistère…

South, the Morbihan, try it too.

Good luck. And Merry Christmas.

Read it in French : Marchés de Noel en Bretagne : Côtes d'Armor, Finistère, Ille et Vilaine, Morbihan et Loire Atlantique

You love questions! With no easy answers… And you’ve been to Roscoff ? Do you know why there is an expressway that runs from Roscoff, a small village of a bit more than 3000 habitants to Morlaix?

1 – This highway has been constructed because ferrys to England or Ireland leave from Roscoff ?
2 - Or because Johnny Halliday the famous French singer is behind the Anglo-French friendship!
3 - Or is it due to a love story between a Queen of Scotland and a French king?
4 - Or rather a history of shipowners, privateers and pirates!

1 – This highway has been constructed because ferrys to England or Ireland leave from Roscoff ?

If you are regular customer of the ferry, you have already taken the fast lane along the Bay of Morlaix. Ok, Roscoff is the port to Plymouth and Cork. But is it the only reason why there is this highway ? Why Roscoff rather than another port on the coast of Brittany?



… Well for economic reasons ... due to climatic reasons ... : The whole area around Roscoff has two major advantages: - A very regular climate with a low difference between the highest temperatures and the lowest due to the Gulf Stream (warm water current that goes in front of Roscoff).
- And a really good land for agriculture.
Yes, and then ... it creates unique conditions for an exceptional agriculture.

We harvest almost uninterrupted even in winter ... Agricultural products are shipped from Roscoff to Paris, Brest, in the ports of Holland and England, and particularly on the English coast of Cornwal l: in 187,5 7 803 055 tons of potatoes were sent, 2 million kg of artichokes ... the pier of the port is full of carts that provide vegetables for vessels. (Joanne Guide 1884)

It is not surprising that this stretch of coastline is known as the Golden Belt (ceinture dorée). Vegetables grow quicker than the rest of the Bay (3 weeks in advance) and the mildness of the weather allows a rapid succession of crops.More than 70% of French couliflower and artichokes are produced here.

If you take a walk on the coastal paths, you will see the agricultural wealth. Every parcel is cultivated.

And this production has to be sold. As the old port is depending on tides that empties it and impede commercial traffic, Roscoff had to find another way to sell its vegies.

The city needed a deep water port and the energy of a man, Alexis Gourvennec who, thanks to the capital of local farmers (and the help of the State that wanted to help economically this part of Brittany), created a ferry line to England to sell vegetables (1972). And then to develop tourism.... This is how the Brittany Ferries began cross-links.



2 - Or because Johnny Halliday the famous French singer is behind the Anglo-French friendship!

This connection with England is not new, and is not due to the fame of Johnny, the singer.
It is much more trivial…

Roscoff onions had already created the path. Yes, in 1828, one of the first Johnnie exported onions to England. They were called Johnnies because at the time they took with them their young children. And everybody knows (specially the British !!!) that all the Bretons sons then were called Yann (Jean in French).You nicknamed the youngs Johnnie…

Those Johnnies and fathers used to leave mid July, for 5 to 9 months with their bicycles covered of onions and were selling them across the sea. More than 1200 Johnnies made the crossing before the 2nd World War.
This breed of onion has been brought from Portugal by a monk (mid XVIth century) and was gradually introduced in the region. Indeed, it was a good product for the sailors fighting against scurvy (a disease caused by a lack of vitamins). Easy to preserve, the onion was useful for vessels, it could be taken on board and kept delaying the effects of the disease on the crews. Trade stopped after the war. A small museum in Roscoff commemorates this episode.

3 - Or is it due to a love story between a Queen of Scotland and a French king?

The connections with England existed long before this onion story ... Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland ... You know her… The legend said she resided here.
The future wife of François II landed at Roscoff in 1548 to join the Court of France, where she had to continue her education before marrying the king 10 years later.

But it is a legend, because the houses where she lived did not exist at the time! The chapel of Saint Ninien or rather what remains of it




(close to the watchtower, a remnant of the old city walls) commemorates the Scottish episode.

4 – Or is it rather due to an history of shipowners, privateers and pirates!




The relations with the British have not always been as peaceful as they are today. In the Middle Ages and beyond, Roscoff was repeatedly attacked and destroyed by the English troops. The honor of both side is safe because the reverse is also true.

It is a hole for buccaneers and an old nest for privateers, the Breton poet Tristan Corbière described it in the 19th century.
It is also a port that trade with Flanders, Spain or Portugal (linen, cloth, salt ...). During the French Revolution period it became a place for smuggling brandy, tea and gin with English ... The Wines and Beers are the worthy successors of that time!

