The Chateau Of Vitre

Our next stop, moving east, was Vitre, a small town famous for its chateau and also its well-preserved medieval center. The castle has the usual 11th-20th century history, serving as a primitive stronghold, a stronghold, a fortified residence, a palatial fortified residence, a prison, and now a tourist destination and museum. The town's Hotel de Ville is still located inside the castle walls.

Call central casting and order up a French castle, and you might
well get le chateau de Vitre

Closer up

Dry moat

Some damage here over the centuries but it is
mostly intact

Hotel de Ville (behind the wall)

Arch from the original 11th century construction

New/old construction

Ditto

Towers, moat

A beauty as castles go

Rennes Tall Half-Timber

After almost two months in Normandy and Brittany, I thought I'd seen everything in the half-timbered realm. Rennes has plenty, as much as Dinant, more than Caen and rivals Rouen. But at Rennes they built big, high, four, five, six stories, higher than any other place we've seen. I'll just post a few of the better ones (including a few standard three-four stories). All of them are centuries old, but, presumably, restored, um, stabilized, and modernized. In most cases. Presumably.

Rennes Market

The food market was the big attraction for us, reminiscent of the markets we frequented in Paris last summer. This one was indeed large, and strictly food, ingredients and some already prepared.

The market opens at 8:30, and we were among the first there, the
sun still low in the sky

Dozens of these giant skillets going

"First you slice up about two dozen carrots..."

One of several rotisserie trucks

I am so looking forward to getting back to Costco,
where you can get twice the chicken for half the
price, wonderfully spiced and cooked just right

Inside one of the two large market halls

Breton pizza

Food of Satan; takes many shapes and forms

One of many seafood stands

I'll post a video of the lobsters next door trying to escape

29 flavors of yogurt; mix and match

It was August 1st, and many of the market hall shops were already
into the fermeture

Not the coffee babe

Waiting to see your preferred butcher

More food trucks

After doing our city walk, we are back around lunch-time to do
some actual shopping

After the fruits and legumes, we visited the Indian food counter
to get some naan for a subsequent dinner; there's our naan,
being cooked

And, of course, the rotisserie truck, for half a chicken and some
potatoes

Great market

And a little repas back at the camper