{"id":996,"date":"2009-10-04T04:08:44","date_gmt":"2009-10-04T08:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/?p=996"},"modified":"2012-10-22T13:33:24","modified_gmt":"2012-10-22T17:33:24","slug":"belgium-paris-and-brittany-france-october-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/?p=996","title":{"rendered":"Belgium, Paris, and Brittany France"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belgium, Paris, and Brittany France<\/h1>\n

The original journal is located here<\/a><\/p>\n

Complete Trip Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\n

Sunday October 4 and Monday October 5<\/h2>\n

All US flights were on time and connections made without a hitch.\u00c2\u00a0 When we landed in Philadelphia, we raced to the shuttle to take us from F Terminal to A Terminal, found the shuttle waiting for us and off we went.\u00c2\u00a0 We arrived at our gate in Terminal A way before boarding (despite having only a 1 hour scheduled layover) and settled in.<\/p>\n

Divorce time almost occurred when we found our seats \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we were in 22 A & B, right before a lavatory and our seats did not recline very far.\u00c2\u00a0 Future travelers beware!\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps most frightening, directly in front of us were a group of very lively and hard of hearing (as indicated by the volume of their conversations) travelers going to Paris together.\u00c2\u00a0 We learned far more about their ailments than we ever wanted to know until our sleeping pills kicked in.\u00c2\u00a0 We were awakened occasionally when the lavatory was flushed right behind our heads.<\/p>\n

Arrival in Paris a little ahead of schedule, passed through immigration and collected our bags.\u00c2\u00a0 The new Eagle Creek bags are lighter than our old ones and we squeaked through with our bags weighing only 35 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 37 pounds.<\/p>\n

Our train to Brussels left several hours after our arrival at Charles de Gaulle.\u00c2\u00a0 We made our way to the TGV station at CDG and picked up lunch to eat on our train. Salad and water for me, quiche and water for Mike.\u00c2\u00a0 When our train showed up on the schedule board, we were a little surprised to find it also had an Air France flight number.\u00c2\u00a0 So, we dutifully lined up 45 minutes before departure to check in.\u00c2\u00a0 When it came our turn, the Air France agent told us we were not Air France passengers, we were simply TGV passengers but that our train would leave from Voie 5 the north access definitely.\u00c2\u00a0 We decided to wait and see; we have been in a situation before where they changed the track number at the last minute.\u00c2\u00a0 10 minutes before departure, the schedule board declared that our train was leaving from track 3 south access.\u00c2\u00a0 By this time, the Air France agents had taken all the passengers down to track 5 north access and loaded up their baggage on a caged baggage cart.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We scooted down to the south gates found track 3 and waited.\u00c2\u00a0 We found a display that showed that our car (car #6) would stop by embarquing point D. We found it and waited.\u00c2\u00a0 Shortly, the Air France agents and baggage cart came running up the loading platform herding all their passengers.\u00c2\u00a0 Naturally, we felt very smug\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n

The TGV ride was great except for the Italian teenagers right behind us who thought everyone in the car should enjoy their conversations.\u00c2\u00a0 The countryside was lush, green and fairly flat.\u00c2\u00a0 We ate our lunch and arrived in Brussels about 3 PM.\u00c2\u00a0 It took us a few minutes to navigate Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Metro system.\u00c2\u00a0 Interestingly, two or more people can use one fare pass as long as it has enough trips on it.\u00c2\u00a0 Our hotel NH Atlanta is just a half a block away from the DeBrouckere Metro stop on Boulevard Adolphe Max 7.\u00c2\u00a0 I was quite surprised to see that Mike had upscaled us to a 4-Star. \u00c2\u00a0We checked in and a very accommodating bellhop showed us to our room.\u00c2\u00a0 Even though we requested a non-smoking room, we had been given a smoking room and it smelled like a cigar left five minutes ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Our bellhop called the front desk and interceded for us.<\/p>\n

As a result we ended up with a room with a balcony, a sitting room, a bedroom, and a bathroom!\u00c2\u00a0 Quite an upgrade.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0However, internet access was 18.75 euros a day, needless to say, we did not sign up! We showered to refresh ourselves and went out for a stroll.\u00c2\u00a0 We found, after a diversion through the shops at Passage du Nord, a shopping arcade built in 1882, a commercial pedestrian shopping area, the Rue Neuve, and the sprinkles started.\u00c2\u00a0 We went back to the hotel and found our umbrellas and headed out in the opposite direction.\u00c2\u00a0 We found a huge statue in the process of being dismantled (Three-legged Buddha by China\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s foremost artist Zhang Huan) in front of the neo-classical opera house (the Theatre Royal de Monnaie in the Place de Monnaie.\u00c2\u00a0 A little farther on we found Rue des Bouchers and strolled down this pedestrian avenue filled with restaurants.\u00c2\u00a0 But, it was too early to eat!\u00c2\u00a0 We strolled around and found the Opera Pub and shared some Beaujolais.<\/p>\n

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About 7, we were fading fast and found our way to Le Bourgeois, a seafood restaurant on the corner of Rue des Bouchers and Petit Rue des Bouchers .\u00c2\u00a0 I had a great lobster bisque and sole meuniere.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike had escargots and grilled mixed seafood platter.\u00c2\u00a0 We shared a small bottle of cote de provence rose \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I guess they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize summer was over.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike said his was the best seafood ever, and we have a hard time topping the food and the service (and embroidered napkins) for 96 euros.<\/p>\n

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They wanted to give us free coffees but we said we had to pass; so we could get back to the hotel and get some sleep.\u00c2\u00a0 When we got back and checked the weather, we discovered rain for most of the rest of the week. But \u00e2\u20ac\u201c at least, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s raining in Paris, too.\u00c2\u00a0 Brussels offers its citizens a great way to get around town \u00e2\u20ac\u201c bicycles.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tuesday, October 6, 2009<\/h2>\n

On our maps, we located a tourist office in Grand Place, and headed that direction.\u00c2\u00a0 At the tourist office, I inquired (in French) from which station do trains leave for Bruges. The agent told me that trains for Bruges left from Gare du Midi, the train station at which we had arrived from Paris.\u00c2\u00a0 Using the walking tours of Brussels in our guidebook, we checked out the heart of Brussels and then Sablons, through sprinkles and through heavier rain.<\/p>\n