This wealth is still encarved in the walls of the houses : sculptures still decorate the granite.



Read it in French : Roscoff : porte vers l'Angleterre et l'Irlande

I don’t know if Yann Arthus Bertrand is known abroad. If not, let me introduce him. He is an ecologist or an environmentalist. It is almost the French Al Gore, but as a photographer and not as a politician…

He has made several ecologist events : books about the state of the earth (Earth from above), films also and exhibitions. And he is also interested in mankind and the show 6 billion others is one of them.

This exhibition was first presented in Grand Palais in Paris and, then a smaller city but still the capital of Brittany Rennes and then far away New York… It presents mankind… 5000 interviews in 75 countries and 40 answers to 40 questions.



It is trite to say but sometimes it is very surprising to compare people's responses to issues such as violence, love, belief, happiness ...

Everyone gives his feeling : a man explains that the birth of his son is the Event of his life, another hopes that the trial of Pol Pot will happen sson, for a third one, happiness is easy … Another does not support people repeating again and again. Or when his wife makes bad cooking.… A survivor of a plane crash who loves life ... You can also leave your testimony, in order to reach .... 6 billion others ...

What I did like ?
It is nice to see mankind speaking… The expo in Rennes was presented in a smaller room than Paris – No wonder it is a smaller city ! – So it had to be adapted to this new space. The solution was to change the themes exposed in the 3 yurts every 10 days.
In short, the show is renewed quite often and you can go several times as long you wait 10 days between the visits ...

What I do not like ?
No where you find explanations to understand how they dedided the themes of the 40 questions… Or how they found the people they interviewed… I know everyone can leave its message but I would have liked to know how they began… Is it spontaneous or sorted? And for what? It's a bit embarrassing to see an exhibition and this lack of transparency ... I know it is not a sociologist work but it tries to look like one…

It is also expensive : 10 euros in Paris, 4 in Rennes, I don’t know how much it will be in New York but …I thought the philosophy of Yann Arthus Bertrand was to permit to everyone to see its works…
Specially when you know that lots of sponsors (cities too) give him money to realize his pictures and films, it would be understandable to get a free entrance…

Open every day except Monday and Sunday until the end of August.

Read it in French : L'expo de Yann Arthus Bertrand : 6 milliards d'autres

Want to visit a very famous French monument… the Mont Saint Michel… A really good idea for a cultural week end in Northern France.
Before getting there, do you want to play… with this little quiz …
And want to learn everything you always wanted to know about the rocky island ... practical informations and nice anecdotes, you’ll discover an unusual Mont Saint Michel.

1 - The residents of Mont Saint Michel are called:

- The Michelins
- The Montois
- The Miquelots

The residents of the Mount are called the Montois

2 - Tourists at Mont Saint Michel, how many ?

- 30 000 visitors per year
- 300 000
- 3 000 000

Over 3 million visitors a year (an average of more than 8000 per day!) And the number increases every year. It is one of the most visited sites in France after Paris. That reputation has centuries of life…Since the Middle Ages (12th), the pilgrims arrived to the Mount and stayed several days. Old houses (15th and 16th C) were inns or shops. The pilgrims left the abbey with souvenirs such as lead bulbs filled with sand.

3 - Le Mont Saint Michel and his daily life:

The Mount belongs to 3 families
There are about thirty residents
100 shops enliven the island

Actually 3 families share both the administration of the county and the shops. About 40 people live on the Mount. In short, 3 families, 300 businesses and 3 million visitors. The Mount loves the 3.



4 - Le Mont Saint Michel: his titles and awards
In your opinion, it

- listed as a historic monument
- is is one of the World Heritage List of UNESCO
- Belongs to the category "touristic city"
- Is one of the seven wonders of the world

The Mont is listed as a historical monument since 1874. Almost 100 years later, in 1979, it is an heritage of Unesco. In 2009, it is a touristic city that means that it has an accommodation capacity forlots of tourists and especially a particular legal regime in different areas (rest of the employees or beverage for example). It is a wonderful place but it is not one of the 7 wonders of the world.

5 - The origins of the cult of the Mont Saint Michel

- Druids started the cult there
- Ii is an angel who wanted the erection of the abbey
- It is a king of France who built it

It was a place where druids used to venerate their gods and also a tomb dedicated to the popular veneration, that's how the touristic guide Joanne presents it in its 1884 edition.


