Wednesday 7th June
Indispose - unwell
Both of us woke feeling unwell. Eric couldn't get warm and I was too hot. I got up to have breakfast but instead ended up back in bed. When I woke the next time I felt much better. Eric had the chills all day so stayed indoors watching the French Open. Glenn and Jenni had already decided they needed a day of down-time as they have been on the go for about 6 weeks. We read books, watched tv and ate well.
Thursday 8th June
Anniversaire - birthday
Jenni's birthday today, so I began the day by slipping downstairs to arrange a fresh fruit platter that could almost pass as a celebratory custard tart except for the fact that there was no custard tart underneath. It's the thought that counts. Eric was still feeling unwell so we stayed home while the Mundays took off to visit Rochefort en Terre, a village we have read has been voted one of France’s most beautiful villages as a result of the geranium-bedecked houses within. It is a brighter day and the wind has dropped so it should be a pleasant day to celebrate Jen's birthday. Hopefully we will get there when Eric feels better.
I got a few loads of washing done and spent the time reading and trying to help Eric recover. Eventually we got out for our walk in the sunshine.
Friday 9th June
Vue des oiseaux - bird's eye view
At last Eric felt well enough to travel so together we drove to St Marlo in the Cote d'Armor (Armour Coast) region. The wind seemed to have dropped but there were still clouds about so we all took plenty of layers for any outcome. Fortunately it remained fine and at times we were walking in t-shirts. The coast, known as Cote d'Emeraude (Emerald Coast), around St Marlo is dotted with small islands and many have fortresses on them from the days when this part of the world was home to privateers, the government approved pirates. Their role was to raid the English and Spanish and then pay a small proportional tax to the government on their plundered proceeds. These days the coast is a safe haven for holiday makers who can moor their ocean-going yachts in the marina, take the ferry to Portsmouth, Jersey or Guernsey or, like us, explore the towns that have been built within the walls. We found a park inside the old city wall just beside a creperie so began with lunch sitting on the terrace overlooking the beach which was dotted with school groups learning to sail or just playing in the sand.
St Marlo appears bleak as you approach with the windows of the monumental townhouses, which butt up against each other, appearing like eyes staring down at you from great heights. These were all rebuilt after heavy bombing during the war. We walked to the headland and looked back at the walled city, to our left and right were forts built on islands protecting the 2 bays.
Then we walked the ramparts and found that once you were inside the streets, there is a warmth and charm to be found. It is very much a beachside tourist town though, with many of the shops selling exactly the same products.
From the height of the ramparts you get a good view of life within the walls and also the chimney pots. There was a very lovely cathedral and inside we found a gallery displaying devotees of all different faiths from all directions on the globe which was quite surprising. We also stumbled upon a peaceful war memorial garden.
Having walked off lunch, and choosing not to dip our toes in the chilly water, we drove towards home via Dinan. It was built beside a river that flows out to sea at St Marlo and has one of the most amazing 140m high stone viaduct. Far, far below lies a canal with riverboats moored to the bank and the original stone bridge from the 15th century. It would be a very impressive sight from that angle but way too far for us to walk down and back up again.
Instead we climbed to the top of the 43m clock tower in the old town for a bird's eye view over the slate rooftops of one of Brittany's best preserved towns and the surrounding area. This town, built within the walls, once had over a thousand half wooden homes, but only 17 remain after the destruction of war.
Dinan has shot to the top of favourite places we have visited in this part of the world, with charming old-world streets, impressive views and stores full of curiosities. It is called a Ville d'Art et d'Histoire (Town of art and history) so artists, sculptors etc congregate here where like minds work well together.
Saturday 10th June
Pierres debout - standing stones
We felt it was time to steer away from quaint fortified towns for a change, so we took a drive south to Carnac, on the Crach River. It is famous for its unique, aligned rows of ancient standing stones, in fact it is considered one of the most important megalithic sites in Europe with more than 3000 stones still standing. We approached through forest and then suddenly burst upon this field of standing stones set amongst wildflowers. We took a 40 min tour which explained the history and research done in the area and orientated us through the main sites. Like Stonehenge, they were not all completed at once. It is believed to have taken more than 1000 years to complete the site, starting with Neolithic man about 6000 yrs ago in 4000 BC. It is an extensive area, yet they believe more than 70% of the original stones have disappeared. Although it is not known why they were put up; it is thought they had a religious or cultural significance anchored to the earth since it was the one thing that most influenced their livelihoods. These may be older than the Bru na Boinne site we visited in Ireland but they are likewise aligned east west with the solstice. The significant difference is that these are aligned in straight lines rather than circles. We drove to a few different areas and walked to some of the most significant points of interest. One isolated stone stood more than 6m tall, others formed burial sites and sacrificial tables.
