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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 15, 2012 19:26:26 GMT
Below we see the Chapelle du Calvaire, which was built on an old feudal motte which was once the site of a donjon. In the 19th century La Roche Derrien had developed a slum down by the river, known as Penn ar Pont, that was inhabited by a somewhat notorious population of ragpickers. Their quarter was reputed to be a veritable Court of Miracles. They had their own language, called tunodo (Breton slang), and their own traditions and rituals. Their music led the uproars at the doors of the church during weddings and christenings. They wore a uniform of canvas trousers and blue jackets and would organize themselves at the bridge in a group of 100 men and attack all strangers who passed by. Not surprisingly, they had little contact with the rest of the population. The ''colony'' was engaged in the industry of rags. In the morning they would scour the country looking for rags, bones, scraps of skin mole and rabbit, bones, pig bristles, pony tails etc. They more or less gathered anything they found because that meant prestige in their community. They were proud of where they lived and didn't let anyone forget this. However, they performed a useful economic role in recyling waste (nothing went unused) and because they traveled the countryside they also spread news and therefore usually found a welcome place at a table at mealtime. La Roche Derrien was the birthplace of one Narcisse Quellien, a biographer of Breton customs, languages, folklore and traditions and he is considered sort of the father of the defense of Breton culture and heritage. In Paris he became the soul and backbone of The Celtic Dinner, a group of Celtic scholars who gathered in the capital. In 1902 in Paris he was run over and killed by a car driven by Agamennon Schliemann, son of the famous archaeologist who discovered Troy. On Tuesday evenings at 5:30PM in the summer there are guided visits of the town if you'd like to discover more. I would imagine the tours are in French, however. You can stop in the town hall, however, and pick up a brochure to guide you through the tourist worthy places in town and also get a map to lead you on a pleasant walk into the pretty nearby countryside. Since it was a gray and rainy day I didn't take pictures of the countryside but only of the villages we visited. The next tiny village we visited was called Runan. The attraction here is its parish enclosure church, which you can learn more about on the link to the regional tourist office websites: www.pontrieuxcommunaute.com/Runan.aspwww.pontrieux.com/1-47-Runan.php
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 15, 2012 19:27:32 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jan 15, 2012 19:27:35 GMT
Wow! And sunshine too! You were certainly lucky with the weather, so you managed to get some great photographs.
Hmmm. I posted that comment just as your rainy pictures came up. With the rain, it looks like Mayenne -- same gray stone houses and slate roofs.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 15, 2012 19:28:32 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 15, 2012 19:29:35 GMT
So that's the end of our vacation. Before I go I mentioned earlier that I was going to provide some tips for you in exploring this area so I guess I'll do that. Before I get into the specifics of this area I'll give you some general tips that will prepare you for exploring any region in France. I'm assuming everyone reading this is aware that they should get guidebooks for whatever region they plan on exploring. I like The Michelin Green Guides but choose whichever one(s) you like best. I must admit I haven't used a guidebook in ages. Before I go on vacation I do very little if any research. I pretty much rely exclusively on my Michelin maps to determine what places I would like to visit. These are the most important tool in my vacation toolbox. Once I've picked places from the map that look interesting I follow that up by googling tourist office websites, which by now you should realize contain a wealth of very specific and detailed information. If I find something I like I may do further general google searches but I think you get the idea. Another thing I do to see if a town/attraction might be worth visiting is google searches and look for photos of that town/attraction. If you are a regular poster on travel forums then you've probably seen me post my standard response about Michelin maps but for those who haven't seen it here are a few paragraphs to help prepare you to explore any region in France. Get your hands on the Michelin maps. You want the ones of the scale 1:200,000 (regional maps) or 1:150,000 (departmental maps, more detailed, cover slighty less area) for whatever regions you visit. A nice feature of the 1:150,000 maps is they show the starred attractions in the corresponding Michelin Green guidebooks. The Michelin maps have icons for all kinds of historically/touristically interesting things such as châteaux, ruins, churches, abbeys, scenic view points, caves, Roman sites, megaliths, designated scenic roads and many other things. Usually when I'm exploring various regions in France I just look at the map and I am able to plan interesting and scenic drives just reading the map. For instance, I usually look for a designated scenic road, which are highlighted