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The gilded architecture in Grand Place is quite a treat.\u00c2\u00a0 The Hotel de Ville sports a spire built in 1449 and 315 feet high and anchors the cobblestone square.\u00c2\u00a0 The square is the geographical, historical and commercial heart of Brussels and hosted open air markets as far back as the 11th century, now home to a flower market.\u00c2\u00a0 After the town hall was built, the guild houses making up the sides of the square were built by city merchants and traders.\u00c2\u00a0 Only the town hall and two guild houses survived the cannonball bombing by the French in 1695.\u00c2\u00a0 Trade guilds were encouraged to rebuild their halls to styles approved by the Town Council (sort of I imagine like Richmond\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Commission of Architectural Review) and the end result is a unified collection of Flemish Renaissance buildings. The square\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s structures include the Maison du Roi (once the residence of ruling Spanish monarchs, now the home of the Musee de Ville), Le Pigeon (once home to Victor Hugo), La Maison des Ducs de Brabant (a group of 6 guild houses with stone busts of the dukes along the facade), a statue of Everhard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Sercleas (who died defending Brussels in the 14th Century \u00e2\u20ac\u201c touching his arm is said to bring luck), Le Renard (built in 1690\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s as the guild house of haberdashers with St Nicholas patron saint of merchants on the front), Le Cornet (the boatmen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guild house with its gable in the form of a 17th century frigate bow) ,\u00c2\u00a0 and La Maison des Boulangers (built by the wealthy and powerful bakers guild, it is topped by a 1676 octagonal copper dome topped by a dancing gold figure).<\/p>\n

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We left the square on the Rue au Beurre, passed the Biscuiterie Dandoy (at no. 31 famous for its buttery biscuits). We visited Eglise St-Nicholas, severely damaged in 1695 by a cannonball lodged in an interior pillar which collapsed the belltower in 1714.\u00c2\u00a0 Rebuilt in 1956, the west fa\u00c3\u00a7ade was given a new gothic-style fa\u00c3\u00a7ade. The church contains choir stalls dating from 1381 displaying detailed medallions telling the story of St-Nicholas and art work by Peter Paul Rubens. Legend goes that the chapel was constructed at an angle to avoid the flow of an old stream.\u00c2\u00a0 Evidently while the church was abandoned, merchants constructed shops against the exterior walls.<\/p>\n

We double-backed a short way to check out La Bourse, Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 stock exchange.\u00c2\u00a0 It is the only building on its block giving it an impressive presence and was designed in Palladian-style.\u00c2\u00a0 It has ornate carvings on the fa\u00c3\u00a7ade; with Auguste Rodin rumored to have carved groups representing Africa and Asia, as well as four caryatids inside. Once the site of frenzied trading, all trading is now computerized.
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Going down the left side of La Bourse, on Rue Henri Maus, we located Falstaff, one of the few Art Nouveau cafes left in Brussels \u00e2\u20ac\u201c dating to 1903.\u00c2\u00a0 Crossing over Boulevard Anspach, we read in our guidebook that the boulevard was once the route of the river Senne, which was canalized and then covered in 1870. The entire area was marshland when settled in 7th century, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Broucsella\u00e2\u20ac\u009d meant settlement in the marshes.<\/p>\n

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We continued on to Halles St-Gery, formerly the old meat market that covered the entire Place st-Gery.\u00c2\u00a0 It is now a hip new restaurant.\u00c2\u00a0 The square was an island until the mid-19th century and the River Senne still runs beneath.\u00c2\u00a0 Across from the market, in the courtyard of a renovated apartment (23 Place St-Gery), we could see some of the river.<\/p>\n

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We left the square on Rue Antoine Dansart toward Place Ste-Catherine. Only the Baroque Tower on the Eglise Ste-Catherine remains from the original church built in 15th century.\u00c2\u00a0 The current church, inspired by St-Eustache in Paris, was redesigned in 1854-59.\u00c2\u00a0 Inside it houses the Black Madonna, a portrait of St. Catherine, and a typical Flemish pulpit.<\/p>\n

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Just outside to the east is the Black Tower, a surviving remnant of the 12th century stone city walls.\u00c2\u00a0 Walking around the rear of Ste-Catherine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, we came to a broad open space lined by Quai au Bois a Bruler (firewood) and Quai aux Briques (bricks).\u00c2\u00a0 The area between, once a canal, was covered over in 1870 and became the fish market.\u00c2\u00a0 Now filled with fountains and pools, and surrounded by fish restaurants, the central area is filled with umbrellas and tables for dining in temperate weather.\u00c2\u00a0 We vowed to return her for dinner tonight!<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\nRue de Peuplier took us to Eglise St-Jean-Baptiste-au-Beguinage.\u00c2\u00a0 This stone-clad church was consecrated in the 17th century to serve the long-standing and largest beguine community.\u00c2\u00a0 Fields and orchards previously surrounded the site and contained cottages and houses for the 1200 beguine women, members of a lay religious order who joined after widowhood or failed marriages.\u00c2\u00a0 In medieval times, the beguines ran a laundry, hospital, and windmill for the city.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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\"\"<\/td>\nWe headed on toward the Place De Brouckere, where in 1872 a design competition was held to construct the buildings here. 20 winning applicants were allowed to surround the square with their buildings.\u00c2\u00a0 Many of the buildings are of stone (common in France, whereas brick is more common in Belgium) and includes the Hotel Metropole (fabulous 1900-1910 Art Nouveau interior, visited by notables including Sarah Bernhardt, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein). In the 1960\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s two buildings with predominantly glass facades brought contemporary architecture into the varied historic architecture of the square. The huge lighted Coca-Cola sign on top of one of the neo-Classical buildings is enough to make one be ashamed to be an American.Back through Passage Nord, to Rue Neuve to Place Des Martyrs.\u00c2\u00a0 In the center of this remarkably quiet square is a marble statue of Belga under which is a mausoleum for the 450 martyrs killed in the 1830 revolution that secured Belgium its independence and installed Leopold 1 as king.\u00c2\u00a0 At one end of this square is the seat of the Flemish government.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Retracing our way Rue Neuve we continued up to Place de la Monnaie.\u00c2\u00a0 Most traces of the statue we saw our first night are now gone, so obviously the Three Legged Buddha is leaving not arriving.<\/p>\n

Walking on Rue L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Ecuyer we came to the entrance of Galeries St-Hubert, a shopping arcade dating to 1847 (this is the first in Europe and one of the most elegant). The vaulted glass roof covers three sections, Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine, and Galerie des Princes.\u00c2\u00a0 In the 19th century this was the fashionable meeting place for society.\u00c2\u00a0 Today, the shops feature expensive goods and luxury shopping and restaurants.<\/p>\n

