Blogs from Brittany , France, Europe - page 11

Locronan is rated the most beautiful villages of France, and it is very pretty indeed! The village's name means the "hermitage of Ronan", possibly after the eponymous founder Saint Ronan who came to the region to teach the people around the 6th century. Since the 15th century, hemp has naturally grown in the area. It was cultivated and processed in a hemp industry in the town at the time, and it was widely used. The town was quite prosperous. but the village went quiet slowly once the industry withered. Eventually in the last few decades it attracted many film maker came to shoot their movie, the village itself also began to holding up some local handcrafts, together with the lovely surrounding, tiny Locronan now survive gracefully in tourism. But the main attraction in Locronan is the ... read more

The name Quimper comes from the Breton kemper "confluent" because the city was built on the confluence of the Steir, Odet and Jet rivers. The city is famous for its Quimper faience pottery, many old products are cast as collector item in the antique market. one could visit the Quimper faience museum in Locmaria. The Quimper old town are full of many pretty half-timbered houses and shops, and the huge two towers Cathedral of Saint-Corentin dominated the skyline of the city. I came through Quimper just for other festival event in further destination, so I didn't see that much of the city.... read more

Day 111 Friday 3 July Friedrichshafen to Blois 39c in Paris bloody hot We woke up and got ready to leave then had breakfast. Jonas left for work and Dani drove us down to the station where we said goodbye and thanked her very much for the great time we had with them. They are certainly a fabulous couple. We boarded our train and went to Stuttgart passing through a very heavy storm. The German country side was very green and the villages looked beautiful. We changed at Stuttgart onto the TGV to Paris. For the first part we had the carriage to ourselves. We had made lunch at Dani and Jonas and had just finished eating it when the staff brought around a complimentary meal "for our international first class passengers." We ate some of ... read more

Borrowed the words from Wikipedia : "A Pardon is a typically Breton form of pilgrimage and one of the most traditional demonstrations of popular Catholicism in Brittany. A Pardon occurs on the feast of the patron saint of a church or chapel, at which an indulgence is granted." Since the year 1619 Guingamp will organised a Pardon and feast for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary every year on the first Sunday of July. Started with a solemnly mass in the Basilica Notre Dame de Bon Secours, one should overwhelming by the serenely of the hymn while touch by the powerful sound of the organ and flute resounding under the concave ceiling of the stone structure. A parade was setting up afterward, leading by flag holders, the statue of Notre Dame, priests and clerks, worshiper ... read more

The medieval town of Dinan is fortified by ramparts, small part of the city wall is open for tourist to walk and enjoy the great view down the river Rance with a small port for sail boat and a nicely built stone bridge. The port linking with Rue de Petit Fort, the most elegant steep cobbled street up into the old town of Dinan, accessed through the Rue Jerzual into the heart of the bussiness center where many beautiful stone-timber houses squeezed inside those narrow street. One of the landmark inside the old town is the Clock Tower, smartly stood in a nice quiet street, you could climb up the step to the roof for an bird eye view of the city. Another great landmark is the magnificent Basilica of St Saviour, first build in 1120 ... read more