For lunch we headed to La Trinite sur Mer, passing salt pans and beaches at low tide along the way, and ate baguettes in the sunshine. This is France's capital of sailing and hosts numerous races and regattas. The marina has 15 jetties and there were very few vacant berths as we wandered along the sunny esplanade.
We set the GPS for Josselin and headed towards home, first stopping at a sculpture park beside the road just outside Carnac. These were very impressive, mostly just found pieces well positioned together, not chiseled or tampered with generally. Certainly worth a quick stop and we would have had a drink in the bar had we not been driving.
The GPS then rerouted, due to traffic conditions, and took us a completely different way to this morning which was good because we saw more of the countryside and had the opportunity to follow a 3 wheel goggomobil (remember the add for yellow pages on the tv years ago). Mind you, my driver would have been happier if it had turned off a bit earlier as it was pretty slow-going around the small, winding back roads at a top speed of 50kms/h and a distinct front-end inward lean on the corners. In Josselin we bought a birthday fruit tart for Jenni and had a drink in the town square before finishing our day.
Sunday 11th June
Vente de bottes - boot sale
Although the morning was overcast, we agreed to continue with last night's plan to drive to the coastal town of Vannes. It didn't look likely that Glen would get the opportunity to show me how to ride a standing paddle board but I threw in my bathers and a change of clothes on the off-chance. In the driveway we met up with Philippa and Mark who were heading in to Josselin for a car boot sale. Her house is full of nicknacks and we suspect this is the way she has mostly collected them. Mark says he just likes to 'snuffle'. Since we only have a few more nights here, then Mark and Deb leave, then Philippa and Allen and finally Jenni and Glenn in a few more days, we invited them in for drinks tonight which they agreed to. Then Philippa remembered they were having a bbq and invited us over for that instead. All in all, one way or another, we planned to have a drink and say thank you and farewell. That was until we discovered later in the day that it was Sunday afternoon and we had forgotten to purchase supplies. But that was later....
We arrived in Vannes, on the Gulf of Morbihan, around lunchtime but decided to have a wander before eating since we hadn't really done much since breakfast. Just outside the gates we found the mansion Chateau Gaillard which is now a museum. We didn't visit but enjoyed a walk through the gardens where a fair was being held.
Again, the old town centre is characterised by narrow cobbled streets, half timber houses and medieval gates. We dropped into the market at Place de Lices and Eric was very tempted to buy marinated meat and duck sausages until I reminded him that we were too far from home.
We finished our walk and met up with Jenni and Glenn at the main town gate then ate a lovely lunch in a cafe overlooking the marina.
Once again we came home a different way and it was when we got to Josselin that we realised the supermarkets were closed. Oh no, we had invited them for drinks but now we have none! Fortunately, Glenn remembered seeing bottles of local wine and beer for sale at the Josselin Tourist Information Centre so the lads made a quick mercy dash back to town and we were saved. Jenni threw together a stew with whatever we had in the fridge and pantry and I put together a plate of nibbles to take next door to share. We enjoyed a very pleasant evening with the 4 couples who are all from the UK and either now resident or regular visitors to Mohon. Our stew was delicious and we planned tomorrow's bike ride along the tow path of the Brest Nantes Canal then went to bed as the neighbours 'carried on' as only Poms can do.
Monday 12th June
Ferme le Lundi - closed on Monday
Before breakfast Glen went to the boulangerie in town for croissants and came home with an armload of fresh bread - we were carbo loading apparently, in readiness for the cycling. Did someone forget to tell him that tow paths are essentially flat since they were constructed for horses and mules to pull barges along the canals, not up and down hills? Nobody complained though as we all enjoyed munching into crisp baguettes and buttery croissants.
Unfortunately when we got to the carpark beside the canal where we had seen bikes for hire we discovered that they are closed on Mondays. Bugga. Maybe the Tourist Information Centre knows of another hire centre. We drove into town only to discover they were closed until after lunch on Mondays. OMG, this is getting ridiculous.
We figured at least we could walk along the canal since everything in town, bar the cafes and restaurants serving the few cyclists, seems to be closed. Apparently they work the weekend and take Monday off. We walked upstream towards Rohan, passing a number of historical information boards about the establishment and function of the canal which really put my form five French to the test. We learnt a little about the locks, the lock-keepers homes, the barges and the mills. A canal boat made its way downstream past us, and we were able to watch one of the locks in action.
Time for a coffee and to revisit the Tourist Info. She confirmed that tomorrow we will be able to hire bikes and also offered a walking trail around town. Time for lunch first though. This morning we had seen an interesting little restaurant on the north bank offering a set lunch for good value in a lovely garden setting so we returned to it. Brambles laden with ripe raspberries hung over our shoulders as we sat amongst the interesting handmade iron sculptures that peeped out between the roses. Inside, the walls were covered in old kitchen utensils like beaters and butter churns.The food was delicious and there was certainly plenty of it, including a fresh raspberry dessert.