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Halfway along, the gallery is intersected by the pedestrianized Rue des Bouchers.\u00c2\u00a0 This area was designated the Ilot Sacre back in 1960 to protect it from development.\u00c2\u00a0 Just off Rue des Bouchers is the Petit Rue des Bouchers and halfway down on the left is an alley called the Impasse, housing Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 famous historic puppet theater.Back to Grand Place to start our second tour, this time of Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Marolles area.\u00c2\u00a0 We left the Grand Place via Rue Charles Buls, passing tapestry and lace and tourist shops galore. \u00c2\u00a0Musee du Costume and Dentelle (lace) on Rue de la Violette was closed and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll come back another day.\u00c2\u00a0 Continuing on Rue de l\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Etuve to Rue de Chene, we found the famous statue\/fountain Manneken Pis. This little fountain statue has 650 costumes on display in the Musee de Ville. The original was installed in 1691 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a tongue-in-cheek design reflecting a genuine need for fresh drinking water. It was stolen and broken in 1817 and a replica was cast and returned to its site the following year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 His \u00e2\u20ac\u0153sister\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jeannke Pis a cheeky female version was installed in 1987 in Impasse de la Fidelite off Rue de Bouchers in the spirit of sexual equality.\u00c2\u00a0 We had seen it our first night, but didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s relation to the other fountain.<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Up the Rue de Chene to Rue de Villers, to find the Tour Villiers, the remains of a tower and section of the 12th century walls surrounding the city. Even though it was raining hard now, we continued on to the church of Notre-Dame de la Chappelle. A chapel was built on the site in 1134, it became a pilgrimage site after 1250 when a royal donation of five pieces of the True Cross turned it into a pilgrimage site.\u00c2\u00a0 Much of the church was destroyed by fire in 1405; rebuilding began in 1421.\u00c2\u00a0 Exterior features monstrous gargoyles peering down on the neighborhood.\u00c2\u00a0 Across from the church is a city-maintained skateboard park.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\n
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Still pouring, we continued south into the neighborhood known as Quartier Marolles, situated between the two city walls, home to weavers and craftsmen.\u00c2\u00a0 Following streets not on our tour, we found antique and brocante shops, furniture stores, and even fabric stores.<\/p>\n

Weaving around the streets, we found Place du Grand Sablon, dividing upper and lower Brussels. The fountain in the middle of the square was funded by an Englishman; the square is surrounded by elegant townhouses and, even in the rain, seems to be a chic part of Brussels.\u00c2\u00a0 At No. 12 we found, Wittamer, supposedly one of Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 most celebrated chocolate makers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but there wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a lot of chocolate around when we were there.<\/p>\n

The rain was driving us back toward a rest stop, we abandoned the tour and headed for Cathedrale Sts Michel et Gudule, passing the national library, rose gardens and the equestrian statue of Albert 1, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153soldier king\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who led troops into World War 1
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The cathedral was immense and featured a stained glass window called the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Last Judgement,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d highly ornate baroque pulpit, statue of St Michael (Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s namesake since he was born in St Michael\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Hospital and his mother couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come up with a name until she was ready to leave the hospital and they demanded one for his birth certificate), and a statue of Ste-Gudule, a saint dear to people of Brussels.\u00c2\u00a0 The twin towers of the front of the cathedral were very reminiscent of those of Notre-Dame in Paris. The crypt contains remnants of the first church on the site dating from 1047; some can be seen through a grate in the floor of the cathedral.<\/p>\n

Sopping wet, we headed back toward the Grand Place and a cup of hot chocolate and our first Belgian waffle.\u00c2\u00a0 Then back to the hotel to plan for dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 Our plan for dinner at the location of the old fishmarket by Ste-Catherine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s went awry when we started checking out menus. The prices were very high and even the prix fixe menus were high.\u00c2\u00a0 Realizing our Belgian waffle earlier had left its mark and neither of us was hungry enough to spend 50-60 euros each on dinner, we wandered back to Rue de Bouchers and found Luna di Venezia where Mike could have mussels and I had a grilled sea bream fillet with a dijonnaise sauce and we split some house red wine.<\/p>\n

On our way back to the hotel, we wandered through Grand Place to see it lighted up at night.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Even in the rain it was a busy place. At Place du Monnaie, the statue and all of its remnants were gone.<\/p>\n

Thursday, October 8, 2009<\/h2>\n

Clearer skies than we have yet to see in Belgium started off our day.\u00c2\u00a0 We took the Metro to Gare du Midi and bought round-trip tickets to Bruges.\u00c2\u00a0 We hopped the train, arrived in Bruges in about an hour.\u00c2\u00a0 First stop was the tourist information center to get a map of the city and recommendations from the agent. Since the Markt was only a 15-minute or so walk from the train station we elected to walk instead of taking the bus.\u00c2\u00a0 We had mapped out a walking tour of our own to hit the highlights that most interested us.<\/p>\n

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Bruges is a medieval town that has been remarkably well preserved.\u00c2\u00a0 The pedestrian scale of the town including the streetscape, canals, cobblestones was very welcoming.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked past St-Salvator Kathedral on our way in, vowing to check it out on our way back to the train station.\u00c2\u00a0 First stop was the Market (the main square which has held a market since the 10th century).\u00c2\u00a0 The Belfort, or belltower, anchors one side of the square, rises 272 feet into the blue sky, houses.\u00c2\u00a0 Centered in the square is a statue of two guildsmen who led the rebellion against the French in 1302, ultimately defining the rights such as the right to free trade in the town\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s charter (until the 15th century!)\u00c2\u00a0 A canal used to permit goods to flow into the square, but it has been filled in a replaced with a building housing the administrative offices of West Flanders. On another side of the square is a the Huis Bouchotte \u00e2\u20ac\u201c its fa\u00c3\u00a7ade features a compass, attached to a weathervane, which informed merchants the direction of winds for incoming ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We left the square on Vlamingstraat and walked past the town\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neo-classical municipal theater dating to 1868 (one year older than our house in Richmond).\u00c2\u00a0 We passed a lodge for traders from Genoa that dated to 1399.\u00c2\u00a0 Nearby we found Huis Ter Beurze where merchants and bankers exchanged credit notes as early as the 13th century.\u00c2\u00a0 Rumor has it that it was the first stock exchange and is the origin of the French word for stock exchange Bourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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On Academiestraat we found the Burghers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Lodge, a gathering place for the upper class.\u00c2\u00a0 It has a tower that was rebuilt in 1775.\u00c2\u00a0 On the other side of the street is t Old Customs House where customs were assessed.\u00c2\u00a0 The old weighbridge has been replaced by a city square, complete with a statue of Jan van Eyck, Bruges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 famous artist.\u00c2\u00a0 The canal now stops here and we walked along it, taking a little detour to check out a baroque church built for the Jesuits in the 17th century.\u00c2\u00a0 Retracing our steps back to the canal, \u00c2\u00a0we crossed over the canal to Blekersstraat, where we found Bruges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 reputedly oldest tavern, the Caf\u00c3\u00a9 Vlissinghe, dating to 1515.<\/p>\n

