The Road Goes Ever On

Monday, December 7, 2009

Crucuno

Crucuno is a small village a few miles from Carnac; the Crucuno
dolmen has been used as a hen house, as storage for German
army motorcycles (their giant submarine base was at L'Orient,
just a few miles away), and, in the 19th century, as an apartment
for the village idiot

The structure adjoining is for sale, but it was unclear whether
the dolmen is included

Village idiot pose

Our friend at Roadtrek keeps asking us to take pictures with
the Grey Wanderer in them

Half a mile away is the Crucuno cromlech, a large quadrilateral
of unknown meaning or significance

Some large stones in the quadrilateral

More of the cromlech

Carnac, Finally: Menec Alignment

After Plougastel, we drove back east, to the south side, as it

were, and to that Mecca of Megalithia, Carnac, getting there

just as dusk was approaching. The gift shop was closing,

the parking lot was empty and unsigned, so we just stopped

for the night, a short stone's throw from the largest and most
famous of all neolithic alignments. In the off-season, the

usually-fenced alignments are open, so we enjoyed a stroll

among these mysterious old friends. The next dozen or so

posts are going to be from the Carnac/Plouharnel/

Locmariaquer realm, so brace yourselves!

Menec alignment, 10 or 11 rows, a thousand or more stones,

generally decreasing in size; about half-way down the

alignment, looking back

Two "escapees" (the locals, some of them, very much object

to the fencing-in, there being a large "free the menhirs"

movement years ago)

Clouds at dusk

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.