Time to walk it off again so we made our way to the spot where the original inhabitants had their washing done. We sat and listened to a legend about how these hard working women were taught not to forget about being charitable, even if they are very busy. Then we proceeded up the steps to a park, but missed that and ended up in the cemetery. Families from here are buried together in crypts. We didn't linger too long. The day was getting late and we still had the groceries to buy. Eric's turn to cook tonight. If plan A had failed in many other places you would find it necessary to get in the car and drive further afield, but all of us agreed that Josselin is charming, with plenty of interesting local heritage sites to discover or experiences to enjoy if you take the time to find them.
Can you believe I was heading to bed at 10pm and it was still this light outside? Not much like Darwin. This is the view from our bedroom window across the neighbour's yard.
Tuesday 13th June
Faire du velo - bike riding
We headed into Josselin and found the bicycle hire beside the canal was open today. He only had electric bikes for hire, so despite the fact that we were planning to ride on a zero gradient trail, we rented one each. After a lap of the carpark to get the feel of them, we took off in the same direction as yesterday passing locks in the water and fields of corn beside us as we rode in the shade of the poplars and oaks that line the bank. We came across other cyclists (though I think they were all working under their own steam), walkers, artists working on their latest landscapes and a number of fishermen. What intrigued us about them was the incredible length of their rods, they don't use reels for some reason. We also got a very close view of some towering wind turbines that dot the countryside all around here. I am not sure I understand the hesitation Australia has to the installation of these, they don't seem to interrupt the view of the landscape, but stand tall and majestic with a soothing motion that can be quite hypnotic.
After about 5 locks we turned back towards town and retraced our steps (tyre marks) to the first one which was a lovely setting for our picnic lunch. We opened the backpacks to share baguettes stuffed with salad and jamon, a boiled egg and red wine. So very French! Lying down in the sun was very pleasant but if we were ever going to finish this ride we had to rouse ourselves and continue, even though certain points on our backsides complained about weight-bearing again.
We rode beyond Josselin, continuing downstream passing another few locks, until I pulled the pin, having considered how many hours in the next 2 days I would be sitting on a train or plane on those same pressure points. The boys achieved a few more kms than Jen and I, but then flew home with the battery supplying all the energy.
Every mile we found these markers that indicated the Nantes Brest Canal and in which direction you were travelling. Perhaps once the mileage was also legible, but not nowadays. We bought supplies for a pasta dinner and headed home to begin the packing.
14th June
Au revoir - goodbye
An early start, we were in the car by just after 8am for the trip to Rennes. 90 mins later Glenn and Jenny were dropping us at the SCNF railway station so we could catch the fast train to Charles de Gaulle Airport. It turned out to be a very rushed farewell as Glenn had to pull over rather than park due to roadworks. Probably just as well as it was emotional enough as it was. We are forever grateful to Jenni and Glenn for being so generous in sharing their home exchange holiday. We were in plenty of time to catch our train but I'm not sure how they got on. They had planned to visit the tourist information centre at the station to plan the next step in their day.
Just on 3 hrs later we were alighting at the airport after a very comfortable and speedy ride through the countryside with a few stops in big cities. The airport felt crowded and hectic after our last few weeks in Mohon. It was easy to get a taxi to our hotel nearby in Roissy-en-France, a town in Val-d'Oise. You would know all our neighbours; Marriott, Novotel, Mercure, Holiday Inn and Best Western. It is a transit hub on the doorstep of the airport with business centres and shopping but also a lovely park around the Town Hall. Once it had cooled down a bit we went for a walk and discovered an interesting photo display of Air France in the park. Their were boards displaying the new routes opened during the mid 20th century and a sculpture inspired by the concord design. The town hall was a former bourgeois home and there were ruins of the former stables of a chateau. The church in the grounds dates back to the 16th century but it's bell tower was an original watchtower from the 12th century.
There was also a small orchard in the park planted to attract bees. France has a policy to actively encourage the populations of bees in gardens and to educate the visitors as to their importance, while warning about their presence at the same time. It was lovely to see so many people out enjoying the park in fact one man approached us asking that we shoot a video for him, of his daughter who was taking her first steps. It was a lovely encounter to share. We saw and heard our first parrot in Europe, we were able to add it to a rather meagre list of bird sightings over the last month. We are spoilt for bird life in Australia. We returned to the hotel's Irish bar for refreshments then had our last dinner of the journey on the terrace. It has been a wonderful trip but we are now looking forward to getting home. I am having all sorts of problems with the iPad so few pics for that last bit. In fact I have considered losing it one the way home! Happy reading while we sit for hours on planes and around airports.
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