Paris 2009: Monday, March 16

We took a high-speed TGV train to Rennes to meet our guide and begin our brief tour of Brittany. It was an early day, as we had to get to the station to catch our train at 7:30AM, and we didn't get back until almost 10PM.

This was our Breton-French guide, Maelle, who gave us a wonderful personal tour of the region. The van could hold 8 passengers, but we were the only ones on this day.

The medieval walled town of Dinan, topped by the monastery at the top of the hill. Yes, we started at the bottom of this hill and walked all the way up there!

The river that runs below the town, and was a major reason for its being located here. This is not that far from the Atlantic.

The typical narrow streets of these old towns.

One of the old gates through the walls.

Even the basic local churches are spectacular by our standards. How did they build these places hundreds of years ago?

Taken from the city ramparts, this looks back at the place where the first picture of Dinan was taken. We started our walk on that bridge across the river.

Built by the monks, starting in the 12th century, with additions in the 15th and 18th centuries.

The spectacular abbey that sits on the English Channel, with huge tides that sometimes cover the area where the picture was taken.

These sheep are noted for their salty meat, which comes from eating the grass in the salt-marsh environment of the area.

Another huge climb awaited us to get up to the abbey.

Judy on the ramparts.

In the abbey, a statue of its patron, St. Michael the Archangel.

We walked up those steps...

...and had many more to go this day.

The tour of the abbey was one of the highlights of the trip. This is the 2nd-biggest tourist destination in France (after the Eiffel Tower), but at this time of year it was really not very crowded.

View from the top, down to the parking area where we started. The parking lot is under water when the big tides come in.

Trying to imagine the medieval monks walking through these galleries.

The monks ate quietly at these tables while a lecture was delivered.

We were really way up there a few minutes ago?

This is another walled town whose fortifications were designed by Vauban. It was a major port town, and infamous for the corsairs who raided (mostly English) shipping from here long ago.

The town was almost totally destroyed in WWII, but was rebuilt to its original configuration using the original materials as much as possible.

On the ramparts again, with the English Channel in the background. Brittany was settled by Gaelic-speaking, Celtic Bretons who came across from Britain when Britain was being invaded by the Anglo-Saxons.

The town was a major trading center, whose merchants lived in these houses behind the protection of the walls.

Apparently this is where you leave your boat until the next tide comes in. Note the channel ferry in the background; this is one of the busy ports for cross-channel travel and shipping.

Narrow streets, but the small cars can navigate them easily.

You can walk all the way around the town on the top of the walls.