This is not an angel but an archangel ... says the legend. An archangel is a superior angel,he is above the angels and can act without God's permission. The Archangel Michael asked several times the bishop of Avranches to build a convent on the Mount .
And when in 709, he led the monks, a wonderful stamp indicated the place where the abbey had to be erected. A spring gushes too to provide drinkable water to the monks.

The Mount was attacked and destroyed several times in the Middle Ages. Philippe Auguste, a French King, attempted to conquer Normandy and asked his men to besiege it, they burnt it.The King rebuilt the abbey and fortress Tombelaine. It is the origin of the Wonder.

6 - What is la Merveille the Wonder as we call it in France?

- The whole Mount : village and religious buildings
- 3 floors of the monastery
- Part of the religious building

It is only the Northern part of the monastery dating from the 13th century.
It still includes 6 different spaces on 3 levels: 3 dining rooms one for the poors, at the bottom, one for prestigious people such as King and at last the monks' refectory. The other wing includes the cellar, the Knights' Hall and the cloister. All those religious buildings are a mixture of architectural styles: Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic.

7 - Le Mont Saint Michel and its nicknames?

- It was called Tombelaine
- Saint Michel at the peril of the sea
- The Wonder

No, Tombelaine, another fortified rock of the bay, has also been the subject of numerous battles and conquests. It was also called Mont Tombe.

With the reputation of the pilgrimage which had an international success in the Middle Ages, the pilgrims had to cross the bay to visit the rock. It was and it is very dangerous : drownings, mudslides (quicksand) were and are very common ... even today, there are still dead ... You definetly need a guide to walk in the bay. And therefore it was called Saint Michel au péril de la Mer, St. Michel at the peril of the sea.

8 – The Mont Saint Michel and its nationalities:

- Independent?
- English
- Breton
- Norman

Independent! Even so, since a digue (1877) connects the island of Mont Saint Michel to the mainland, the silting of the bay goes on, the rock becomes an island just during high tides. Works are to be done to change the dam to allow the sea to flow into the bay (which should be less silt), and thereb yto give the Mount its independence of origin.

English ... Yes, during the 100 Years War in 1427, the English after a long siege took the site. The pilgrims continued to go to the abbey Mont Saint Michel with safe-conduct they paid to the enemy.

Breton ... In 1204, they besieged the rock, burnt it and eventually conquered it back but for very short time... Duguesclin, the famous friend of Joan of Arc was Breton. He was captain of the Mount and built a house (1366) for his wife Tiphaine (which can still be visited today).

Norman ... Well, yes,it is Norman. It is the Couesnon River, which is the border between the two regions ... Listen to the well known proverb:
The Couesnon in its madness
Put the Mount in Normandy
When the Couesnon will found the reason
The Mount will revert Breton.
All is not lost!

9 - The Mount and its functions.

- A very popular religious place in the Middle Ages
- A fortress
- A prison

The Mount was a religious place renowned in the Middle Ages.
But when the order of Saint Michel is created in 1469 by Louis XI, it is the beginning of a turning point. The knights of the Order multiply the celebrations, religious are appointed by kings, forgot to deal with the Mount and are just interested in profits. Decadence.
So much so that there is no more monastic life after the French Revolution and the monks will return there only in 1969.
In parallel to its religious life, the rock has been a fortress since its creation (8th century) or almost ...
The inhabitants took refuge on the Mont Saint Michel to escape the attacks of the Normans (understand Vikings) and have thus created the actual city.
Later fortifications are done against Bretons or against the English. You can follow the walkway on the many walls and defensive towers. The place has been a jail since the French Revolution.
If you visit the monastery, you will see a huge wooden wheel where 5 to 6 prisone sused to walk to bring food on top of the Mont Saint Michel. 10 - The Mount and its peculiarities

- There is only one entrance to go into the village
- There is a church outside the walls of the Mount
- There is only one street that goes through the island
- There is no drinking water on the Mount
- The train used to come to the rock
- there were windmills on the Mont Saint Michel
- The granite used in buildings comes from the Channel Islands

There is actually only one entrance to go into the Mont Saint Michel with 3 doors ...
There is only one street that actually goes to the abbey.
No drinking water for centuries except the fountain of Saint Aubertwhich is due, says the legend, to the will of the archangel. It is not located in the village but outside the walls.
You could take the train to Mont Saint Michel since 1901 and that for almost thirty years.
There was a windmill on the Mount. Yes, yes, they are mad those Normans ... Some granite used for the religious buildings come from Chausey ... the Channel island ...