in green, and I especially look for towns with the historic church and/or château icon. I also try to make sure the route goes through as many small villages as possible. Usually putting all these things together I find interesting and scenic drives without even knowing where I am going and with no assistance from a guide book. Often these places are never mentioned in guidebooks and remain completely unknown to many tourists. You can buy the Michelin maps from their website and here is a link to the page that shows all of the maps of France: tinyurl.com/4bt96evYou could also buy them here in France but then you can't do research beforehand. The maps can be bought here in many places such as bookstores, news stands, magazine stores, larger supermarkets, department stores, hypermarkets and in the full service rest areas on the autoroutes, just to name a few. You need good guidebooks for whatever region in France in which you will be traveling. I like The Michelin Green Guides. If you need restaurant info then get The Michelin Red Guides, which cover restaurants. And speaking of Michelin, you can go to the website viamichelin.com and get info on drive times and distances, toll and fuel costs and suggested routes (i.e. scenic routes). The drive times given do not consider stops (fuel, food, bathrooms) nor do they consider bad weather and traffic. Here is some other general advice for you. You should google some of the town/tourist office websites for any towns you may want to visit. You will find loads of info on these websites including hotel/accommodation and restaurant info as well as what to see and do in the area. Occasionally the websites have English versions. In doing a google search enter the name of your town followed by the words "site officiel" or "office de tourisme" and this will bring the town to the top of your search. Another thing I like to do to see if a town may be worth visiting is enter the town name in a google search followed by the word "photos". So that is the standard advice I often provide on travel forums to help people prepare themselves. Now let me get on to specific advice about exploring the area near Dinan. I will also explain how you use the Michelin maps to assist you. When you notice a place on the map that is labelled in bold lettering this means one of/or two things. It is likely indicating that this place is a capital of its administrative district. But it can also be an indication that a place might be of interest to visit. The reason being that if it is an administrative capital it is probably of some importance and has also probably been an important place for a long time. Meaning there's probably a lot of old stuff there and probably some significant history as well. The bold lettering might also be an indication of population size but sometimes it is truly just highlighting a place of interest. I've seen many places on the map indicated with bold lettering that are neither an administrative capital nor particularly populous. This is not a foolproof method for finding an interesting place so make sure you do appropriate google searches to be sure. But it is part of a multi-step approach to find an interesting place. In regards to tourist office websites it can be said that any place in France that is worthy of tourism is going to have a website. I explained earlier how to google a tourist office website for any particular town. Often times the smaller towns don't have their own websites but they are listed on the regional tourist office websites. If you look at your map and see a smaller town indicated with bold lettering and next to the town name is the letter C inside a circle this is indicating that the town is the chef lieu de canton (chief place in its district). Chances are good that once you google this town it will have links to info about all the neighboring towns that are worth a visit. Here is a photo from my Michelin Atlas. Notice the town called Matignon and you'll see it is a chef lieu de canton. Notice the megalith icon I highlighted in yellow; That is the allée couverte we visited on our way to Dinan. Notice also the designated scenic roads highlighted in green in Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer and Saint-Briac-sur-Mer. We drove on all of those roads. So I googled the tourist office website for the town and here it is: www.pays-de-matignon.net/One thing I noticed is that many tourist office websites in this region have English versions, probably due to the number of visitors they get from the British Isles. But in the website above you'll notice there are links to all the touristically interesting towns you can find within a 10-15km radius from Matignon. Really, you've got to dig into the websites and you'll just find so much incredibly useful info. I'm amazed at how infrequently tourist office websites are mentioned as good sources of travel info on the travel forums. I'll turn my attention now to actual tourist offices, another vastly underutilized travel ressource. The first thing I do when I go any town or villages is head to the tourist office and at a minimum get a map of that town so I know where I am going. The local maps usually indicate points of interest and may even have a designated tourist trail. However, I usually scour all the free brochures and pamphlets on offer. Often this info is available in guidebooks and on the web but just as frequently I