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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 17:04:09 GMT
I have never been a fan of Brittany, and I know that I am wrong. It is one of the most beloved regions of France with beautiful coastlines and magnificently picturesque cities. The storms are fantastic with waves crashing against the cliffs, and the seafood is amazing. It's just not my place, but every 5 or 10 years I make an effort to visit. Who knows? Maybe I will change my mind, and Vannes being one of the most beautiful medieval cities, it had a good chance of winning me over. After checking into the hotel, I was on foot and it was immediately confirmed that the Breton language is nothing like French.
The first street I walked up was very French, though -- a tattoo parlour, a CBD shop and an escape game. What could be more French?
It soon seemed like home to me with a number of Afghan and Indian restaurants.
But after just a few metres, I began to enter a zone with the half timbered houses for which Vannes is famous.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 17:10:37 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 17:16:46 GMT
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Post by htmb on May 24, 2024 17:53:26 GMT
I’m surprised there wasn’t more of a crowd inside the church on Pentecost, even though this is France.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 18:24:55 GMT
I on the other hand was surprised that there was such a crowd with only 8% of French "Catholics" regularly attending church. But Brittany is one of the most devout regions of France, so I guess it is normal.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 18:38:02 GMT
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Post by lugg on May 24, 2024 19:48:52 GMT
I hope you do start to love Vannes K2 . It was so good to see this as it holds really special memories for me as we often holidayed in Brittany when my children were young. Sometimes with my parents ..really special memories . But the most enduring memory I have is of walking around Vannes during a total ( maybe partial) eclipse in the early 90s; i still remember the quiet in particular as the birds became so confused and fell silent . Some of the photos you have posted I do remember , the beautiful half timbered buildings in particular, I cannot remember the land train though. I have some photos somewhere but they are the old kind.
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Post by htmb on May 24, 2024 20:18:30 GMT
I’ve always had Vannes on my radar, but have never seemed to find the time to visit. It’s great to be able to see your photos. Maybe they’ll inspire me to finally plan a trip. I have always liked what I’ve seen of the rest of Brittany.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 24, 2024 22:06:46 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 25, 2024 6:06:45 GMT
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Post by whatagain on May 25, 2024 10:30:41 GMT
Time for me to go back I hardly recognize anything..
I remember seeing Eleanor, à crocodile found in the sewers of Paris, in a zoo that closed since.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 25, 2024 11:26:20 GMT
The paint on the old buildings looked very fresh. I imagine there have been times when the city looked a bit faded.
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Post by fumobici on May 25, 2024 17:42:22 GMT
The old architecture is excellent. The building with the Optic2000 shop looks as if timbered scaffolding was constructed for a renovation long ago— and simply left there!
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Post by kerouac2 on May 25, 2024 18:43:18 GMT
I had the same impression since the supporting boards clearly do not date from any recent time.
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Post by bjd on May 25, 2024 19:17:00 GMT
My son-in-law comes from just beside Vannes. It certainly looks like a pretty place and you even had nice weather. Another on the long list of places I should go and see. I don't know any of Brittany other than St Malo, if that even counts as Brittany.
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Post by lugg on May 25, 2024 19:55:26 GMT
What a fabulous report , your photos are so good . I especially love the one below this...
Back at the hotel, I looked at how convenient it would have been to arrive by train.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 7, 2024 16:46:19 GMT
Vannes might be in the (French) news again soon because its rugby team might rise to the premier league if it beats Grenoble tomorrow. At the beginning of the 20th century, rugby was a big sport in Brittany, but the Catholic authoritie (very influential throughout Brittany) condemned the sport because not only was it too violent, but "people touch each other" unlike football (soccer) which was apparently invented to prevent physical contact.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 10, 2024 20:07:37 GMT
What a beautiful and very surprising city. The surprise is that there are so many medieval buildings and that all seem to be in use & none seem to be leaning. It's nice to see a place that attracts tourists but that is not overrun with them.
There seem to be a lot of clothing stores and restaurants. That, & the well-stocked market must mean that the regular population is comfortably employed. Do you know what the main industries there are? I can't imagine that it still has a commercial port. In any event, it seems a happy, healthy place. Did you find your heart warming toward Brittany this time around?
The ramparts are very impressive and in very good condition. I have to wonder how often the town & its ramparts have been used for shooting historical movies & shows.
This is a lovely report filled with great photos and interesting text. But my favorite thing is the absolutely unthreatening dragon on the city crest.
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Post by Elaine on Aug 20, 2024 9:32:28 GMT
thanks for the pics and your report we are off to france next week and i have pinpointed Vannes as our destination for a few nights thanks again Elaine
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Post by whatagain on Aug 20, 2024 10:07:13 GMT
Have fun !
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