Morbihan – A one-day itinerary by Danny Ashkenazi

Good morning, Francophiles. Still anonymous, but we've started to get to know each other. This is the first in a series of star tours inBrittany, which I base in the tiny hamlet of Porte de Roches, where I live in a small cottage next to the Château La Manoir. Full disclosure: I will leave an advertisement for a stay at the Château at the end of the article; but of course it is possible to embark on these trips from the city of Rennes, which is only about 50 kilometers north of here, and from the city of Nantes , which is about 60 km south of here.

Trip map

First: Where is Brittany? Brittany! Brittany!! Brittany!!! I found it. Brittany is in a good place up there, and to the left. It's a peninsula that juts out from Greater France westward into the Atlantic Ocean. Here it is, and I've already marked the area we'll be traveling in today:

The relative locations of the sites we will visit today:

Site 0: The house from which we leave and to which we will return.
Site 1: Dolmen du Treal. An extraordinary prehistoric site. Caution! Well, I warned you.
Site 2: Redon. Afula of our area. No need. I just marked it. The place to stock up on everything.
Site 3: La Gacilly. Artists' village + Yves Rocher sales center (perfume, etc.).
Rochefort en Terre site: 4 is considered one of the most beautiful villages in all of France.
Site 5: Chateau de Lehelec. Castle. Nothing, just the road, oh the road!
Site 6: Chateau du Plessis Josso. Another castle…
Site 7: Chateau de Suscinio. It's a castle!
Site 8: St. Gildes de Rhuys. Abbey of Abelard (Abelard of Heloise).
Site 9: Pointe d'Arradon. View of the Gulf of Morbihan and the islands.
Site 10: Quiberon. Spit. End of the world to the left and down.
Site 11: Venus de Quinipilly. The beauty with fertility properties. And… the bribery affair.
Site 12: Josselin. For those who haven't been – a must.

Dolmen du Treal

Monday, 10.12.2018. Partly cloudy, let's hope for the best. We left Port de Roche. Karen drives, I navigate.

About 15 kilometers from here, the first site: Dolmen du Treal. There are dolmens in many places in the world, including in our Golan Heights. But we, the Bretons, have the first right to them, because the name comes from the Breton language: dol-man. Dol means table, man = stone. A stone table. And indeed, as its name suggests: two megaliths (= large stones) stand vertically, and a third stone is placed above them. A table for all intents and purposes. There are, admittedly, slightly different shapes. The one we will reach is unique: not one table, but a row of tables, forming a long corridor.

Most of the dolmens are from the Neolithic period, that is, the end of the Stone Age, right on the eve of the beginning of the Bronze Age. Something like 10,000 years. Looking at the size (and hence the weight) of the stones, it is difficult to understand how they managed to build the dolmens. What is clear is that the construction required teamwork, meaning the guys were already organized. Some carried, some gave instructions. 10,000 years, and nothing has changed.

The purpose of the dolmens is unclear, but it is generally assumed that they were used for religious purposes. And here we come to a warning.
You can go in. I heard that there were some who also went out. But two years ago two Australian travelers came here on bicycles. They leaned them against the first dolmen, and went in. They were never seen again. The bicycles are no longer there, in case you were counting on it.

The head of the nearby village claimed: First, there is no proof that the Australians ever arrived; second, the Australians have not disappeared, it is just unknown where they are. There was nothing, there is nothing, there will be nothing.

Directions (but see later how not to miss it):

Note: “Wise” knows the dolmen, and will take you to it, but it is not visible from the road, and is easy to miss. As you approach, look for the sign on the right of the road:

A dirt path leads through the forest, up the hill. On the slope, towards the ridge line, megaliths are scattered, but you continue all the way to the top, and there it awaits you. Tell us how it was. We continue.

Redon and La Gacilly

I marked Redon among the sites, as No. 2. It is not part of the route, but if you are traveling in the area, it is important to get to know it. Like Afula for the kibbutzim of the Jezreel Valley, so is Redon for our area. Not big, but it has everything. In Redon, I mean. But also in Afula.
Assuming you entered and exited the Dolmen, we continue to the next point: La Gacilly. Artists' Village + Yves Rocher Sales Center (perfume, etc.). About 10 km from the Dolmen.

A beautiful village, lots of galleries. There's a roaring waterfall, with a footbridge over it, that leads to the Yves Rocher factory store. For the men among us: while the lady dilutes your children's inheritance, you can thicken your blood with alcohol, in the adjoining restaurant. It claims to be vegan, but serves drinks to carnivores too.

Beers, whiskey, wines, cocktails. If you are driving under the influence – at most you will reach Santiago de Compostela, Spain. If you are driving – forget what I said. Drink hot cocoa.