find a ot of obscure stuff that's not in guidebooks or on the web. Especially useful can be maps of hiking and biking trails. If I'm interested in one of those activities but I see no brochures I ask at the counter. Since sometimes they might charge a few euros for these maps they are not on display. And if you have any sort of general questions about food, lodging etc. just ask. When I arrived at Erquy I went to the tourist office and got a bunch of brochures but the best thing I got was the Carte Touristique de Bretagne (Tourist Map of Brittany). The map covers all of Brittany and has a plethora of icons designating all kinds of places to visit and what kinds of activities are available. Here's a picture. Here's a close-up of the area around Dinan. Notice all the icons. Here's the legend for the icons. So to sum up, my entire vacation was planned with nothing more than the Michelin map and the Brittany Tourist Map and I did no research for my trip prior to arrival. Of course I live here and it's easy for me to travel like this so I would suggest before you spend lots of money traveling to France that you still get your guidebooks and do your research. But I like traveling spontaneously so this style suits me well. Let's get on to some of the important website links that will assist you in planning your vacation in this area. I suppose a primary concern of most people is what will the weather be like. Here is the link for the regional Brittany weather service. Just click on ''Prévisions'' and select which department in Brittany you would like to research. www.meteo-bretagne.fr/ Weather comes with no guarantees and I can tell you from experience that weather prediction in France, especially northern France, is pretty much just a guess. You're likely to be as accurate flipping a coin. If you check 5-6 weather services it's quite possible you'll see 5-6 slightly differing forecasts. I pretty much ignore any predictions more than 2-3 days in advance. Okay, here is a list of tourist office websites you'll find useful in planning your vacation. Here are some regional/departmental websites. General Brittany Websites: www.brittanytourism.com/Côtes d'Armor: www.cotesdarmor.com/Val d'Arguenon: www.valdarguenon.fr/Côte de Granit Rose: www.cotedegranitrose.fr/Côte d'Emeraude: www.terres-emeraude-tourisme.com/Île-et-Villaine: office-tourisme-bretagne.ref7dir.com/office-tourisme-ille-et-vilaine.htmMorbihan: www.morbihan.com/Finistère: www.finisterebrittany.com/Now I'll focus on tourist office websites in the region I explored. I'm covering a pretty broad area more or less from Fougères in the east to the Côte de Granit Rose in the west. Cities: Rennes: www.tourisme-rennes.com/Fougères: www.ot-fougeres.fr/accueilDinan: www.dinan-tourisme.com/www.paystouristiquedinan.com/images/PTD_2009.pdfDinard: www.ot-dinard.com/Saint-Brieuc: www.baiedesaintbrieuc.com/Guingamp: www.ot-guingamp.org/Saint-Malo: www.saint-malo-tourisme.com/Lannion: www.ot-lannion.fr/Here are some websites for some of the more notable places. Mont-Saint-Michel: www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/index.htm?lang=enLamballe: www.lamballe-tourisme.com/Paimpol and the Côte de Goëlo: www.paimpol-goelo.com/Tréguier and its environs: www.tregor-cotedajoncs-tourisme.com/Perros-Guirec and Ploumanach: www.perros-guirec.fr/Here are some websites for some chef lieu de canton, which will also include nearby towns. Jugon-les-Lacs: www.jugon-les-lacs.com/en/home.htmlAntrain:http://www.tourisme-paysdantrain.com/web/ Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier: www.ot-fougeres.fr/accueil/decouverte_de_fougeres_et_son_pays/carte_du_pays_de_fougeres/st_aubin_du_cormierCombourg: www.combourg.org/Dol-de-Bretagne: www.pays-de-dol.com/Pontorson: www.ville-pontorson.com/#Matignon: www.pays-de-matignon.net/Saint-Cast-le-Guildo: www.saintcastleguildo.fr/www.saintcastleguildo.fr/documents/guide-touristique-saint-cast.pdfMoncontour: www.tourisme-moncontour.com/Here is some info about the ranking system of interesting towns and villages in Brittany. The best way to find charming towns and villages in Brittany is to understand that there is an official ranking system of historically/touristically interesting towns/villages in the region. Searching the websites mentioned above will yield loads of info about such places. Here is a rundown of the ranking system: ville d'art et histoire – village of art and history ville historique – historic village petite cité de caractère – small town of character commune du patrimoine rural – rural patrimony village plus beau village de France – one of the most beautiful villages of France To find some of these places on the internet here is a useful link: www.cites-art.com/les-petites-cites-de-caractere/visiter-les-petites-cites-de-caractereOr you can try these: petite cité de caractère: www.frenchentree.com/france-brittany-tourism-leisure/displayarticle.asp?id=8051plus beau village: www.villagesdefrance.free.fr/ville d'art et histoire: www.vpah.culture.fr/france/france.htmThat is all I have to say so you are now all free to go. Goodbye.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2012 20:26:46 GMT
FMT, this is by far (and I'm sure you know it) your best report ever. It is going to take me a long time to pore over it to make the appropriate comments, but I will just mention in this first effort that I really liked the photo of the horse on the beach.