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We continued down Blekkersstraat to the Jerusalemkerk and then on to the Folk Museum, fearing it may close for lunch.\u00c2\u00a0 The museum is in a series of low almshouses and houses artifacts of Flemish life.\u00c2\u00a0 Each house\/room features a different aspect: a classroom, shoemaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shop, clogmaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shop, grocery, cooper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trade, pipe and tobacco artifacts, a tavern the Black Cat, a Flemish living room and kitchen, confectioner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shop, chocolate molds, apothecary, hat shop, tailor, and signboards.\u00c2\u00a0 The old tools, washing machine, sinks, cabinetry in the apothecary shop held our interest for some time.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, photos were not allowed.<\/p>\n

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We headed over to the windmills which sit where the old city walls stood.\u00c2\u00a0 The city wall was further protected by a moat which is still in existence (walls taken down in 19th century).\u00c2\u00a0 At one point there were 20 windmills only 3 are left, and one is original to Bruges, even though it was restored in 1770.\u00c2\u00a0 Farther on we found Kruispoort, a gate from 1402, that guarded the eastern approach to the town.\u00c2\u00a0 It is now all that is left of the city walls.<\/p>\n

On our way back to the Markt to find a place for lunch, we passed through the Burg.\u00c2\u00a0 The town hall is here, built of sandstone with a fa\u00c3\u00a7ade dating to 1375 it has a Gothic Hall noted for its 1385 vaulted ceiling.\u00c2\u00a0 The Provost\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s House next door was built in Baroque-style of grey stone in the 17th century.<\/p>\n

We lunched on traditional Flemish fare at a restaurant in the Markt, enjoying t blue skies and the sun.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike had filet of Oostendt herring and rabbit in the Flemish style.\u00c2\u00a0 I had Flemish ham and melon with Flemish beef stem.\u00c2\u00a0 Our beers came in glass containers set in a wooden holder \u00e2\u20ac\u201c quite a different experience.<\/p>\n

After lunch we headed back to the Burg to walk through Blind Donkey Alley, a narrow arched alley, to get to the fishmarket.\u00c2\u00a0 The open air fishmarket is usually busy early in the morning but by afternoon was deserted.\u00c2\u00a0 We climbed aboard one of the canal tour boats and took a \u00c2\u00bd hour tour of the city by water, retracing many of t places we had walked earlier, but with a different view.\u00c2\u00a0 It was kind-of Disney-ish but it was fun.<\/p>\n

After our tour we walked along the canal on Rozenhoedkaai and Diver to the Church of Our Lady.\u00c2\u00a0 Its spire was under renovation and masked by scaffolding and construction tarps.\u00c2\u00a0 The main entrance was blocked.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We wondered if the restoration will take as long as the original construction (200 years).\u00c2\u00a0 Michelangelo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sculpture Madonna and Child from 1504 is here.<\/p>\n

On our way back to the train station, we stopped in to visit St Salvator Kathedraal to check out the eight Brussels\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 tapestries representing the Life of Christ.\u00c2\u00a0 It, too, I sin the midst of renovation.\u00c2\u00a0 The exterior has been completed, the interior is scheduled to start in 2010.\u00c2\u00a0 However, most of the artwork and statues were covered in preparation for the work to come.<\/p>\n

We caught the train for a very pleasant ride through the countryside back to Brussels.\u00c2\u00a0 Skies were clear in Brussels, too \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so we sat outside at the Hotel Metropole and enjoyed a glass of wine.\u00c2\u00a0 We revisited the Grand Place at night \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just to see it without rain and, then headed back to the hotel to pack for our return to Paris to meet Glenn and Kimberly.<\/p>\n

Friday October 9 2009<\/h2>\n

We checked out of our Hotel, hopped the metro a \u00c2\u00bd block a way, took it 4 stops to the train station.\u00c2\u00a0 Luckily, we scoped out the route on our way to Bruges and knew where all the elevators and escalators were located. At the train station, we stopped for a coffee and croissant and people-watched until our train came up on the schedule board.\u00c2\u00a0 Once at our platform\/gate, they displayed a sign that said DO NOT BOARD!\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We watched and as soon as it changed to welcome us aboard, we hopped on board to stow our suitcases in the luggage area before it got too full.\u00c2\u00a0 The conductor yelled at us to get off the train, then he looked down the track and saw the sign, shrugged his shoulders, and let us on- despite the fact the crew was still cleaning.<\/p>\n

The THALYS was just like the TGV, comfortable, and at points exceeding 290 km\/h.\u00c2\u00a0 Naturally it slowed down through cities and towns, but the overall speed average was 186km\/h.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 On the train we tried to match up photos with the text of the journal. As we were working through them, we realized we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have all the photos on the pc and Mike said he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d make sure to check out the rest.<\/p>\n

We arrived at Gare du Nord in Paris a few minutes late, but the most delaying factor in getting to our hotel, Hotel Mansart on rue des Capucines, was standing in line to get metro passes.\u00c2\u00a0 We were in line for 25 minutes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c at least.\u00c2\u00a0 We even got behind a tour guide buying over 1000 euros worth of passes.\u00c2\u00a0 The agent was a vey cute young lady with long blond hair, spoke English, and actually thought she was working tourist information \u00e2\u20ac\u201c she spent so much time with each customer, discussing what they could see, what she would recommend, how to ride the Metro, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 Finally, our transaction for tickets is complete and off we go to meet Glenn and Kimberly at the hotel.\u00c2\u00a0 We metro from Gare du Nord to Opera, climb the steps at Opera and off we go down rue del Paix toward the place de Vendomme and our hotel.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn was hanging out the window when we arrived, calling to us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c sort of like an old French movie.<\/p>\n

We checked into the hotel (room 306) and dropped our bags.\u00c2\u00a0 By now lunch was way delayed, so we went out the front door to the right and found a great little spot in the next block.\u00c2\u00a0 Green bean salad, roasted chicken and mashed potatoes with cheese and butter, beef Bourgogne \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and a bottle of wine.<\/p>\n

We headed over to the Petit Palais to check out the permanent collection, then to the Grand Palais to see the new exposition.\u00c2\u00a0 But the new exposition required advance reservations and folks were in a weaving queque throughout the plaza. We abandoned the Grand Palais plan and walked over to Blvd Haussman to go through Jacquemart Andre and see their new exposition of a collection of Belgian and Dutch painters.\u00c2\u00a0 We squeaked out just before closing time and headed back to the hotel, stopping by Sotheby\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to check out what would be auctioned off the following weekend.\u00c2\u00a0 At the hotel we took a few minutes to get ready for dinnerat La Cordennerie with Hugo.\u00c2\u00a0 On the way to La Cordonnerie, the skies opened up and luckily we all had umbrellas.\u00c2\u00a0 When we arrived Hugo had a cancellation and we were able to sit in the kitchen after all. I had daurade (sea bream), Mike had swordfish, Glenn had deer stew, and Kimberly had veal.\u00c2\u00a0 Dessert was a fabulous chestnut cake and, of course, the chocolate fondant.\u00c2\u00a0 This was Glenn and Kimberly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arrival day in Paris and we were anxious to get them back to hotel for some sleep \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they made it through to almost 11PM.<\/p>\n

