Brittany - Bretagne
Brittany is situated on the westernmost peninsula of France. The drive from Paris to Finistére, the end of the earth, is about 600 kilometers. Brittany is surrounded by almost 3000 kilometers of coastline. Seafaring and fishing have traditionally been sources of income for the people of the Armor –area, which means the country by the sea. The wooded country, or the Argoat in the local Breton language, has been agricultural area.
The strong local cultural heritage is a part of the charm of the area. Local language, Breton, is still alive. You can hear it on your car radio, you'll see signs written in Breton on the streets and in the supermarkets. You might for example wonder what KREITZ KERR means – if you follow the signs you'll soon find yourself in the town center. In the supermarket you might be tempted to buy local Breizh Cola instead of multinational Coca Cola.
Old romanesque and gothic churches and medieval towns are numerous in Brittany as in any part of France. But here even older monuments, dolmens and menhirs are quite common. Dolmens are big flat table like stones, and the menhirs are the tall ones that Obelix used to carry around. It is still the country of Asterix and Obelix even though today there is a growing population of four million, and several industrial cities.
In France there is no region that wouldn't boast about it's cuisine. In Brittany you'll of course be able to enjoy fresh seafood and the traditional cheeses. But the most famous traditional dish is les crepes with local cider to drink. On our first trip to Brittany our hosts offered an unforgettable evening by the pool. We got to bake congac flamed crepes ourselves!
The coastline is varied. You can find peaceful sandy beaches in sunny bays while some parts are quite harsh and rocky, cold winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean. Running along the coastlines there are footpaths that offer spectacular views of natural beauty. Even when it is too early in the spring or too late in the fall to swim in the ocean you can enjoy the presence of it on these footpaths. This is where the sound of sea waves washes away all the worries of the working life.
Brittany has attracted artists from different parts of the world for at least 150 years. In 1860's a colony of American painters settled in Pont Aven, a small town near the southern coast of Brittany. Twenty years later a group of Finnish painters joined the flourishing community. The painter sisters – Helene Schjerfbeck, Maria Wiik and Amelie Lundahl spent summers there in the 1880's. Back then it was as usual as today to leave Paris for the summer months and enjoy the clean air of the countryside. I think it was the track of these ladies that first led me to Brittany. Even today Pont Aven is filled with artists and galleries, and of course buses full of tourists from the US, Japan, Germany…
Brittany may not be the warmest, the sunniest or the most popular region in France, but it is maybe the wildest, the most relaxed and the most diverse area with its coasts and old cities. I believe everyone should see at least once in their lifetime the end of the earth – Finistère.
The strong local cultural heritage is a part of the charm of the area. Local language, Breton, is still alive. You can hear it on your car radio, you'll see signs written in Breton on the streets and in the supermarkets. You might for example wonder what KREITZ KERR means – if you follow the signs you'll soon find yourself in the town center. In the supermarket you might be tempted to buy local Breizh Cola instead of multinational Coca Cola.
Old romanesque and gothic churches and medieval towns are numerous in Brittany as in any part of France. But here even older monuments, dolmens and menhirs are quite common. Dolmens are big flat table like stones, and the menhirs are the tall ones that Obelix used to carry around. It is still the country of Asterix and Obelix even though today there is a growing population of four million, and several industrial cities.
In France there is no region that wouldn't boast about it's cuisine. In Brittany you'll of course be able to enjoy fresh seafood and the traditional cheeses. But the most famous traditional dish is les crepes with local cider to drink. On our first trip to Brittany our hosts offered an unforgettable evening by the pool. We got to bake congac flamed crepes ourselves!
The coastline is varied. You can find peaceful sandy beaches in sunny bays while some parts are quite harsh and rocky, cold winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean. Running along the coastlines there are footpaths that offer spectacular views of natural beauty. Even when it is too early in the spring or too late in the fall to swim in the ocean you can enjoy the presence of it on these footpaths. This is where the sound of sea waves washes away all the worries of the working life.
Brittany has attracted artists from different parts of the world for at least 150 years. In 1860's a colony of American painters settled in Pont Aven, a small town near the southern coast of Brittany. Twenty years later a group of Finnish painters joined the flourishing community. The painter sisters – Helene Schjerfbeck, Maria Wiik and Amelie Lundahl spent summers there in the 1880's. Back then it was as usual as today to leave Paris for the summer months and enjoy the clean air of the countryside. I think it was the track of these ladies that first led me to Brittany. Even today Pont Aven is filled with artists and galleries, and of course buses full of tourists from the US, Japan, Germany…
Brittany may not be the warmest, the sunniest or the most popular region in France, but it is maybe the wildest, the most relaxed and the most diverse area with its coasts and old cities. I believe everyone should see at least once in their lifetime the end of the earth – Finistère.