I have not yet visited Dinan, and clearly I have missed something spectacular.
I am extremely tempted by your gite. I have been looking for a place where I can spend some time with my mother to capture the 10 minutes of lucidity per 24 hours that she has left. If this place poses no problem for a wheelchair, I certainly intend to look into it.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 15, 2012 21:53:09 GMT
Thanks k2. Appreciate that. In regards to the gîte let me describe some of the obstacles you might have with a wheelchair. The front door has one step from the driveway into the entry. After you enter there are 2-3 more steps to the main floor. Maybe you have a ramp of some sort that could overcome that obstacle. There is, however, a door from the kitchen to the patio out back that would give direct access with no steps. The kitchen door is in the back of the house but there is no sidewalk to it. You'd have to wheel your mother across the lawn to get to it.
One the first floor there is a bed but it is a Breton style bed built into the wall and I don't know how easy it would be for your mother to get into and out of it. Maybe you can assist her. There is a bathroom on the first floor with a sink, toilet and shower stall. I noticed earlier when I clicked on the link to the gîte that the owners website wasn't working so maybe it's temporarily down. I must say this was the nicest place we have ever stayed. The winter rate we paid was 375€ for 5 nights. I'm sure this type of accommodation is the norm for some travelers but for us it was a luxury experience and well worth it. Let me know if I can answer any more questions about it.
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Post by fumobici on Jan 16, 2012 1:15:39 GMT
I just spent over two hours on this one and enjoyed every minute. Beautiful (and I understate) photos, interesting and droll commentary and just the right amount of historical perspective. I. Must. Go.
I've actually felt the charm of the area gazing out the window of a plane at 15,000 feet looking down. I now know why. Yes, K2 best yet. Fantastic report FMT.
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Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2012 1:58:44 GMT
I concur with all comments made thus far... I will spend most of tomorrow reading each and every word. I stopped only a second to turn the screen to show my husband the photo of the crepe with chocolate topping, the rest I kept for myself so far.
Cheers, Mich
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Post by onlymark on Jan 16, 2012 5:06:52 GMT
Concur, ditto, etc etc. Superb.
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Post by auntieannie on Jan 16, 2012 19:50:42 GMT
I am supposed to study, FMT... have already spent a hell of a lot of time on this thread over the day (and have even looked up a few things online about it. Shoot! I even asked a friend if the Goddess Ahna was known in the UK! Anyway... gorgeous and I need to read your guide to travelling as well.
well that's me as close to speechless as can be. I bow to thee, Sir!
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 16, 2012 21:13:13 GMT
fumo - Thank you once again for taking so much time to read another of my reports. It is certainly a long one but I'm glad you hung in there. mich64 - As I just mentioned, it is quite a long report so I hope it doesn't put you to sleep. Mark - Merci beaucoup! annie - Sorry I've caused you to waste half of your day. I'm nervous that you are researching. You are bound to uncover some shoddy reporting on my part. Or at least you'll find the tourist office websites where I plagiarized all my info.
