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

In France, November 11th is the Armistice Day, the end of the Great War. And Brittany was the region which losts the highest number of soldiers : one dead for 19 inhabitants (in France one dead for 29).



The memorial of Sainte Anne d’Auray (South Brittany, France) commemorates the Breton soldiers who fell in the First World War 1914- 1918. 240 000 names are written on the Monument -erected between 1922 and 1932-. But nowadays historians think that the loss were less important. Between 110 to 130 000 Bretons lost their lifes during the Great War in Brittany. 1,4 millions of soldiers died in France for 41 millions people (Brittany had then 2,5 millions inhabitants).


Explanation for the high losses in men in Brittany : in 1914 the Breton region was a seamen and farmers country. Most of its population was rural. And country people were sent on the frontline. Workers were kept for the factories. Lots of people in Brittany then did not always speak French. Some of the regiments were only breton because the recruting was then regional. So in some of the regiments orders were given in Breton language.

The War changed the way Breton people were living. Men were soldiers and women were alone in the farms and had to work hard in the fields : the troops had to be resupplyed. Cities were even cultivating public gardens such as the jardin du Thabor in Rennes.

A Breton writer Roger Vercel wrote a famous novel in 1934 with his Great War memories : Capitaine Conan. It is a famous movie now Captain Conan (from B.Tavernier in 1996).

Read it in French : Les Bretons et la première guerre mondiale

Sainte-Anne d'Auray is not only one of the biggest French catholic pilgrimage, it is also the place for a famous memorial to victims of the first World War.

10 millions people died between 1914 and 1918... about 20 million became disabled and France suffered more than one million deaths. In Brittany, about 110 to 130 000. It is the region that gave the more compared to its population.
The Great War began the modern world: new military equipment was used, the weapons changed, tanks, artillery pieces, powerful cannons (Big Bertha shot more than 9000 meters) chemical weapons with the gas in the trenches ... And the soldiers. A war that has drained France of his men. And above all Brittany.



Expalnations : for some, it is a deliberate sacrifice of the Bretons, because they were second-class citizens (in France the regional divisions were: the Bretons, the Normans ...).
Testimonies tells us about those Breton soldier, not being abble to speak French, unable to understand orders of the military elite and who were shot by mistake. Or this other Breton considered a deserter when he returns to seek treatment and could not explain what he was doing... Some of these soldiers have been rehabilitated. For others, the contribution of Britain is linked to its rural character and its extremely dynamic demography. Truth must be between the two.



This memorial in Sainte Anne d'Auray was originally dedicated to all victims of Brittany. Located next to the basilica it is a huge square surrounded with slabs engraved and at its center, an imposing altar.
Built in 1923, the site bears the list of engraved names of some 8000 soldiers, entire families (father and son!). But, not all the deads are honored here, no. Only the dead of the families who had enough money to engrave their names. Wealthy families or Catholics have subscribed. At least 100,000 names are missing!!!



The purpose of the monument has changed : it is now dedicated to the missing people of all wars and during the feast of St. Anne (July 25-26), the office is celebrated from the altar. A peace memorial ...

Sainte Anne d'Auray has also an important cemetery of victims of war (made up of Belgian soldiers and the wounded died in hospitals in the West).

Read this article in French : Le mémorial de Sainte Anne d'Auray : le monument aux morts des Bretons

If you 're trolling through the region of Brocéliande in small Britain, place of the Arthurian romance legend...you can stop and admire an ancient tree, thousand years old ...



My name is Eon Guillotin and I am thousand years old. I am an oak tree, over 20 m high and nearly 10 m in circumference.
I was born during one of the passages of Halley's comet ... in 1144, but I hardly remember, it's so far back and I was so young ...
Eon the hermit baptized me ... He took refuge in the Brocéliande forest. He has lived near my young branches like a highwayman... and he got caught and did end in a dungeon in Reims in 1148 ...

200 years later in 1352, I was already centennial, I saw this fratricidal battle between Bretons, the Battle of Mauron which pitted French and English soldiers... or another one that took place in 1364 and opposed our countrymen again …

Until 1370... another battle... a famous one when Lord Duguesclin besieged the castle of Comper and made fire and sword ... The castle has been dismantled in 1598 by King Henry IV when visiting Britain (Go visit it, it is not far ...).



During the French Revolution ... I saved the life of a man Guillotin. That's my second name! It was not safe to be a believer at the time. The priest Guillotin was chased by the Sans-culottes (knee-breeches... meaning the poorer members of the Third Estate). He hid in my trunk.
The anti-clerical soldiers arrived in front of me and didn't see Guillotin : a huge web had been woven on my trunk. Notre Dame de Paimpont had become a spider to save this priest and it saved him.