There is a parking lot next to the waterfall, and from there you can walk up the road. It is not worth walking on the road, nor on the sidewalks next to it. To the left of it is a beautiful pedestrian street, with statues.

Rochefort en Terre

We continue to Rochefort en Terre: 4 Considered one of the most beautiful villages in all of France. About 25 kilometers from La Gacilly.

This is the opportunity to say something about the Breton language and the Bretons in general. The Bretons are very proud of their cultural tradition. The Breton flag is usually flown alongside the French flag, or without it…

Brittany was an independent duchy until the 16th century AD. It faced pressure from the Kingdom of France on one side and the Kingdom of England on the other, shifting its support from one side to the other. In 1532 it was persuaded to unite with France, but maintained a certain independence until the French Revolution.

The Breton language is still spoken, and road signs, entering and leaving towns and villages, are almost always in two languages: French and Breton. Here is the sign at the entrance to Rochefort en Terre:

The village has a castle, of course, and a church that is worth a visit. The stained glass window depicts local tradition:

The church was built on the spot where a miracle happened: a young shepherdess went out to pasture with her sheep and noticed that there was something inside a hollow tree. She peered in and saw: a statue of the Holy Mary. Since then, the two have been immortalized in the window. So have the sheep. Whoever placed the statue inside the tree is not immortalized until the church in the neighboring village stops looking for it.

Speaking of miracles: There is no self-respecting cathedral that does not possess a piece of wood from the “true cross,” meaning the one on which Jesus was crucified (ours, ours. After all, he was born a Jew and died a Jew.) Scholars have already calculated that if all the real pieces of wood were put together, a life-size replica of the Titanic could be created from them.

There is a parking lot at the entrance to the village, but if it's not too busy, you can drive up the street, park up there, and wander the alleys. There are galleries, candle-making workshops, doll makers, and lots of candy shops. The village is known for its special gingerbread biscuits: pain d'épices. Look for Le Rucher Fleuri on Rue du Porche.

Chateau de Lehelec

We've stocked up on biscuits, we can continue.
Next destination: Chateau de Lehelec. About 25 km.

The truth is, there's nothing there, just a big house. It's also a detour from the road, and on top of that, the owner of the chateau isn't nice. He kicks out those who come, claiming it's private territory. That's probably true, but why kick them out?

And why even come? Because the dirt road that goes down from the road to the chateau is very beautiful?

Not enough. I thought there was more. You already know there isn't. So it's up to you.

Chateau du Plessis Josso

We continue to a slightly more interesting castle: Chateau du Plessis Josso. About 50 km, most of it on fast roads. The “Wise” knows the castle, but if not, then it is near the village of Le Trinite Surzur.

What's beautiful about the place is the nearby lake:

Chateau de Suscinio

And now for the castle that is truly a castle: Chateau de Suscinio. A castle with a moat full of water, a towering gate, and massive walls.
About 30 kilometers from Chateau du Plessis Josso. If you gave up on the previous two – don’t give up on this one.

Abelard's Monastery

And now, remember the Abelard and Heloise from the letters The monastery where Abelard received her bloody letters is in the village of St. Gildes de Rhuys. Something like 15 km from Suscinio Castle.

Pointe d'Arradon

Coming out of the pools of blood. Time to wash your eyes. Pointe d'Arradon. View of the Morbihan Gulf and the islands.

I skipped Vannes. I don't like big cities. But if you do – You will find everything online..
The “Wise” knows this pier. If not – put the village of Arradon and go down to the beach from there.
A good vantage point for the bay and islands:

There's a restaurant next to the pier, inside a small hotel. Looks good. It was closed when I got there. Tell me what it's like.
On this occasion: Many places in France are closed at noon, between 12:30 and 14:30 p.m. Restaurants are open during these hours, of course.
Did we continue?

Quiberon. Spit. End of the world to the left and down.

Return north to the motorway that bypasses Vannes, and continue eastwards, until the descent to the south, just after Auray. It's close to 100 kilometres, but mostly fast roads, a matter of about an hour.

The main village is St. Pierre Quiberon, a center for the sardine industry since the Middle Ages. But today it is mainly a tourist destination. It is an experience to travel on a narrow strip of land, with sea on both sides, although you usually only see it on one side. I found it interesting to get as far south as possible, and say “I was here”. There are of course fish restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.

We have reached the furthest point of our trip, and are beginning to return.

Venus de Quinipilly

I suggest going north first, although you can cut northeast from here and get back to our starting point, Port de Roche, quite quickly. The reason: Miss Venus de Quinipilly. The beauty with the virtues of fertility.

