Day Nine - Falling in Love with Salty Brittany

From the Other Side of the City Gate

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I got this picture just seconds before a nasty little rain squall hit us. It caused the girls to duck unseen by me into a shop where I was unable to find them for twenty minutes. That gave me plenty of time to check out the restaurants and where to buy a bag old bag of their famous salt. Salt was a very important export for the town even back in the Middle Ages. There was a lively trade between Guerande and Rouen which at times caused little Guerande to suffer invasions by its jealous neighbors. From Wikipedia: "In 1343 during the Breton War of Succession, following Guerande's capture by troops commanded by Charles of Blois, approximately 8000 inhabitants were massacred in its streets, burned in their homes or in the Church of Saint Aubin. Jean of Montfort demanded that the town be properly protected, by improving its fortifications. Work started soon after and continued for more than a century, with the town's architecture adapted to reflect the latest developments in siege and artillery. It was not until 1488, or 145 years later, that the ramparts, by then complete, were inaugurated during the reign of Duke François II (father of Anne of Brittany), only a few months before his death."

Patron Saint of Salt?

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It wasn't hard to miss this brightly painted statue up on a corner apartment building.

After the Cleansing Rains

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The little storm event cleared the street of most of the shoppers and made it easier for me to find the girls. They were still back at one of the stores near the city gatehouse.

Did I Ever Tell You Where the Word "Salary" Comes From?

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Almost every shop that was open was selling the local salt culled from the salty swampland around the city. I eventually bought a three pound bag to share with my family. "Worth its weight in salt" they say. Ironically, when we were checking our bags to fly home my suitcase was 5 lbs overweight. I considered dumping the salt but instead stuffed lots of dirty underwear and socks into my camera bag carry-on instead.

More Salts

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I wasn't interested in the salt mixed with herbs and spices. I wanted the genuine unadulterated salt. That other stuff is for tourists.

Local Caramel

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I'm not familiar with caramel production but I take it the abundance of salt and all the dairy farms make for some sort of flavor that gourmands envy. "Caramel Au Beure Sale" was being sold in as many shops as the local salt. We passed on this.

I Wish I Knew the Muffin Man

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I was getting hungry and the muffin shop's smell beckoned me inside. It's a good thing Gail doesn't give me my own money to carry because I might easily have been enticed to buy a couple of these which would then ruin my anticipated big dinner.

Saint Aubin's Church (15th–16th century)

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As quickly as the rainstorm had come it totally disappeared and the sun decided to make a brief appearance. We slowly sauntered up the pedestrians only shopping avenue checking out the many still open-for-business shops along the way. Almost in the very center of the walled city we came to an open square in front of a pretty Baroque church. Having been inside so many houses of worship lately we never even considered going inside. Not when stores were still open and the sun was illuminating the photogenic old buildings.

Le Drapeau de Guerande

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This little town had its own individual flag. Interestingly, the flag of Brittany uses the same flower symbols but with black white stripes like the American flag.

A View Back Down the Street

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Since the girls had gone inside yet another boring store I was left outside to lean up against the building. It gave me some time to play further with my Panasonic camera.

Don't These Folks Have TV Here?

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Throughout Europe you always see people out walking and chatting on their days off from work. Later they might sit around in a restaurant and talk some more. It seems like the only time they watch TV is during the World Cup soccer tournament.

Action Shot

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Still leaning against the wall to hold up the building I decided to try to capture two little brats running around and making nuisances of themselves while their parents gabbled on and on obliviously.

Guerande Charm

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By now we had moved along a few steps, but soon I was back up against the wall as the ladies found more merchandise not to buy.

Excellent Lighting Conditions

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The sun was fading away as more cloud cover returned and as the sun began to set. Shop window lights were being turned on when I took this surprisingly good shot of one of the stores that had lured the girls inside.

Now I'm Getting Very Hungry

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With the rest of my tour group ducking in and out of every store in town I was getting plenty of time to peruse every menuboard in town. One minute crepes sounded good, then I'd see Steak au Poivre and drool over that, only to change my mind when I spotted a pizza palace. The bad news was that we were still two hours or so away from French dinner time.

What a Cool Town

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I was really enjoying this hitherto unknown little village. It's a shame my knowledge of French and Bretagne history is virtually nil because there were probably plenty of interesting historical corners to explore. Even as I currently read Wikipedia entries regarding Guerande now, I am totally confused by the events and names of the Middle Ages. So many "Jeans" and Charleses". A local tour guide would've been helpful. Guerande joins the ever-expanding list of places I need to return to in the future.

It Doesn't Take Much to Amuse Me

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I can't imagine what monuments might be on display in the museum of Poupee.

We Finally Settled on a Place for Dinner

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With all my walking around while the girls shopped I had come up with almost a dozen joints I might want to try for dinner. All of them looked interesting and rather affordable, but our choice was made simple by the demands of our empty stomachs: every place was closed until that ungodly dining hour of 7:30 except for one cute little bistro. Actually Cassie discovered it and we were very glad she did. This joined the long list of highlights on the trip. We must return to Creperie la Saline.

Sometimes I am So Stupid

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Yes, this was a charming little place and yes, we had a very nice meal, but the real charm of this restaurant was our little teenage waitress. She resembled my image of Eponine of Les Miserables after I read the book and before the musical came along and gave her a totally different look: a young, somewaht awkward hotty. She was highly entertaining as she did her best to speak English with us and tried to get our orders straight. Our amusement made her smile even more and she took a liking to these weird Americains. At the end of the meal we left her an American sized tip. She came running out of the restaurant to effusively thank us out on the street. Why I didn't think to take a picture of her proves what a crummy photographer I really am. I never ever think to take a picture when something interesting is actually happening.

Something's Steaming

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Gail and I got our usual beers, Cassie went with Coke and Grandma got her hot wine. Imagine how many she might have ordered if it were actually cold out there.