If you knew what I know... all the laments of love that I've heard, the first kisses I've seen, the owls I've saved, the thunder I have supported, all the kids that climbed me, the cows that I have protected from the sun (the heat wave of 2003, remember), the birds I've nested and the births I have helped and the fear I've had hear when carpenters are seing me as tables or floors ...
My old bark marked by time could tell you so much ...

Read this article in French : Arbre remarquable de 1000 ans : le chêne à Guillotin

Inquiring minds will note that the main color of the stone houses of the region Brocéliande or in other places in Brittany, is red.
Red shale is a rock, very common here in the country Brocéliande near Paimpont, home of the knights of the Round table.



Once upon a time ...
A rock (the story does not date from yesterday, but from over 465 million years). Under the sea, this metamorphic rock (rock that is changed by heat) is of sedimentary origin (these sediments are often clay). Its color comes from its content of iron oxide (iron rust becomes red ....!).
When the sea receded some 250 million years ago, the rock became what we see today. The red shale is a friable rock. It comes in sheets and very difficult to carve. Therefore, it is used as building material.



The region is rich in red shale quarries, many buildings are built using this stone : houses and farms, walls, castles... Rennes, once it was a fortified city, was called Rennes, the red city (its fortification walls were in red shale). If you're dreaming of a red stone farmhouse, then you know now where to find your dream house.



The castle of Trécesson … is a beautiful building built in red shale. Located in the town of Campénéac, this fortress was erected between the late 14th C and it is listed since 1922. The castle is surrounded by water... The access by a bridge leads to a large gatehouse and two towers connected by a machicolation (the "balcony" at the top of the walls). It also has a hexagonal tower (the one facing you with 3 windows).
The site has been inhabited long before the construction of the castle. Many owners have lived in the property. It is still private.

The place is famous... by the legends that took place in the « château de Trecesson ».

We'll begin with the saddest ... la légende de la dame blanche (ou la mariée de Trécesson )... (Sensitive souls, go your way). The legend of the white lady (or the bride of Trécesson) ...
The story takes place in the middle of the 18th C. A lovely bride, in tears, will be buried alive under the eyes of a poacher (hidden in the tree where the girl will be killed). The witness, once the murderers gone, tells the story to his wife who decides to go to the lord Trécesson ... He will offer her a decent burial and looked in vain for the murderers.

The second is almost a fantasy novel: La légende de la chambre aux revenants
The legend of ghosts in the room is nicer: one room, in Trecesson is haunted ... A guest, of bravado, decide to sleep in the haunted place. That evening, an invisible door appears and servants install a game table for two men who will play cards .... The man, scared to death, fired on the players. The bullets have no result! He finally fell asleep. from exhaustion. The next day, when he woke up, a pile of gold coins (louis d'or) is the only proof left of that game.

The 3rd legend called le manoir du Pied d'Anon
A young Marquis de Trécesson loves to play in the salons of Versailles. He has lost everything. Fortunately, Firmin his valet, reminds him of a small manor, the mansion du Pied d'Anon (which was a small wooden hut perched on granite).
The intrepid plays again and regains everything he lost ... The story does not say if he then remained quietly in his castle Trécesson …

Read this article in French : Maisons et chateaux de schiste rouge en Bretagne

Do you know that dandelion is a french name… dent de lion which means lion teeth… because of the shape of its leaves.

In April, land is covered with dandelion flowers. Yes indeed, this plant is useful and the wonders of the dandelion are to be discovered…

First of all it is an easy plant to find…It grows almost everywhere, even in weird places like walls or concrete…



But be careful not to confuse them with other plants : more than hundred species are alike and have also yellow flowers. But they are not as tasty or even they can be toxic.

How to recognize a dandelion ?

The flower smells honey and if you eat its heart, it slightly sweet and taste like honey.
The stem is hollow and oozes a white liquid.
There is only one flower per stem.
Once it’s faded, the plant has fine hairs… that’s the best way to recognize them.



Its leaves are dentated : that’s the origin of its name, remember…
In French we call it pissenlit (piss in bed) because of its diuretic properties.
What to do with it ?

In France, the classical salad with potatoes, bacon and eggs.
The leaves can also be eaten cooked as spinach.
The roots were used during the second world war as a substitute to coffee.
The flowers, melliferous (plants that bees used to make honey), are used to make a wonderful jelly.



