14.4.16

Brittany (2)


In my preceding post I showed the coastline of the Golfe-de-Morbihan (Gulf of Morbihan), the “little sea”, by photos taken from the shore side.  Here are now some pictures taken during a boat tour.

The exact number of islands in the gulf can be discussed – some of the smaller ones disappear during the ebb tide -, but you may count around 40. Except the two larger ones, Île-aux-Moines and Île-d’Arz, most of the islands are privately owned and / or uninhabited. Île-aux-Moines and Île-d’Arz have a few hundred inhabitants during the colder months, a few thousand during the warmer months.

There are a large number of beautiful homes to be found on the shore side as well on some of the islands – many owned by well-known personalities in France.





The whole region has been inhabited “since forever” and different megalithic monuments can also be found in the gulf.  One example is the burial mound or cairn from around 3500 BC to be found on the little island of Gavrinis. Just in front of it there is another little island, Er Lannic, with a stone circle. A second circle is today submerged. This proves how the water level has risen over 5000 or 6000 years – this was then all mainland.  

In the northern end of the gulf you find the city of Vannes with its some 50.000 inhabitants. The city is named Gwened in the local Breton language. This refers in its turn to Veneti, a Celtic seafaring people, defeated by Julius Caesar in 51 BC.

Here are some pictures from the port, the city walls, the Cathedral of St. Peter and a number of timber-framed houses.




(For further understanding you may also refer to maps in the preceding post.) 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so beautiful! Thank you so much for leading us there.
Locmariaquer: a faintly Gaelic name?
Maria

martinealison said...

Bonjour cher Peter,

Tu me combles aujourd'hui avec toutes ces superbes photos...
J'aime aussi celles de Vannes qui est une ville que j'aime beaucoup...
Je viens de prendre un grand bol d'air breton.

Gros bisous ❀

claude said...

C'est un bel endroit de notre belle France. Je vois encore une fois une photo d'un bâtiment de l'île de Berder.
Quand j'étais en colo, je suis allée à Vannes assister à une prise d'habits de nones.

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joanna said...

Wonderful gallery of photographs of this beautiful area of France. Loved seeing the old town of Vannes, and the little island of Gavrinis? and the little island, Er Lannic,? and the photo of some of the different megalithic in the background.

Thank you for the montage of photos, and the brief ancient history of the area,

Ola said...

Beatiful there!

Thérèse said...

L'occasion de revisiter les phares, de se replacer dans l'espace et d'admirer toutes ces ravissantes découpures à voir sans pluie.