Saturday October 10 2009<\/h2>\n

Up early for coffee and croissant at the petit dejeuner at the hotel, then off to catch the train to Versailles. We spent most of the day enjoying the sights of the grand castle and its beautiful gardens.\u00c2\u00a0 We entered through the huge iron and gilt gates into the courtyard facing the street.\u00c2\u00a0 The current palace grew out of\u00c2\u00a0 a series of renovations to an original modest hunting lodge. The first took place in the 1660\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.\u00c2\u00a0 In 1678 Mansart added the two large north and south wings and filled in an existing terrace to become the Hall of Mirrors. The chapel was finished in 1710 and the Opera House (not open to public) was added in 1770, built for the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We entered the north wing and visited the Chappelle Royale, Mansart\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s last great work, a two-story Baroque chapel.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked through an exhibition of paintings, walked into the marble courtyard with its huge clock with Hercules and Mars flanking it, into the entrance to tour the Salon de Venus with its statue of Louis XIV amid a rich marble d\u00c3\u00a9cor, through grandly appointed rooms to the Salon d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Apollon, which was Louis XIV\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throne room, to the Salon de la Guerre with its war-theme and then ito the fabulous Hall of Mirrors.\u00c2\u00a0 Great state occasions were held here amid the crystal chandeliers, gilt decoration, and of course those mirrors bouncing light al over the room and reflecting the gardens outside. The interiors were designed by Charles Le Brun, who was obviously the king of more is better!\u00c2\u00a0 The rooms were richly decorated with colored marble, stone and wood carvings, murals, velvet, rich brocades, heavy embroidery, and silver and gilt furniture.\u00c2\u00a0 Off the Hall of Mirrors nestled between two wings were the king\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apartments, including his bedroom, library, boudoir, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 Back into the Hall of Mirrors to get to the Queens Apartments, with her bedroom (where she gave birth to royal children in public view), sitting room and other rooms that afforded the Queen more privacy. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0In Versailles all day Chapel and 17th century galleries, State Apartments (Hall of Mirrors, Kings Chambers), History of France galleries, Dauphin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apartments, Mesdames Apartments.\u00c2\u00a0 And, of course the gardens by Andre LeNotre.<\/p>\n

We ate at a little restaurant along the path to the grand canal \u00e2\u20ac\u201c tucked back into the trees of the garden.\u00c2\u00a0 At 3:45 the water fountain display started since due to the drought, the fountains do not all run nor do they run all the time. The fountain of Latona just down the marble steps between the parterres was the signal the show had begun.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked the geometrically laid out beds and paths to the Grad Canal and eventually to Marie-Antoinette\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s estate Petit Trianon.<\/p>\n

We rode the tram back to the Chateaux and walked back to the train station to catch train back to Paris.\u00c2\u00a0 On the way back, we decided to find the International Food and Wine Festival that was happening \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at the base of Montmartre.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Making our way up the butte, we found the festival\u00c2\u00a0 surrounding Sacre Coeur at the top of the hill.\u00c2\u00a0 We tasted a few wines, sampled oysters from Brittany, and pushed our way through the mob.\u00c2\u00a0 At 8:30 we decided to leave the area to find a place to eat dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 We metro\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d back to Opera and found a bistro where we had salmon, and faux filet and a pitcher of wine.\u00c2\u00a0 We noticed that La Taverne across the street was closed.\u00c2\u00a0 Back to hotel to get ready for train ride to Vannes tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Sunday October 11 2009<\/h2>\n

Caught train and headed through beautiful countryside towards the western part of France.
\nTrain arrived in Vannes at 1:45 not 1:13.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike and Glenn go to get car \u00e2\u20ac\u201c office closed. We can get a train to Auray, then bus to Carnac, then cab or walk.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn called our landlord, Thibaud, and he graciously offered to come get us.\u00c2\u00a0 He his wife, Catherine, and daughter (Emy) showed us around this great little place.\u00c2\u00a0 They left, we walked around town and along the beach.\u00c2\u00a0 Picked up coffee and necessaries. Ate moules and frites at a restaurant overlooking the beach.\u00c2\u00a0 Home to bed!<\/p>\n

Monday October 12, 2009<\/h2>\n

Mike was up early to call Europcar to try to straighten out our lack of rental car.\u00c2\u00a0 Finally he was able to negotiate picking up the car in Auray and dropping it off at Vannes on Saturday when we leave.\u00c2\u00a0 The next obstacle was how to get to Auray, a town on our list to visit anyway.\u00c2\u00a0 Called a taxi and he picked us up and took us to the Europcar rental office for 25 euros.\u00c2\u00a0 Picked up our car, without a hassle, and drove toward the center of town and its Monday morning market.<\/p>\n

Found a place to park near the hospital and walked the market and the town.\u00c2\u00a0 At the market, we bought three different cheeses, after being thoroughly entertained by the cheesemaker and his wife; we brought home a Tommes de Montagne\u00c2\u00a0 and Gruyere (cow) and a Bleu de Brebis (sheep).\u00c2\u00a0 The cheesemaker knew only one word of English YES, and the rest of our communication was in poor French and sign language or sounds like MOO and BAA to signify cow or sheep\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheese.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, Mike and Glenn missed all the fun and entertainment.<\/p>\n

Next we found some great strawberries (last of the season) and strawberry preserves from a vendor whose table had only strawberries and preserves.\u00c2\u00a0 Just across the way, Glenn and Kimberly found the perfect fabric to make pillows for the cottage\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s porch.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn handed the vendor money for the fabric, the vendor handed Glenn back the extra, and Kimberly took it from Glenn.\u00c2\u00a0 The vendor laughed and told Glenn in English \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same in France.<\/p>\n

Auray is built on a hill overlooking the Loch River and boasts old houses and a cute little harbor reached by crossing a stone bridge dating to the 17th century.\u00c2\u00a0 This is where Ben Franklin arrived to seek aid from the French during the US\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Revolutionary War.\u00c2\u00a0 Just across the bridge, we found L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Armoric, 1& 3 Place St Sauveur, to sit in the sun and eat lunch. Kimberly and I had a lunch special of a \u00c2\u00bd pizza with a salad.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn and Mike tried to have the plat du jour \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but it was sold out.\u00c2\u00a0 The waitress offered to see if the chef would substitute cod in the special and serve it with sweet potato puree and a celeric charcroute.<\/p>\n

After lunch we explored the St Goustan area, known for galleries and old residences.\u00c2\u00a0 We visited the old church on the top of the hill named for St Goustan, the patron saint of mariners and fisherman. Back down the hill toward the harbor and back across the bridge to the center of town, past the town hall built in 1776 where the market has broken down and there is no trace of its existence.\u00c2\u00a0 On the way back to the car, we visited the Church of St-Gildas with a Renaissance doorway and a baroque altarpiece.<\/p>\n