Going north, about 100 km. Below is a general route, as we get closer I will provide an exact location.

Note: The journey north is on the D768. Wise does not know Venus de Quinipilly. So let him take you to Camors, a village he knows. I have marked it at the bottom of the map:

From there you continue north for about 3 km, and turn left onto D768E. If you type Statue Venus de Quinipilly into Google, there’s a chance it will give you directions. It did for me. If not – here’s an accurate map:

Please note: When you get off the D768E it is a dirt road, but passable for any vehicle. The problem is that at the point where it crosses a stream, the bridge is very narrow. I crossed with a Citroen C-5, but it was really rough. You can walk, it is about 200 meters after the bridge.
You can't see it from the road, but there is a sign on the house in whose backyard it stands:

We enter, move to the backyard, and here it is in all its glory:

Here's a close-up:

Who is the lady?

There are various hypotheses. It is assumed that the statue is from 49 BC. I did not understand how they “suppose” exactly that. According to the archaeologist Monsieur de Penhouët, it was sculpted by soldiers in the Roman army. Some believe that the statue represents the Egyptian goddess Isis, others think that it is the image of Gaia, “Mother Earth” from Greek mythology; but the prevailing opinion is that it is a statue of Venus, the Roman goddess, since it was first discovered on a site that was once a Roman military camp.

In the Middle Ages, the Lady was engaged in healing the sick, and touching her did indeed work miracles and wonders. Her subspecialty was gynecology: touching her was said to be virtuous for fertility. The churchmen did not like the pagan competitor. Every church in Brittany houses the bones of a local saint, who is capable of doing the same work. The local peasants actually preferred her, and the junior clergy had no interest in confronting them. But the Lady's cult soon degenerated into eroticism, and couples began making love at the feet of a statue. It was too much.

In 1661, the Bishop of Vannes approached Count Claude de Lannion, in whose jurisdiction the statue stood, and asked him to destroy it. The lord was a little apprehensive, and ordered only to throw it into the nearby L'Evel River. Immediately afterwards, a flood of rain destroyed the crops of the entire region, which, of course, testified to divine punishment for the sacrilege. The peasants hurried to pull the statue out of the river and put it back in its place. The loving couples also returned to their places. This was in 1664.

In 1670, the bishop again turned to the count, and this time he insisted that the statue be completely broken, and the fragments thrown into the river. The count complied with the request, but was not particularly careful with the execution. The workers slightly damaged the right breast, and threw the statue into the river again. After a week, Count Claude de Lannion fell from his horse and broke his wrist. This time it was clear: the statue would not hold up the left breast. After 25 years, the count's son, Pierre de Lannion, removed the statue. The bishop again wanted to destroy it, but the son learned his lesson, and ordered the statue to be restored.

The bribery affair

The statue was restored in 1695, as is written on its base. Incidentally, some say that the architect who supervised the restoration was drunk most of the time. When he sobered up, appalled by the result, he ordered the severed and ancient scrap to be thrown into the river, hewed out a rock of similar size, and restored the lady to all her original sanctity. Not that it matters, after all, the rock is as old as the one from which the original was sculpted.

Here, friends, is a mystery: until 1701, Pierre de Lannion had no legal right to the original statue. In the court records of the Duchy of Brittany, there is a full record of a dispute between two counts over the right to own the statue. It was only in 1701 that a verdict was given that Pierre de Lannion was its rightful owner. What could have motivated him to invest in restoring a statue that he had no certainty of retaining?

My solution: He had complete confidence. He knew the verdict. He bought it. We solved it.

Here we actually marked the end of the trip, and you can return to Port de Roche, via the N24 motorway. About 120 km.

But on the way we have Josselin. I marked it on the map as site 12. We described it inPrevious articleAnyone who hasn't been there - a must visit.

Thank you all,
Danish.
Kfar Saba – Port de Roche

A few words about Danny Ashkenazi

Let me introduce myself: Dan Ashkenazi, a lawyer. Owner of an office in Kfar Saba. I divide my time between Kfar Saba, where I work about a week a month, and Le Manoir Castle in Port-de-Roche, Brittany, where I enjoy myself. Well, I also work. Anyway, everything is internet and cellular these days. I take a morning walk on the riverbank, and argue with the lawyer for an insurance company in the Azrieli Tower. The beautiful life.

Advertiser's note: I would love to see you in the castle where I live. Discounts for Francophiles who will identify. Price: Starting at 56 euros per room. Cheaper than a 2-star hotel. And the arrival? Nothing. Transavia flies from Israel to Nantes twice a week, starting at 40 euros each way, and from there to us about 60 km.

The details inNext link.
dan@a0s-law.com
0505-211079