Leaving Vannes, we drove a short distance to Carnac on the coast to the west where we ate breakfast on the deserted beach. This area is known for its megalithic stones which are lined up in rows for kilometres like headstones. Why? For those at work reading this, you might think that there were a lot of retired teachers in those times.
Vannes Festival
Somehow we managed to stumble into Vannes at the same time they hold their three day Medieval Festival and as soon as we entered the city wall and climbed the ramparts, in front of us was a great garden full of displays and “animations” – leadlighters, blacksmiths, coin makers, weavers, dancers and hundreds of people in fine costumes. The next day and night were spent wandering the streets being entertained at every turn by performers, singers, dancers, acrobats, puppeteers – one was a dead ringer for Jonathon Thurston. In the afternoon a grand procession of all the performers and those in costume paraded through the city’s ancient streets. It was terrific and couldn’t believe our good fortune to have stumbled on it all. The city alone, with its 600 year old houses and shops would have been sufficient, but these two days were really special.
Vannes – a medieval town in Brittany
We hit the motorway today, what else would you do on a road trip, and ended up in Vannes in Brittany. The old town is walled to keep out invaders like us, but we sneaked unobtrusively over the drawbridge with a few thousand others to peek at the old medieval town. Modern shops are on the ground floor of buildings which have struggled to stay upright for hundreds of years. This is an amazing place and we will enjoy our two days here.