So you’re conquered and want to run and visit it during your holidays. It’s worth it, believe me but… don’t do it in summertime, if you want to have a romantic short break… it is too crowded…the only street, you know suffers from pedestrian traffic (reall,y I've experienced it several times), queues for the tickets ... Speech guide are lost between the comments of Japanese tourists (many) and those of Italians, Spanish, English, German, Dutch…

Read this in French : Entre Bretagne et Normandie week-end insolite au Mont Saint Michel

The area around Guérande (gwen = white in Breton and rann = countries) has been known since the dawn of time, for the salt activity. For centuries even milleniums, salt has been THE mean of food preservation.

- Since when?
- Where?
- How does it work?
- Natural Process?
- Why do we see colourful marshes?
- Harvesting
- Fleur de sel and cooking salt
- Visit the saltmarshes

Since when?
Long before the construction of those salt marshes, we go back to the Iron Age..., another technique was used for the production of sea salt…
Sand or clay salt was collected during the summer and « washed » to extract a highly concentrated brine. It was then poured into pots and heated in clay oven until crystallization of salt. This technique was widespread throughout the Armorican coast, it even led to a deforestation.

The current saltmarshes began before the 9th century and lasted for several centuries. Around the year 1500, the marshes reached 80% of the current surface. The latest were built around 1800. In the middle of 19th century, a gradual decline started for different reasons : competition from the salt mine, lower consumption of salt as a product of conservation and improvement of transport by land.
The salt of Guérande used to be trade throughout Brittany, tax free until Napoleon. The Emperor decided to tax it and it was the beginning of the decline of salt activity. And the last attack came with the refrigerator in the 70’s.

But never say never… as we say in French. The amateurs of Guérande little by little, with energy and enthusiasm will help the activity to recover. They created a training course and a cooperative to promote quality with a label (the french Label rouge). Today around 250 workers live on the salt marshes.

Where ?
Until recently, the whole region was a large salt marsh. But the coastal villages Le Pouliguen and La Baule soon preferred buildings and tourism as the salt activity. There are still 2,000 hectares for the production.

How it works?
The principle is simple. Channels that feeds the water reservoirs with sea water using the tides. Salty water will evaporate in different dams till there are only a few centimeters of seawater left. That is the last step, where the salt crystallizes and produces the fleur de sel and coarse salt.



Natural process?
Yes, sea, sun and wind !!! And the know-how of the workers.
It is a 100% natural product from a listed site! explains Ronan Loison, director of Terre de Sel. Unlike refined salts, the one from Guérande undergoes no washing, no chemical treatment or additives. After harvest, it is just sifted, milled and packaged.

Why do we see colourful marshes?
Red micro-organisms and algae live in seawater.



Harvesting?
The harvest (12,000 tons of salt per year) takes place from June to September. Here are salt granaries from yesterday



and today ...



The rest of the time, you must maintain the marshes.

Fleur de sel and cooking salt
The cooking salt is most of the harvest. If it is gray, it still contains a hint of earthy substance. The best for chefs is the flower of salt.. These few kilo are harvested and collected separately. For 12,000 kg of gray salt, you’ll get 80 kg of fleur de sel!

Visit the salt marshes?
First of all because it is an exceptional heritage (listed since 1996). Then because it is beautiful, yes it is ! Also because you’ll discover nice animals and flora. And finally, to understand better how salt is produced.

In the village of Saillé, former village of salt, the maison des paludiers is a museum. There is also one at Batz sur Mer. At Guérande Terre de Sel, the cooperative, offers guided tours of the marsh. And in La Turballe visits are made in carriage. (00 33 //(0)6.26.45.25.58 )



Read it in French : Les marais salants (salines) de Guérande

Have you ever read Asterix and Obelix ? If you did, you surely know the menhirs Obelix is walking around with. Well, the dolmen of La Roche aux Fées was not done by Obelix but thanks to breton fairies…



The dolmen is at about 20 km east from Rennes, under old oaks in the country of the village Essé. Once you reach Essé just follow the signs to the megalith. It is open all year long and free.
The dolmen is one of the most impressive in France : 20 meters long , 4 meters wide and you can stand inside, it was build with about 40 stones, some of them weighing more than 40 tons… Yes,the people at that time were quite strong…