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Post by auntieannie on Jan 16, 2012 22:17:27 GMT
Not to worry. the only info I got is that my friend and I think Ahna is a Celtic goddess local to Dinan area, rather than widely worshipped throughout the celtic world. Did I thank you for the magnificent pictures? Well THANK YOU, for this beautiful thread, FMT!
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 17, 2012 11:11:34 GMT
annie - You're welcome!
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Julia Samartini
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Post by Julia Samartini on Jan 17, 2012 17:47:39 GMT
Your travel notes for Brittany plus the photos are wonderful. I'd love to see your notes and photos for Normandy, if you're willing to share. They were noted in a web site I came across that referred to your trip. We're planning on being there April 19-23, coming from Paris. Any tips you have would be happily received. Thanks!
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 17, 2012 22:20:01 GMT
Hi Julia,
I haven't written any trip reports for Normandy but I do have a couple of photo albums on Facebook and I'll post those links here tomorrow if you'd like. If you tell me where you are staying in Normandy and if you'll have a car I'd be happy to make a few suggestions. If you have a car will you be driving from Paris or will you be picking up your car in Normandy?
In the report you just read pay special attention to my travel tips at the end. What I am specifically referring to are the instructions about Michelin maps of the scale 1:200,000 or 1:150,000. You absolutely must have these. GPS can help you if you're not good with the maps but the maps are a must. If you want to send me an e-mail rather than conversing here that's fine too and you can reach me at frenchmystiquetours@gmail.com.
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Post by nycgirl on Jan 19, 2012 15:57:40 GMT
What a wonderful report! I enjoyed the photos immensely, from the menhirs to the chateaux to the quaint towns to the pink-sand beaches. I also enjoyed your accompanying stories. I like mythology, so it was fun to read about fairies and Gargantuan penises. Your accommodations were charming. It must have been so romantic to end the day with a roaring fire. Did you have any trouble with the bed in the wall? Thank you for putting such effort into composing this piece. It is not only entertaining but also thoroughly informative. It must have taken a great deal of time.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 19, 2012 22:22:35 GMT
Hey nycgirl, thanks for checkin' out my report. Who doesn't love a story about a gargantuan penis? If you like mythology you might want to look into getting some books by Joseph Campbell, who was a scholar of comparative mythology. Maybe you already know who he is.
The Mrs. and I are suffering from fireplace separation anxiety right now so we'll have to go back again sometime to get our fix. The bedrooms were actually upstairs so we didn't sleep in the Breton bed (the wall bed). Apparently those are typical of old Breton houses.
It takes a while to write something like this but I like doing it and if you were entertained and informed then it was worth the effort.
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Post by thill25 on Feb 10, 2012 17:54:02 GMT
Awesome report, FMT...The timing was great because Brittany is the next region the wife and I are going to explore (hopefully as early as October). ;D
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Feb 11, 2012 0:37:29 GMT
That's awesome thill. Let me know if you need any more tips on Brittany and I'll be happy to throw a few your way.
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Post by thill25 on Feb 14, 2012 15:18:41 GMT
That's awesome thill. Let me know if you need any more tips on Brittany and I'll be happy to throw a few your way. Will do...
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 21, 2012 16:15:12 GMT
FMT, I believe you posted this during one of my ever-more-frequent bouts of bad internet connection. Thus, I didn't look at it before & somehow spaced it out. My loss! There is no other word for this report than glorious, absolutely glorious in every respect. I was dazzled by the lush pictures of the megaliths in the enchanted grove. That sequence alone would explain your fascination with these sites. The medieval charm of the villages just kept mounting, and then there was the swoop to the sea. I particularly loved the shot with the tree shadows on the sand. I did not know the detail about Brittany having the largest concentration of megalithic features in the world, but it's a super fact in light of Brittany's being steeped in myth. Thank you for risking your life going up in that tower -- what pictures! Well, there are so many great aspects you caught throughout the thread. The history is beautifully woven through the thread, and your sharing of how you researched & what you found are purest gold. Inadequate words, but deepest appreciation and respect for a magnificent thread.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Feb 21, 2012 18:34:20 GMT
Thanks as always for reading Bixa. And thank you very much as well for featuring it on the AnyPort FB page.