Read it in French : Vertus des plantes sauvages : le pissenlit

1 –The biggest menhir in Brittany weights 30 metric tons ?
It weights much more. Menhir is a breton word : men means stone and hir means long. If you know the French Obélix, it is the stone he is carrying around. The biggest in Brittany lies in Locmariaquer (Morbihan) it used to be 21 meters (more than 65 ft) long but it is broken and lays down on the floor. It weights more than 300 metric tons.




2 – A dolmen is a circle of different stones ?
You’re wrong. A dolmen is a « stonetable » in breton language, that means upright stones that are carrying a roofstone. Dolmen are really often without roof and have misceallanous architectures : the passageway is short to long, it has one to many chambers that are round, rectangular… La Roche aux Fées (Essé, Ille et Vilaine) is a nice one. During the neolitic time, it was probably covered by earth and stones forming a barrow.



3- And what is a cromlech or a cairn ?
A cromlech is a circle of standing stones.
A cairn is a dolmen,( the stonetable I was talking about earlier), but covered by a barrow. It is hidden by an earthen mound and it looks like a small mountain. Barnenez and Gavrinis are two famous breton exemples. Here you can see the tumulus (barrow) of Dissignac close to Saint Nazaire, (Loire Atlantique).



All these buildings have been erected at several periods, some of the stones were carved with symbols. They probably have had different goals, but we don’t know for what. Some were graves, may be some others were temples but we can only guess, the stones could have religious functions, astronomical functions,... We also don’t know why our megalith builders destroyed them (menhir brisé de Locmariaquer). When Christianity begins to appear in Brittany, the stones are already used for pagan rituals, and the Church doesn’t like it. They try to christanize it and carved christian cross or others christian symbols on it.



4 – Were the Egyptian pyramides already built when our ancestors were carrying their menhirs.
Well, some of the breton buildings are much older. We know it surely since the 50’s when carbon 14 was found. And we finally discover that they are really old. The neolithic men built the megalitic buildings between – 5000 and – 2000 BC. Our Egyptian friends began their pyramids around - 3000 when our Bretons are megalith specialists. The megalith time lasted 3000 years. And the buildings done are quite different : short corridors, long corridors, square, circular chambers…



5 - Menhirs , dolmens and other megalithic buildings were built by
- a Celts
- b Druids

a – During the XVIIIth century when the “scientists” began to look at those strange constructions, they thought that the Celts built them. We know now thanks to Carbon 14 that they are much older as Celts arrived in Brittany around 500 BC.
b – Caesar wrote about the druids in their stonetemples but they just used it and did not built it.


6 – In Brittany we say that Pantagruel, and his friends let menhirs everywhere ?

May be you don’t know who is Pantagruel. he is a hero of a book from Rabelais, a French writer from the XVI th century. He is part of the French folklore. Pantagruel, a jovial fellow, is a giant with an enormous appetite, and he is good-humoured.
He is the one who left a tooth in Saint Suliac (menhir de Saint Suliac, Ille et Vilaine). He took a gravelout of his shoe and let it fall in Fort Lalatte,another one in Cap Frehel ...


7 – Others say that the fairies did it !!!
They actually did the dolmen called la Roche aux Fées, that explains its name fairyrock. Look at the work they’ve done with the stones !!!



We don’t have any written signs for this civilization and archeologists guess every time they discover something new. They think now that the settled agricultural communities, that erected the buildings, were quite organized. They probably had a leader and asked the other communities around to help them to built the monument. So the monument was a common work : it needed the help of geologists (stones were not choosen at random and were often extracted far from the place where they wanted to build the monument), engineers for the architecture, astronomists to position the building…they did not need mason as the building are done without mortar.
Some experiences have been done to try to carry the stones : in 1979 at Stonehenge, about hundred men succeded in towing a 32 metric tons stone, supported by logs and using vegetal ropes.
To extract the stones, they probably were introducing small pieces of wood in the crevices of the blocks, and swollen with water, it did fissure the block. What a job!!!


8 – The megalithic architecture was born in Brittany ?
No, it was not but the alignments of Carnac are a famous place because of his high number of stones ( about 3000 and specialists guess that they were much more, may be 10 000). You can see megaliths in many other places in the world, close to us in Corsica, in Sardinia, Malta, Majorca… but also in Asia or South America.


9 – There are just 5 to 10% menhirs left in Brittany ?
Yes, that’s right. During the XIXth century, the “learned society” wanted to study the past and were carrying out excavations. These excavations were destructives because they were just dismantling the sites and razed it after. And also for many centuries, people used the stones to build their houses, later to do the roads. They did not care of culture and inheritage at that time.


10 – Why don’t we find bones under breton stones ?

Well, because the dogs came first !!! Some of them were burial chambers and you find no bones because the soil in Brittany is acid and « eat » the bones. Flints, pottery, pearls,arrows…were found in the megalithic constructions.