A dolmen is a breton word that means table of stones, it is a chamber made with upright stones and covered with large flat capstones for the roof.…. Quite simple no… This dolmen has a long corridor, a portico nicely cut



and at the end a room. Until the 50’s the megalithic monuments were seen as building done by the Celts (they arrived in Brittany in 600 BC) but we know now thanks to the Americans that discovered the Carbon-14 that it is much older, for this one around 3500 BC.
It did not look like that during the neolitic time, because it was probably recovered by a tumulus (mound of earth and little stones). Specialists still don’t know if it was a temple or a grave (dictionnaire du patrimoine breton d’Alain Croix).
Neolitic people were really strong when you know that the stones weight more than 40 tons and that they come from an area that is 4 kms away. (foret du Theil)
Neolitic time (in Brittany from -3500 to-1800 BC) correspond to the beginning of agriculture and breeding. Thanks to the domestication of plants, a new type of social organisation appears with a specialization of men and work. They begin to build those monuments. But to build them they need specialized workers : “ geologists ” that choosed the type of stones, “ architects ” that think and build the construction and "drivers" to transport the stones – we guess that they were using woodlogs to rool the stones - , and "astronomists" that decide in which direction the corridor will be.




The building is orientated Northwest-South South East but it is not fate. No, it is a solstice alignment. You should go there on a 21 december and you’ll see the sunrays penetrating the building just in its center. You said they were wearing beast skins…
But may be we’re wrong and the fairies did it. That explains its name (Roche aux Fées = fairies rock) , the legend says that the fairies carried the stones from Le Theil. They let some fall around (at Retiers la Pierre de Richebourg or at Janzé la Pierre des Fées). I ll tell you the legend another day…

To sum up, you have to visit the dolmen for three reasons :
- to quench your curiosity
- to do the same thing that neolitic men were doing on december 21st
- to be sure of your lover. Don’t trust meetic, and test your love at la Roche aux Fées (also called lovers’oracle). Take your love on a full moonnight. Count the stones. If you find the same number, go on and marry him or her. If you don’t… recount them…
Last thing : take care of the building. I want my grand,grand grandgrand children to see it...
Leaving the place you can taste nice local products, see you on the next post

Read it in French : Visite au pays de la Roche aux fées (Ille et Vilaine, Bretagne)

What are they doing, those mammoths, here in Brittany…

Well, they used to live there long long ago… when ice was everywhere and Britain and Brittany did belong to the same land...

They’re back. Because of the Parisians.Yes, the exhibition you can discover in Rennes was conceived for the National Museum of Natural History in Paris a few years ago and it is now adapted for a smaller place, l’Espace des Sciences at Rennes.

And if I do speak about it, it is because the whole expo is subtitled in English … or translated as you want…



The expo is called At the time of mammoths, it is nice ... I have just spent an hour and a half with my young nephew (6 years old).

The tour begins with all possible fantasies that existed when men discovered those huge bones. People attributed those pieces of skeleton to imaginary figures ... until a whole mammoth was found and one could imagine the disappeared animal.

The exhibition then explains the time of glaciation, the climate, and the BEAST.
You can touch things (I won’t tell you what, you’ll discover it by yourself) and it is nice to do.
Then we live the everyday life with our forebears who lived at that time…In short we become experts in the woolly mammoth.

The exhibition also shows the local history with a short film on Mont Dol (you know the mountain we have between Cancale, the oyster city and the Mont Saint Michel !) where the remains of mammoths have been found during the 19th century. It ends with a long movie whose hero is ... this big animal, which is a good resumé of everything we have learned visiting the expo.

I (we) really liked it but we were almost alone in the expo. But the problem with Champs Libres is often the same, rooms are small and sounds clink…

I needed to concentrate to hear the soundtrack for the documentary on Mount Dol, (which I found rather interesting), especially when my nephew was listening to the weather report next to me.

The children and the mammoths?

From 6 years old, indicates the brochure. My young acolyte found it nice to try the trunk or to see a baby mammoth… a real one named Dami and usually living in a Belgian Museum. He did like to touch elephant skin and to compare it to the missing pachyderm.
My young friend was really interested in the life of mammoths. So he loved the exhibition. But sometimes it is nice to help the child through : lots to read… less in English though !!
The film at the end of the exhibition sums up the entire expo and it is so real, you feel like being back some thousands years ago…

In short, the adult (I) was not bored (not at all) and my nephew either. We did enjoy it. Not in front of the same things or stands, but whatever.
At the exit, a "true woolly mammoth" is watching you...

4 € for adults and 3 for 8 years old and older.
From Tuesday to Sunday (12h - 19h on weekdays and 14-19 on weekends), 21h night until Tuesday. Until March 7, 2010.

Read it in French : Les mammouths arrivent et reviennent à Rennes, une exposition à l'Espace des Sciences aux Champs Libres