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Mathieu
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Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
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Post by Mathieu on Feb 22, 2012 0:34:01 GMT
Hey FMT.... my word, what a marvellous report ! I'm home sick today with a g*d awful cough and cold and just spent a most pleasant hour and a half with a mug of hot lemon throughly enjoying this dispatch of yours. It featured all my favourite things: beautiful coastlines and beaches, wonderful cliff walks, charming villages and interesting places and things to see and do... all excellently portrayed in stunning images and your honest prose. Thank you for a job really well done ! I'm feeling better already and the meds haven't even kicked in yet. This is an area of Brittany that I'd love to visit someday, just driving around and visiting villages punctuated with cliffside or beach walks as you and MM did. Your report also forced me to realise once again how vastly different winters can be in warmer climate zones such that Europe has, compared to what we experience here in Canada. Even though I live in the southernmost part of the country, we rarely see bare ground from mid December through mid April (this year not withstanding- a bizarre anomaly). A foot and a half to three of continuous snow is the norm for us. Yet your pictures remind me how pleasant a low altitude European winter can be, and I even noticed healthy green vegetables (they may have been leeks) growing robustly in a patch in one picture. In January. Your gite looked wonderful, and your daily fire making skills suggests that you'd be a good bloke to have around on a camping trip. That, combined with your love of all things stone, makes me wonder if perhaps theres a caveman hiding in you, somewhere... I love treasure hunts, and your search for monoliths both in this report and those on the Gulf or Morbihan has me more than a little intrigued now. You even had me making notes. Once again, thank you for this pleasant diversion and a terrific read on a day I thought I'd just be spending sniffling miserably.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Feb 23, 2012 14:27:20 GMT
Hey Mathieu, thanks for the compliments. We certainly did have a decent stretch of weather when we were in Brittany, last rainy day aside. Things do indeed stay green during the winter here and there always seems to be some sort of vegetation that is growing even in the winter. Brittany generally doesn't get too cold along the coast in the winter time due to the ocean. Hope you'll come back and join me on my next adventure, maybe in person in the fall.
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Post by JIMMY VANN on Mar 3, 2012 20:05:16 GMT
You are the greatest thing since sliced bread (can you tell I'm a southern, liberal at least), but back to you - I posted on Trip Advisor yesterday on traveling to Brittany and Loire Valley, your reponse will keep me busy for days and is very professionally done, with a sense of humor, my kind of guy. Just a quick thank you, got to get back to your info. Thanks, JV
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 3, 2012 21:26:29 GMT
You are the greatest thing since sliced bread (can you tell I'm a southern, liberal at least) Ahh ~ the greatest kind of person in the world! Hey Jimmy Vann, any time you want to come over here & post, we'll be eagerly waiting.
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LouisXIV
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L'estat c'est moi.
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Post by LouisXIV on Mar 3, 2012 21:55:33 GMT
This is very good, thank you. I was there in 1997, but I covered a larger area. I was in Dinan. The pictures bring back many memories. I will have to come back and view it in more detail.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Mar 7, 2012 17:07:52 GMT
Hey Jimmy, I didn't catch your post here the other day but thanks for your compliments. It's much appreciated and feel free to contact me here or on TA if you need any more tips. As Bixa said too, come on over here and join the forum and join the fun! Louis XIV - Thanks to you too for reading. I only had five days to explore this area and they were winter days too, and very short. I left a lot more for you to find on your own.
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Post by CyclingGal on Mar 7, 2012 21:03:03 GMT
Hi there, I have just discovered you and this wonderful post, all the way from Canada! Love your pics and descriptions - you have a great way with words. We are planning a cycling tour of the Loire Valley in late May and had thought to spend 7-10 days there, but after "discovering" Brittany and your monolith descriptions, want to go there too! Do you think it would be feasible to take the train from Nantes to Dinan for 3 or 4 days to explore that Dinan-St.Malo-Dinard area by bike? I will get the Michelin map to see where monoliths are. It is so easy to overplan a trip when distances seem so small on a map! Merci for any help.
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