We found the car and set out through the countryside for La-Trinite-sur-Mer.\u00c2\u00a0 The bright, sunny day was perfect for a ride through the countryside.\u00c2\u00a0 La Trinite is the sailing center and the harbor was chock full of boats of all kinds \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it can hold 1200 boats.\u00c2\u00a0 There were several large racing trimarans moored on which maintenance and improvements were being executed. We strolled along the harbor and its shops.\u00c2\u00a0 Back to the car, we drove down to the Pointe de Keribahn, where the river joins the bay de Quiberon.\u00c2\u00a0 The views were spectacular.<\/p>\n

We found our way back to Carnac and stopped by the Super U to pick up some necessities, like paper towels, wine, fruit, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 Back home we unpacked the supplies and sat down to enjoy our food purchases.\u00c2\u00a0 We started out with a white Sauvignon, one of the cheeses, an apple (La Reine des Reinettes), those fabulous Plougastel strawberries, salmon pate, and a spicy sausage and ended up with a Les Gravelles Bordeaux, as we made plans for dinner.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, October 13, 2009<\/h2>\n

We mapped a route to take advantage of Brittany\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coastline and to see its fishing villages and centers.\u00c2\u00a0 From Carnac, we headed to Quimperle, an inland town where the Isole and Elle rivers meet. We walked the lower and upper areas of this picturesque town dating back to the 11th century.<\/p>\n

We drove on to Pont-Aven, a cute town with 17th and 18th century granite houses situated on streets that seem to rise in tiers from the port, built on a ria (ancient term for a flooded valley).\u00c2\u00a0 Here we even found a thatched roof.<\/p>\n

We continued on to Concarneau, an old sardine fishing center, with a large harbor and a walled city \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the earliest fortifications date to 14th century. We ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the walled city, sitting out in the sun \u00e2\u20ac\u201c L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Amiral, 1 Avenue Pierre Guegin.\u00c2\u00a0 Plats du Jour for Glenn, Kimberly, and Mike (pasta with a white fish probably cod and a very light butter sauce) and Salade Nicoise for me.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s phone rang just after we ordered and it was Thibaud, wondering if everything was ok and if we\u00c2\u00a0 were able to get a rental car, what we were doing, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 At lunch, the man and wife seated at the table next to us asked us where we were from, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 During the conversation, they said they lived on the island in the bay, but were visiting his sister who lived there, he also gave us a long list of suggestions of a driving tour to see more of the coast and fishing towns.\u00c2\u00a0 We drove through Fouesnant, known for its butter biscuits and cider, on our way to Benodet, a coastal resort known for manor houses and chateaux that line the river and harbor.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked along the lovely white sand beach, found the remains of an old German bunker guarding the port.\u00c2\u00a0 One had even been transformed into a dwelling.\u00c2\u00a0 At Pont l\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Abbe, we found the museum closed \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it houses a collection of traditional costumes.\u00c2\u00a0 We strolled the town streets, window shopping and checking out potential buys, like traditional striped jerseys.<\/p>\n

We decided to drive to L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Orient for dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Orient was almost totally destroyed during WWII, and was rebuilt in a very contemporary style.\u00c2\u00a0 The pleasure boats are docked along a marina on both sides of a canal, divided by a lock and a bridge.\u00c2\u00a0 As we walked along checking out the pristinely maintained boats, several came in, evidently, from a race.\u00c2\u00a0 On the way into the town, Glenn had spotted a few potential dinner spots, which turned out to be bars not restaurants. But, across the square, we found L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Alhambra.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike, Kimberly and I had duck breast, Glenn had steak and frites \u00e2\u20ac\u201c his first of the trip.\u00c2\u00a0 We returned home to Carnac in the dark and somehow negotiated our way back to our cottage, arriving at about 10:15 PM.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, October 14, 2009<\/h2>\n

Market Day in Carnac<\/strong><\/h4>\n


\n<\/strong><\/strong>We walked up toward the center of Carnac to the central parking lot where the market is held.\u00c2\u00a0 Since it was after the season, the market was very small.\u00c2\u00a0 We had hoped to pick up a roasted chicken for lunch at home, but the only roasted anything was a ham.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked back home to get the car and head out.\u00c2\u00a0 On our way to Quiberon, we stopped by the center of Carnac to visit the church \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Notre Dame more commonly known as Eglise St-Cornely.\u00c2\u00a0 The church was very detailed, with frescos dating to 1695.\u00c2\u00a0 The central part was built between 1630 and 1640, the congregation grew and additions were added on each side in 1690.\u00c2\u00a0 We put in an euro and the halogen lights came on to illuminate the painted ceiling detailing the life of St Cornely, the patron saint of horned animals.\u00c2\u00a0 He was also a pope in the 3rd century.\u00c2\u00a0 The museum was closed and only one restaurant was open, so we headed out to Quiberon, a port on the peninsula jutting out south into the Atlantic creating one side of the Baie de Quiberon.<\/p>\n

It was another bright, beautiful sunny day and the scenery was beautiful as we drove to the southernmost part about 9 miles out.\u00c2\u00a0 The port was well protected and is a jumping off point for a ferry to Belle-Ile,, the island where the folks we met yesterday live.\u00c2\u00a0 We strolled the beach and found a restaurant in the sun and out of the breeze.\u00c2\u00a0 Lunch was rose, a chef salad for me, a salad wit fruits de mer for Kimberly, and the menu of the day (oysters and calamari) for Mike and Glenn.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked the beach after lunch, saw folks lying in the sun and a couple of people in the water.\u00c2\u00a0 Brrrrr!<\/p>\n

Back at the car, we took the Cote Sauvage road along the western shore to check out the gorgeous scenery of cliffs indented with caves and chasms and pounding surf.\u00c2\u00a0 Mike crawled at a snail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pace, Glenn rode with the door open to have an unimpaired view.\u00c2\u00a0 We stopped several times for photo opportunities.\u00c2\u00a0 At our last stop, we watched the surf pound against the rocky shore and watched surfers catch a wave! \u00c2\u00a0We passed the Fort Penthievre, built in 19th century and now property of the French Army.<\/p>\n

We stopped by the store picked up oysters for appetizers and seafood for fish soup for dinner. Then, home and while Mike and Glenn prepared dinner, Kimberly and I walked to the end of the beach in Carnac.\u00c2\u00a0 Families were playing along the beach, runners running, folks walking, and even some few swimming.\u00c2\u00a0 The light was beautiful, a soft warm glow and as the sun set it changed into a soft pink with a tinge of purple.\u00c2\u00a0 Back at home, we settled in for wine and oysters, cheese, bread.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn was able to shuck the oysters in a matter of minutes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c faster than he ever been able to shuck them in the past.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn, Mike and Kimberly shared 24!\u00c2\u00a0 Mike reported that as he prepared the seafood, it was so fresh that all you could smell was the ocean. \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Our fish soup was fabulous, as was our salad with fresh figs from France!<\/p>\n

