Josselin & Auray, France
We continued to journey further along the peninsula of Brittany this week. The most Atlantic of France’s regions, Brittany is noted for its Celtic heritage, which sets it apart from the rest of France.
Before heading out, we took one last stroll through the beautiful town of Dinan. For any traveler planning to visit St. Malo and Mont Saint-Michel on the coast to the north, Dinan is a very pleasant place to base yourself.
We drove southwest through the Breton countryside to the town of Josselin along the River Oust. There, the mighty castle soared dramatically above the water. It was first built in 1008 and originally named for Goscelinus, the son of a noble family. After wars and devastation, the castle we explored was mostly from around the year 1370.
The château, as the French call it, remains the residence of the Rohan family so we commoners were only allowed to nose around the bottom floor. The walls were covered with fancy portraits. Although we couldn’t make out exactly what our French tour guide was explaining, we deduced there was plenty of intrigue between the various couples on display.
The weather in Brittany was spectacular for our visit. Although prone to bouts of rain, the sky had cleared and big puffy clouds floated by. They provided a great backdrop to the castle. I especially liked the Lions’ Garden featuring two sculptures of the beasts facing off across a vast green lawn.
After settling into our Airbnb in the countryside outside Auray, we set off in the morning to explore the small port of Saint-Goustan on the southern Breton coast. The wipers worked overtime on our Fiat during a passing shower but again, the weather cleared nicely for our walk along the harbor.
Benjamin Franklin landed here in December 1776 to ask for French aid in the American War of Independence. Indeed, the wharf was now named after him.
We selected a small Crêperie along the harbor and enjoyed lunch at an outdoor table with a fine view. We sampled galettes which are thin pancakes made with buckwheat flour and featuring a variety of fillings (I picked egg, ham and cheese). Of course we had to follow that with a dessert crêpe. Remember, life’s too short for vanilla!
After lunch we ventured further down the cape to the Gulf of Morbihan. It was a wind-swept rocky coast. The tide was partially out so I climbed down to get a better look at the concrete statue of a woman and child greeting boats entering the bay. Many shells and small sea creatures were stranded in pools of saltwater along the rocks patiently waiting for the tide to come back in.
We also stopped to let me inspect a collection of vintage cars for sale along the side of the road. A mere 54k Euro (about $65k) for a sporty, blue and white 1966 Austin Healey 3000. I wonder if United would let me count it as one of my carry-ons?
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