July 25, 2014

• An Eastward Homage, Day 15,Part II: An Unstoppable Second Wind

  June 10, 2014-  My use of an essential oils-based daily supplement has its definite benefits. This was never more in evidence than on this day when, faced with a three-part schedule, my day started at 6 AM.  The energy burst implied by the title of this post came around 1 PM, but I digress.

  The morning took me down to the waterfront of old Morbihan.

  

   

  Vannes’ port is at the head of a long channel, well-dredged and ever bustling.  There are shops aplenty here, and not the least of these is Daily Gourmand, whose lovely and energetic proprietress and her congenial husband made me feel more at home than just about any other restaurateurs, up to this point.  They make palatable crepes, salads and wraps.  I chose a wrap, as it was 10 AM when I stopped in.

  

   

  

   

  I swung back inland, headed for Vieux Marche and some palace gardens.  The market is reached through La Porte Saint-Vincent.

  

   

  One never knows whom one might meet, in places like this.

   

  In the midst of the Old Market, I spotted yet another passage.  This is La Porte Calmont, which leads to the gardens.

  

   

  As one might guess, this was the palace of an early Duke of Brittany, Jean IV.  It is known as Chateau l’Hermine, and was built by the duke as he favoured the central position of Vannes, in the Duchy.

  

   

  

   

  After those breathtaking sights, I found a bit of aesthetic relief, in Vieux Marche.  This edifice is definitely blessed.  In fact, all Vannes was blessed during World Wars I and II.  The German presence here was relatively benign, and the Allies elected not to bomb the area.

  

   

  En route to a quixotic mission to a FNAC electronics store, in hopes of getting a battery for my laptop, I passed Place Charles de Gaulle, which recognizes just who it was that kept Vannes from harm.  The building is the Prefectural Hall, for Morbihan.

  

   

  I rode a series of buses to and from Place Kerlann, a large, modern shopping mall, where the FNAC is located.  Needless to say, laptop and I came up empty, so I solaced myself with one of two American-style meals on this trip:  A Philly Cheese Steak at the Carrefour Truck Stop, just west of Place Kerlann.  On the bus ride back to Hotel de France, we were joined by about twenty school kids and their teachers.  As I was seated in a two-seat section, I offered my seat so a couple of girls could sit together, but the teacher would not hear of it.  Soon, though, an insolent little boy was placed in the empty seat next to me, and Madame was upbraiding him for his behaviour, as I looked out the window.

  Back at the hotel, I rested just a bit, stowed poor Lenovo for another day, and readied myself for the bus to Carnac.  With that in mind, I leave you with a few flashback photos of my previous evening’s walk back from the ramparts.

  Here is the chancery of the Archbishop of Vannes.

  

   

  L’Etang du Duc is a serene, slightly off the tourist path refuge for local residents, both humans and ducks.

  

   

  

   

  

   

  Cemetiere de Boismoreau is Vannes military cemetery.  It is closed and locked after 6  PM.

  

   

  As I neared my hotel, it was pleasing to note L’Ecole Nationale des Musiques.

  

  L’Auditorium des Carmes is, no doubt, a charming place, when performances are in process.

  

   

  Breton culture is rich, multivariate and evolving.  Before I take you visually to Carnac, the next post will introduce some of the artists whose work is highlighted at the Folkloric Museum, part of Vannes Tourism Center, at the head of the Port.

   

   

   

  • 3:12 pm
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