Thursday, October 15, 2009<\/h2>\n

Another sunny day, but a little cooler! We drove the 60 miles plus or minus (about 1 hour and ten minutes) to Quimper.\u00c2\u00a0 We parked along the quai along the Odet River.\u00c2\u00a0 Quimper is also at the confluence of two rivers: Odet and Steir.\u00c2\u00a0 The bridges\/walkways over the Odet were all festooned with boxes filled with lovely annuals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c still beautiful in October.\u00c2\u00a0 The cathedral and the museum of Breton life were on our left, across the Odet.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We crossed over, the landscape crew was replacing the summer annuals with winter color and cleaning and compressing the stone dust walkways.<\/p>\n

We had time before lunch-closing to walk through the museum.\u00c2\u00a0 The museum had a collection of artifacts back to prehistoric times.\u00c2\u00a0 I was most interested in the folk costume collection; and Kimberly in the fa\u00c3\u00afence collection.\u00c2\u00a0 The museum itself is housed in the former bishop\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house \u00e2\u20ac\u201c attached to the cathedral.\u00c2\u00a0 By the time we left the cathedral, it was closed for the lunch hour.\u00c2\u00a0 We cruised the two squares (Laennes and St-Corentin), remodeled to feature a statue of Rene Laennec, inventor of the stethoscope and a carousel \u00c2\u00a0from the early 1900\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s with a submarine-like coach that looked like a Jules-Verne type feature.<\/p>\n

We walked along several of Quimper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s streets with timber-framed houses (rue de Boucheries, rue de Kereon, rue St Francois) on our way to the covered market, filled by now with students on their lunch hour.\u00c2\u00a0 The market was filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, wonderful cheeses, meats, pates, prepared foods, and of course seafood of all kinds even sardines.\u00c2\u00a0 This was the first market where we saw multiple kinds of clams.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 There was even a fresh pasta booth and sushi and sashimi!\u00c2\u00a0 The market was filled with locals, buying items for their supper.<\/p>\n

We decided to get crepes for lunch and went to Creperie de la Place au Beurre, 2 bis Place au Beurre.\u00c2\u00a0 We had a assortment of crepes: mine was oinions cooked in red and white wine, Kimberly had scallops in her crepe, Glenn had ham, cheese, mushrooms with a cream sauce, Mike had a crepe with eggs, ham, tomatoes cuisinnee, mushrooms and cream sauce with a bit of salad.\u00c2\u00a0 We chose to try the brut cidre to accompany our meal.\u00c2\u00a0 For dessert we tried crepes with chocolate and crepes with chocolate and coconut.<\/p>\n

We cruised the town a little more, checking out the shopping and all the old buildings.\u00c2\u00a0 Then back to the cathedral, which was now open.\u00c2\u00a0 The cathedral is dedicated to St Corentin, the first bishop of Quimper, who left his existence as hermit to become the leader of the Quimper congregation.\u00c2\u00a0 The cathedral dates to the 13th century and is light and airy due to the ribbed vaulting and flying buttress construction. The choir was built out of align with the nave to take advantage of an older chapel containing the tomb of Alain Canhart, instrumental in repelling the Norman invasion of 913.\u00c2\u00a0 The sun was streaming through the stained glass windows during our visit and we had a exceptional view of these windows constructed during the 15th or 16th century in a local workshop. The brilliant colors were a wonder to behold.\u00c2\u00a0 The pulpit of wood with medallions of gilt wood carved to feature events in the life of St Corentin.\u00c2\u00a0 The Romanesque nave was rebuilt in the 15th century and contains the tombs of all the bishops of Quimper.<\/p>\n

We left the cathedral to explore the rest of the center of town. \u00c2\u00a0On our way back to the car, Kimberly and I went into to the post office to get stamps for her postcards to the US.\u00c2\u00a0 The stamps were .85 euros each.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn took photos of the spires of the church while we negotiated for stamps and Mike went back to the car to make sure we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a ticket.<\/p>\n

We stopped by the Faiencerie-HB-Henriot to look at their faience which is reputed to be the last of the factories to still produce pieces with freehand decoration.\u00c2\u00a0 We looked at the offerings in two nearby shops and the difference in quality was quite evident. We even saw a platter that was priced at 3,900 euros \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was very similar to several we saw in the museum in terms of colors, intensity, and intricacy of design.<\/p>\n

We left Quimper and headed back southeast to Locmariaquer, a resort town on the edge of the Bay of Morbihan, noted for its megaliths.\u00c2\u00a0 The town was cute, but everything was closed up tighter than a drum and dinner there was out of the question. The megaliths are located just up from the cemetery, on a knoll overlooking the bay.\u00c2\u00a0 The Table des Marchands is a Neolithic grave dating to 3700 BC.\u00c2\u00a0 The site of the megaliths also houses the Grand Menhir Brise, dating from 4500 BC, it is 65 feet long (tall).\u00c2\u00a0 It is broken into four pieces and is the largest known menhir in the western world.\u00c2\u00a0 We drove home through St-Philebert and Trinite-sur-Mer on our way back to Carnac.\u00c2\u00a0 First stop was for wine at the Super U, then home to take a bottle of wine to the beach and watch the sundown and the magic of the dusk light on the beach. We collected a few shells and walked the two blocks home.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of dining out, we finished up some of our cheeses and snacks and had left over fish soup, vowing to try one of the restaurants tomorrow that looked so lively in Trinte-sur-Mer as we drove through.<\/p>\n

Friday, October 16, 2009<\/h2>\n

On our last day in Brittany, we decided to tour the eastern portion of Loire-Atlantique to find out how they farm salt from the sea. We drove to Guerande, walked through the old town, its ramparts dating to the 14th and 15th century.\u00c2\u00a0 The Porte-st-Michel gate was flanked by two towers, as we wandered through the walled town, we checked out shopping opportunities.\u00c2\u00a0 Driving south from Guerande, we meandered through the salt marshes and saw mounds of salt covered by tarps.\u00c2\u00a0 We even saw a man working his salt ponds or as they say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153salt-panning.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Next stop was Le Croisic, a cute resort town situated on a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic.\u00c2\u00a0 We stopped for lunch here and strolled the beachfront. We continued on to La Baule, with its 5-miles of white sand beach.\u00c2\u00a0 It is an old resort town that allowed its historic properties to be replaced with highrise apartment buildings lining the shore.\u00c2\u00a0 We were not impressed, even though a few historic homes dotted the town.\u00c2\u00a0 Continuing down the beach, we passed through Pornichet on our way to St-Nazaire.\u00c2\u00a0 St Nazarine is a ship building port \u00e2\u20ac\u201c actually cruise liners like the Normandie (launched in 1932) and the France (launched in 1960).\u00c2\u00a0 By the docks, we found a group of men playing boules and farther out along the quai, we watched the start of a sailboat race.<\/p>\n