11 – What were those stones used for ?
We can only guess, they must have had a religious purpose. Standing stones may be calendars, markers of territory … Dolmens or cairns were burials sites…

Read it in French : Menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs et autres cairns en Bretagne : testez vos connaissances,

You’re visiting Britanny and specially the South Coast. You have to go to the Gulf of Morbihan, a small sea surrounded by peninsulas. The place is really unusual with its inland sea, an incredibly high number of islands... it's worth it.
And on the presqu'île de Rhuys, one of the peninsula that closes the Gulf, you’re close to an historical place the tumulus de Tumiac, where the legend says that Caesar did watch the naval battle between the most powerful tribe of Armor the Veneti and the Roman fleet.



Gallic War. Here we are, back in 56 before Christ when Caesar decided to conquer Brittany.
In 57, Roman already tried to dominate the peninsula. One year later, when they came back, they had to do it again. Veneti did resist and were known as good sailors. Ceasar decided to attack them, here on the South Coast. The legend said the Emperor watched the encounter from the top of this hill.



220 large sailing ships faced the Roman fleet, which was easy to move. And Romans had sickles tied to long poles that were quite useful to cut the sail down. The sailing ship could not move anymore and the soldiers just had to board the ship. And that ‘s how Caesar won this unexpected struggle… and the wind did not blow to help the Armor tribe.

That’s the legend… and now the truth about this little mound. It is on the main road that goes from Sarzeau to Port Navalo. Stop on the parking place and go on a small path that leads you to the top of the hill.



You can no more visit the underground… because of degradation…

86 m high, 20 m diameter of clay. Underneath, there is a grave (5000 before Christ).



A stone coffin 4 meters long and 2 meters wide where an important man from that time was burried. In 1853 excavations did reveal human bones which is rare in Brittany –acid soils do “eat” bones-.

Read it in French : La butte de César : légende historique ou site préhistorique du Golfe du Morbihan

You love flowers, you love trees, parks and gardens. Le Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, I visited in springtime will please you. Even if its name is not very poetic, the place is nicer.



Located about ten miles from Fougères, the park created in the late nineteenth century welcomes you from March to November (Parc Floral de Haute Bretagne, La Foletiere - The Châtellier 35133 Tel: 02 99 95 48 32).

What I like in this tour is that the landscape changes all the time. Depending on the season you'll visit a garden with different colors, a different garden ..

- Spring corresponds to the blooming of camellias, daffodils... End of May, rhododendron's lovers will enjoy the 800 feet planted in the garden.
In summer, roses, hydrangeas, lilies and lotus color the park.
In the fall, asters and cyclamen and liquidambars finish the season.
Gardeners, choose your month!. Or take a subscription to come when you want.

Of course, many other varieties of plants, flowers and trees (whose name I don't know) grow in this garden and delight visitors.



In an hour and a half, you'll cross 25 acres of green paradise ... I went through bamboo forests (all colors), avenues of pink or rubbed magnolias ...
20 gardens are to discover and each has its specialty: gentian or camellias ... And everyone will find his pleasure.



Children (3 ½ years and 4) are a bit small to enjoy the flowers... They liked getting lost in the maze. Or loved to test the balance of the suspension bridge. It was too early in the season to feed the carnivorous plants ... Too bad.

A greenhouse offers to buy seedlings of plants that you have seen ...
The park also rent places for business or for weddings ... ... Or rooms in the Manor of Foletiere ... 5 nice rooms named... Renoir, Degas, Monet ...



... Everything is on their website ... And if you book early, it's cheaper ...



Read this article in French : visiter un jardin en Bretagne : le parc floral et ses chambres d'hôtes

Since 2006, you can visit the feudal castle of Léhon all year long (for free : week-end 10 am to 7 pm off-season).

Located on a small rocky peak, it was before impossible to walk to the fortress because the ruins were hidden in a green jungle, full of bramble bushes…
The town council of Léhon decided to stop the destruction of the castle so that one day archeologists would be abble to excavate the site and discover the history of this monument. They did not try to restore it as it used to be but just did strengthen the ruins to avoid the total erosion of the buildings. The site is an archaeological reserve and when time and money is available, they will begin the researchs…



But let’s talk about the story of this fortified castle. Léhon has long been a strategic place because of his ford on the river Rance and then its bridge. The Benedictine monastery was already built when the Lords of Dinan decided to erect a castle. They choosed to settle on a rock promontory to dominate the Rance river. They took part to the different wars of the time : against the English or the French or during the War of Succession of Brittany. And the architecture of the stronghold evolved in the course of the centuries to fit to the evolution of the war machinery...



