Locronan & Concarneau

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So by now I've forgotten most of the first weekend; my mind has been filled to the brim with a whole new batch of stories and images. But I'll do my best to remember, and most likely keep it short (that's for you, Ivan).

Locronan was yet another beautiful little town; its name means hermitage of Saint Ronan. The town may only have a few defining objects, but of said objects, they've got a ton . . . hydrangeas and fairies. Everywhere. In the local bookstore, about half of the books were dedicated to folklore; faeries, ogres, sprites, etc. (the other half was about lighthouses). Locronan has an amazing granite church; it's truly the center of the town; everything is built around it.
For lunch, we dined on a local specialty- la galette complète. It's a crêpe filled with ham, eggs, and cheese, and my, is it delicious. My host mom actually prepared it for dinner a few nights later.

Concarneau has got to be one of the best places yet. On the outside, all you see is a stone fortress surrounded by a little harbor. Once you enter, however, it's a completely different world. Winding cobblestone paths and petite shops make up the center of the ville, with vendors selling everything from hookah to gelato. It's a bit like the French version of Wisconsin Dells, but better. The entire town seems a bit out of place, as everything is preserved as in the early days, but the t-shirts really throw you off.

After those sites, we hopped on our buses for a long ride back to Nantes, but with 2 stops along the way- le Roc Trévezel and St Thégonnec, a church. Le Roc is one huge hill, but as Madame Rouchet jokes, it is the mountain of Bretagne. St Thégonnec was definitely more promising, as it was interesting to compare the designs and art between the two churches. The church of Locronan was definitely older, with more focus on the shape of the stone and fewer paintings. St Thégonnec was actually partly destroyed by a fire in 1998, and has since been restored. There are a lot of guilded objects, paintings, statues, a gigantic organ, and intricately detailed stone carvings in the enclosure.

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Photos

Even the French have trouble with English . . .
. . . this sign directs the way to Locranan.

Comments

[Kelly]

Lucky.....

[M. Louie]

Fantastique
C'est fantastique, tout ça!! Maintenant, je suis nostalgique pour la France!!!

[Krissie]

I am so happy that you have this opportunity.