Bretagne (France): a tour in the Morbihan & Ille-et-Villaine

Welcome back to our new adventure where  we visit a very special French region   called la Bretagne We started by Vannes which is  located on the Gulf of Morbihan on the southern coast of Britany and is the largest city  in the department the city is known for its historic center which is home to a number  of well preserved medieval buildings including the Vannes Cathedral This Roman Catholic Cathedral is dedicated to St Peter and is built in a Gothic style on the site of the  romanesque cathedral The ramparts of Vannes are a set of fortifications built between  the 3rd and 17th century to repel enemy attacks Come close! these laundries of the warren get  you next to La Marle measuring 1.5 km long and 6 m high, the 14 towers and five gates are built from pink granite Bretagne is a rich culinary region for instance, many recognize their small biscuits the apple cider of course the salted caramel and the niniches Vannes is also known for its Maritime Heritage and the city's Port is still an important center for fishing and boating you cannot come in the Far Western  part of France without surrendering to the delicious crêpe! I combined mine with the authentic  caramel beurre salé to have the perfect taste As for dinner, you get very  lucky if you're a fan of fresh seafood As for ourselves we got really lucky  to find the traditional Breton Festival locals vividly danced together in full or half circles  infecting us with the Great mood We remain at the Gulf of the Morbihan to go on a nice Cruise you have to get your tickets from here you also have the options of taking  some tours visiting other Islands so we are in this, Ile-aux-Moines and we can do this, Ile d'Arz Located at 5 km from the coast Ile-aux-Moines is first known for its historical town where you'll enjoy the best local delicacies This is called Far, it's the pudding of Brittany I think Where you least expect it! Lebanese cuisine As you can see many trajectories are available  to visit this tiny Island  We decided to head the furthest point east  to enjoy some peace and quiet There, on the other side, it's Ile d'Arz so now, we want to visit We later headed to visit one special  Neolithic site in fact, this is one of the many sites around the region they amazingly still didn't make it to the UNESCO world heritage list this is the Grande Plage and is a beach that attracts many people in summer Goodbye Obelix! a friend of mine advised  us to visit Locmariaquer to attend an oyster tasting festival but  we arrived a little too late this picturesque dock turned  out to be a very nice stop we remain at the coast of the gulf to visit the town that really surprised us why? bear with me and you'll know why in 3 2 1 voilà! the port of Auray is an important historical place it was founded in the Middle Ages and was an  important trading and fishing port This isn't an ice cream What's that Michael! This is lunch for the next three days today the port is mainly used for pleasure craft Just walking through the narrow cobblestone  streets will provide you with the sense of happiness we travel Northeast Inland to visit Vitré Other than the Our Lady church,  this town is very well known for its castle Built in the 11th century it was expanded  and modified over the centuries A typical example of medieval castle with its Towers, ramparts  and moat The castle is now a museum is open to public visitors can explore the castle  ground, visit the museum exhibits and enjoy the views from the castle towers it played a crucial role in Britany's history it was besieged several times s during the  100 Years War and the wars of religion we found the perfect authentic  restaurant to taste the famous   savory galette Bretonne made with the black wheat flour Close by you can visit another medieval Town Fougères has a historical town center with beautiful stone houses, cobblestone streets and craft shops walking through its main artery, you can visit the belfry the Clock Museum Emmanuel de la Villéon Museum  before ending up at Saint-Léonard the church is a typical example of Gothic  architecture in Upper Brittany Nearby, a public garden that will  give a breathtaking panoramic view of Fougères we then walk to Place de Marchix that is a public square that is lined with half timbered houses dating from the 17th century it was once the site of the town's Market The Saint-Sulpice church is a parish church located at the foot of the castle of Fougères it was built in the 11th century and was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries in a flamboyant Gothic style it is one of the richest in Brittany The castle was built in the 11th century on a naturally protected site a rock emerging from a swamp surrounded by a loop of the Nançon river acting as a natural moat it has the impressive 13 towers One special way to explore the town and castle roundabouts is to take the touristic train from Place Raoul II Lys then guided me to a very special site La Roche-aux-Fées (or Fairy's rock) in Essé is regarded as Europe’s best preserved dolmen. Can you believe that these purple-hued stones were mined about 3000BC in the forest at Theil-de-Bretagne each one weighs several tonnes and the ensemble is thought to weigh around 500 tons How did they get here and get aligned with the sun’s first rays at winter? Well, that remains an utter mystery thus the name given to this structure. We reached our final destination and the discovery of a small part of Bretagne Quiberon has lots of restaurants a superb Sandy Beach the Quiberon peninsula, which separates the Gulf of Morbihan from the Atlantic Ocean And to really see the separation, we can head to the Pointe du Conguel a rocky Headland with stunning views so this is another Island Belle-île-en-mer to the south of where we stand After enjoying one superb Sunset we went back  to the town to taste some warm freshly made niniches And with that, we tell  you goodbye and until next time!