Plougastel

Plougastel church

Love those severe lines...

Plougastel calvaire

Crown of thorns

Adoration of the donkeys

One the three facades

Shroud of Turin depiction

Obligatory young woman going to Hell

We spent the night of the 28th at the aire at the Brest marina. It seemed like a very yuppie place, with cool maritime stores (I bought a jar of Maritime Coop fish soup (Vicki calls it "poison soup") and seaweed beer), until the club across the parking lot closed at 1:30AM, and then there was a lot of drunken laughing and singing and car doors slamming, etc. The next day we found the Kerloas menhir, and the golf course, and then visited the church at Plougastel; another day, another calvaire.

Kerloas

With some local assistance, en Francais, we

finally found the giant Kerloas menhir; it is
indeed a big one

Me, fooling around

Detail

Slender side-view

More Neo-Neolithic

Part of a huge stone circle...is this a Jack Nicklaus-designed course?

4th hole, I think--is there a penalty for hitting the menhir?


While wandering around Finisterre, looking for the Kerloas menhir, largest in the world (the guidebook said), we came across more clearly neo-neolithic stuff...on the local golf course!

Guimiliau

Six miles from Thegonnec is another town with a famous church and calvaire, 
Guimiliau

Beautiful carving in interior

Patron saint of swordsmen?

All the beams holding up the 16th century roof appear  original, unadorned, 
except for

This one

But the most interesting aspect was the church floor-plan... a central aisle, 
two side aisles, and then an extra side aisle on the south side

Guimiliau's calvaire

Last Supper

And, the depiction of the young woman who did not fully confess her sins--
being sent to Hell

St. Thegonnec

One of the things we like in Brittany is the old parish churches--enclosures they are called--with church, ossuary, and, most importantly, the "calvaire," an outdoor sculpture thing usually depicting scenes from the life of Christ, plus other local curiosities. It was pouring rain as we visited St. Thegonnec, November 28th, but still interesting and pleasant. Gloomy grey weather is almost best for Brittany. It's a very spiritual, spooky place, with "religious" monuments here going back at least 7,000 years.

St. Thegonnec

Beautiful interior altar paintings

The Ossuary, always a fun place, but

apparently closed in the off-season

St. Thegonnec's 16th century calvaire

Up closer

Filthy, rotten, disgusting pigeons

St. Thegonnec provides a free public campground right in

the centre ville

Dinan

As we drove west, we stopped a few hours

in the old Medieval town of Dinan and

walked around a bit; above, street scene

They have the leaning half-timbered houses

here too

Ditto; PS: Vicki asked me to note that in the

vicinity of St. Brieuc we saw many camping car

dealers and accessory stores; they appear to be

all over western France.

St. Malo

We drove on to St. Malo and spent the night at an aire by its

ferry port and marina; above, the old, walled St. Malo (well,

old since WWII)

Ferry port and marina

The aire

Frogmen (nyuk-nyuk-nyuk)

Camping France

I am writing on December 2 (from St. Nazaire), and we have

been in France two weeks now without yet visiting a

campground or caravan park. The reason is the "aires" all

over, towns that welcome camping-cars, and even
supermarkets that designate over-night space and provide

other facilities, sometimes free, sometimes for a very modest

price, a euro or two. Walmart should be so accommodating!

Above, the Super U in Cancale

Designated over-night parking for camping cars

Dumping facilities and fresh water

Even a laundromat!

Pt. Grouin

From Cancale, we drove along the coast we have walked

many times, out to Pt. Grouin. Sorry, Rachel, the hotel and

restaurant were closed! Above, an island off Pt. Grouin

Across the Bay, Mt. St. Michel

Pt. Grouin light house

Closer-up

Cancale and Le Narval

We stopped in old-favorite Cancale, oyster capital of the world,

and had lunch at Le Narval, still going strong, where we first

dined in 1979; I had raw oysters, mussels mariniere, frites, wine,

nice chocolate dessert cake and mousse; Vicki had frites and

cake; Cancale harbor, low tide

Main street, harbor; I am not sure I have ever seen the

centre ville

Le Narval

There has been a great deal of development around Cancale

in the last 30 years (and where hasn't there been?); on the

edge of a residential suburb on the way to Pt. Grouin, we

noticed this Neo-neolthique structure; we are noticing more

and more such things and must blog about them in due

course

Bay of St. Michel

We drove on leisurely around the Bay, noting old windmills

turned into residences (I want one!), oyster and mussel

farming, etc.; in Brittany now, looking toward Cancale and

Pt. Grouin

This is all reclaimed land, hence dozens of old windmills,

now gentrified

And dozens of moule and huitre farms along the edge

Bay of St. Alligator

Sunset

Next morning

And just a couple kilometers from the Abbey...the Alligator Bay complex

Also turtles, reptiles, etc; closed, unfortunately, for the season; alligators wintering 
on the Cote d'Azur; Orlando has nothing on Mt. St. Michel!