In the year one thousand the castle was first in wood. The bishopric of Aleth (the future Saint Malo) was divided into several seigniories. The viscount of Dol inherits Léhon where he settled his capital. The fortress is destroyed many times during the 11C. End of the 12C, the place is even razed to the ground as a punishment following the peace treaty between France and England.



The structure of the nowadays stronghold was done at the end of the 13C : a surrounding wall with towers that fits the rock.




The architecture evolves with the War of Succession of Brittany (1341-1381). The castle was besieged and the walls between the towers destroyed. The archers used the loopholes to reach their enemies.



Those holes were useful because thanks to their shape, the attacks could not get in. Inside the tower, thanks to the openings placed on different points of the tower, the soldiers could defend most of the tower.



Firearms appeared during the 15C and the buildings had to fit to the new attacks of guns. The castle raised and strengthened its walls (the basis is solidified to resist to the guns), the loopholes were enlarged to be abble to shoot from the inside of the castle. But all these modifications were not useful as … the Duchy of Brittany was now part of France and French troops don’t fight inside the Duchy but on the borders of the Kingdom of France.
That the end of the medieval fortress !!! The castle is already in ruins at the end of the 15C and will soon be used as a stone quarry for the monks to extend the priory of Léhon during the 17C.
In one of the tower a new chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph was done during the 19C.



Inside the castle signs explained the story of the castle both in French and in English.





The small village of Léhon is also worth it…

Read it in French : Promenade dans les ruines du château de Léhon (Côtes d'Armor, Bretagne)<br />

Destination: vacation, leisure and sports ...

Walking, cycling or horse tourism... Brittany is a nice place to tour... Tro Breizh (tour of Brittany in Breton language) is a beautiful tour of a few hundred miles ... you can do on foot, on bicycle and on horse-back ... in one go (and then some days are not enough, you need several weeks ...) or more stages (and then take the opportunity to visit some nice places), with your family or solo, in couple. .. stoping by a crêperie or a nice restaurant, a B&B or a pleasant cottage, a camping on the coast....

Since 1994, Les Chemins du Tro Breiz (The Paths of Tro Breizh) organizes walks around Small Britain. They invite you to tour for a week... every year. As there are around 700 kilometers, you'll achieve it in 7 years. It is our paths to Santiago !



Historically, the Tro Breizh connects the dioceses of the seven founding saints of Brittany. This medieval pilgrimage was a walk around Small Britain to pray the saints who evangelized the region.

The legend says that those Saints were septuplets and therefore brothers (they should have been killed at birth by their mother Domnonia ... because she believed twins were the children of sin). But fortunatly, the seven brothers (Seizh Breur) have been protected by God. For their safety, they were sent to Brittany. Once there, they evangelized Britain and created 7 bishoprics : Corentin in Quimper, Patern in Vannes, Saint Pol Aurélien at Saint Pol de Léon, Samson in Dol-de-Bretagne, Tugdual at Treguier, Brieuc and Malo in their respective cities Saint Brieuc and Saint Malo.
The pilgrims of the time did the pilgrimage in about a month (over 600 km).

All Breton Christians had to do it once ... or they had to do it once dead ... and then, even for a good Catholic, it was very long ... The legend recalls that the believer who had not performed it alive had to do it advancing a length of coffin a night ... It took quite a while.

Let's go back to our tour : Dol is one of the stages of the Tro Breizh. Saint Samson is the patron saint of the city and one of the founding saints of Brittany. He has its granite sculpture at Carnoët in the Holy Valley. Sculpted by Jacques Dumas, he is represented with a mermaid.



Jacques Dumas explains the legend of Saint Samson : his mother rescued once a mermaid who then gave to this women a son (she was too old to have one).

Samson was born in Wales (as you know now) and emigrated ...
He is a peacemaker between animals and with men too... He commands the birds that destroy crops, he hunts the serpent which occupies the cave where he wishes to move ... He also works in humans problems and rules the political conflicts between the Franks and the Britons. He created the diocese of Dol. He died in about 565 Dol. His feast day is July 28.



In West Britain, at the other end of the Tro Breizh, you'll meet Saint Pol Aurélien (David Puech is the artist). This saint is the source of many miracles in the area .... Thanks to him the island of Batz was released from the dragon ....He also comes from Wales, arrived at Ouessant and finally settled in Saint Pol de Leon, where he left his name.

Enjoy your tour... walking, cycling or riding horses...

Read this article in French : Tour de Bretagne à pied, à cheval ou à vélo : idée de vacances sportives en Bretagne