Since it was getting late, we hurried on to Vannes to check out the gardens just outside the rampart walls, beautifully landscaped and maintained.\u00c2\u00a0 We parked just outside the Place Gambetta, along the quai with pleasure boats docked. We walked around the old town, window shopping and people-watching. The Cathedral of St Peter is also dedicated to St Vincent Ferrier whose tomb is housed there.\u00c2\u00a0 It was built in the 16th century and is currently undergoing renovations, especially of its Renaissance Tower.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Some of its windows and art were covered or removed to preserve them during the project.\u00c2\u00a0 One of its chapels is dedicated to St Ann, Mary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother and the patron saint of Brittany.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 We found the fish market, closed of course by this time of day, and wandered back to the Gambetta gate to leave the walled city.\u00c2\u00a0 We stopped at La Gambetta, a caf\u00c3\u00a9 overlooking the harbor and had a glass of wine.<\/p>\n

We drove on toward Carnac, stopping at La Trinite-sur-Mer for a fine dinner of Gratin de la Mer for Mike, Kimberly and me, and grilled St Pierre for Glenn.\u00c2\u00a0 Back at our cottage, we began preparations for our train ride to Paris tomorrow morning.<\/p>\n

Saturday, October 17, 2009<\/h2>\n

We arrived at the train station in Vannes, dropped off the rental at Europcar, and caught our train to Rennes where we would change to a train to Paris.\u00c2\u00a0 The train to Rennes was a regional train, all seats were 1st class and I wished airplane seats were as comfortable.\u00c2\u00a0 At Rennes we caught a TGV to Paris and arrived in Paris around 3 PM.\u00c2\u00a0 We walked from the Gare Montparnasse to our Hotel on Rue de Gergovie.\u00c2\u00a0 The hotel was pleasant, newly redone, new comfortable beds, flat screen tvs, but alas we were on the third floor (French so really 4th floor) and they had no elevator.\u00c2\u00a0 It was coming, hopefully by December!\u00c2\u00a0 We deposited our bags and grabbed the metro to the Champs Elysees.\u00c2\u00a0 After window shopping and shopping for Kimberly, we strolled up toward the Arc de Triomphe.\u00c2\u00a0 Walking back, we noticed the sidewalk packed with people, people in uniforms, groups of young people standing at attention, a band, people carrying regimental banners, and elderly folks wearing tricolor sashes with badges on them sanding next to wifes, children, grandchildren etc.\u00c2\u00a0 The young people in uniform marched to a side street to start the formation.\u00c2\u00a0 On the Champs Elysee sidewalk across from the side street the band was hitting a note or two.\u00c2\u00a0 Out of nowhere, police cars arrived and blocked the\u00c2\u00a0 street leading up to the Arc de Triomphe.\u00c2\u00a0 First the band, then the group carrying floral arrangements and regimental banners, then the young people in uniform and finally the rest of the crowd all marched up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and laid the flower arrangements to honor those who have lost their lives in war.\u00c2\u00a0 Glenn found out from one of the participants that this happens only once a year, that every regiment has at least one representative to carry its banner to honor their fallen comrades.\u00c2\u00a0 And, we stumbled into it!<\/p>\n

We found a caf\u00c3\u00a9 to have a drink called L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Alsace and devised a plan to find a restaurant for dinner.\u00c2\u00a0 After our brief pause, we hopped the Metro back to Montparnasse and strolled Boulevard Montparnasse looking for a place to find steak.\u00c2\u00a0 By this time we were afraid to try fish in Paris after all that beautiful fresh seafood in Brittany.\u00c2\u00a0 We stumbled on Relais d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Entrecote and decided to give it a try. Funny thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c no choice.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody had a salad, steak came rare, medium rare, or medium, and mounds of frites.\u00c2\u00a0 Our delightful waitress did say we could choose our dessert.\u00c2\u00a0 She recommended a wine from the owner of the restaurant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s winery.\u00c2\u00a0 It was tasty and we finished it pretty quickly and ordered another bottle of a different wine.\u00c2\u00a0 Jut as we got down to about 60% of our plates being eaten, our server came back with more steak and more frites!\u00c2\u00a0 There was no way to be a member of the clean plate club here!\u00c2\u00a0 As for dessert, we passed!<\/p>\n

We walked back to the hotel, realizing we needed to leave for the RER station by 8:15 or 8:30.<\/p>\n

Sunday, October 18 2009<\/h2>\n

We all assembled, even with our bags sans elevator, in the lobby a little early.\u00c2\u00a0 We asked the front desk to call a cab to get to the Denfert Rochereau station to catch the B RER to Charles de Gaulle.\u00c2\u00a0 We were plenty early, but security was extremely slow.\u00c2\u00a0 And the plane had half-boarded by the time we got to the gate.\u00c2\u00a0 The flight was uneventful, saw two movies (Taking of Pelham 123 and State of Play), read most of my book, and fidgeted in my coach seat for 8 hours.\u00c2\u00a0 We landed in Philly and breezed through immigration, no line had more than 3 people ahead of us.\u00c2\u00a0 Then the great equalizer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c waiting for your bags\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00c2\u00a0 As we waited for our bags they announced that ALL PASSENGERS aboard our flight had to pass through screening stations 5 or 6 before leaving the hall.\u00c2\u00a0 So, once we retrieved our bags, we had to find the line and wait \u00e2\u20ac\u201c wait \u00e2\u20ac\u201c wait while the Department of Agriculture x-rayed and examined each bag (carry-on and checked) of each passenger. Luckily we only had a few Belgian chocolates and some Breton cookies.\u00c2\u00a0 Other passengers were caught with all kinds of foodstuffs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c all of which was being confiscated and the interloper being threatened with the fullest extent of law in front of everyone else.\u00c2\u00a0 Since we had a connecting flight, we hurried through security to our gate to get there minutes before boarding.\u00c2\u00a0 We arrived home at 5:45 PM to a very excited and happy Nuggett!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belgium, Paris, and Brittany France The original journal is located here Complete Trip Photo Album Sunday October 4 and Monday October 5 All US flights were on time and connections made without a hitch.\u00c2\u00a0 When we landed in Philadelphia, we … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,123,122,124,25,32,11],"tags":[125],"class_list":["post-996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bakeries","category-brittany","category-bruge","category-brussels","category-paris","category-shopping","category-tgv","tag-le-bourgeois"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=996"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":997,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions\/997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/frenchbychoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}