Paris1972-Versailles2003

So bear with me in continuing to update, revise and load pictures that are more relevant to my older posts. Hope you have followed along and enjoy the revisions as much as I.

I bring you now to the favorite spot in my region Quiberon. If I can only retire there !!

Folks come here from all the corners of France, the favorite spot according to several travel publication and the local tourist authority. It is, also, very well frequented by foreigners such as British, German, Irish etc etc. It is a peninsula or presqu’île just about 45 minutes from my house driving south to the Atlantic ocean. This is Quiberon.

I have written several posts on it which you can find just by going to the search section in front right side of my blog and typing Quiberon. It is so much to see around here that sometimes I think I take too long and coming to a spot, and so it has been the case with Quiberon. On a long weekend off, it was time to revisit the peninsula and take the leisure drive down D768 to a short ride on the N165 and back again on the D768 straight down Quiberon on the “normal” road or take the more exciting Côte sauvage along the ocean cliff hanging walls.

The town has 11 beaches !!yes! and even on cool days like now it has plenty of family visitors with kids playing in the sands. These beaches are call grande plage (the best),plage du Goviro, plage du Conguel, plage de la Jument, plage de l’Aérodrome, plage du Fort Neuf,  plage du Porigo, plage de Kermorvan, plage du Castéro, plage de la  Thalasso, and plage de Saint Julien. Plages tv webpage on the beaches: https://en.plages.tv/seaside-resorts/quiberon-56170

There are ,also, a lighthouse at the end call the Phare de la Teignouse. And, there is another lighthouse by the grande plage in the port maria area with a green top.

You have trails upon trails of bike rides on wonderful coastal beach areas all over the peninsula. A great fortress now a military outpost but historical place of sad memories of WWII , and harbor marinas all over like Port Haliguen where you have another nice lighthouse. See , also, the nice Church or Église Notre-Dame de Locmaria.

The Port Haliguen harbor webpage: https://www.passeportescales.com/fr/port-haliguen-quiberon

The promenade along the ocean is wonderful any day of the year even in winter as we have done.  A walk along the Esplanade Hoche  or Place Hoche is nice near the grande plage beach and our best resto area as well as parking Varquez.  And do not forget the fisherman depot where the local fish catch comes in every morning and you get all fresh right there, the Cooperative Maritime Du Sud Morbihan at 2 Quai d’Houat.

From the boat terminal or gare maritime you can see some wonderful islands especially do not miss Belle-île-en-Mer, the biggest out in the Atlantic ocean! Island tourist office webpage: https://www.belleileenmer.co.uk/

Of course, we could not spent a day without trying a resto even if close to home. We stopped by Le Bistrot du Port right almost across the boat passenger terminal or gare maritime. Very nicely serve all decorated like a boatyard and cozy tables inside with a small terrace in front. We had some beers just to enjoy the ambiance as decided not so hungry and home is near anyway. We had a selection of Breton beers from my favorite Duchesse Anne. webpage: http://bistrotduport-quiberon.fr/

The tourist office of the Bay of Quiberon on Quiberon: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/quiberon

You will be delighted to come to this ocean beach heaven of the Morbihan, my best place and you are welcome!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

And here I stubbornly continue updating my blog with fresh text,and new links with necessary pictures not elsewhere on individual posts. Hope you are enjoying what I call my black and white posts. This time I take you closer to home and Josselin.

Ok so I was sitting at home and as usual late deciders ,last minute travelers, we remember Josselin, a nice town not far from us about 60 km that we enjoy it’s medieval look city center. So there we went for the afternoon. Many of the pics are in their individual post as not to repeat.

Josselin has a nice castle,  puppet/doll  museum , nice basilica and wonderful lovely inner street with wooden houses of old. A perfect getaway for a day any time. I have written before and after, so won’t go so deep into it.

We took the car went up the D768 to hook up with the N24 and away we went direction Rennes to Josselin nord exit, on the way back we took the same exit out into the N24 but we took the D767 exit at Locminé so we do our groceries shopping at Moréac Intermarché supermarket! More here: https://www.intermarche.com/magasins/04854/moreac-56500/infos-pratiques

Today, was European Heritage days Sept 17 and 18, so the admission to all these places like the castle was either free or discounted.At the chateau de Josselin normal admission is 9 euros today it was 5€. The combination with the Puppet/Doll  museum kept by the same family as the castle was discounted also, and offered a 2×1 deal for 10€ when normally it is 14€ per person. As you should know this is a historical castle for the Bretons and still in private hands: Josselin, 14th Duke of Rohan, and his wife, Antoinette, own and manage the property. webpage: https://www.chateaudejosselin.com/en/homepage/

Next imposing building to see is the Basilique Notre Dame du Roncier, in 808D leyend has it, a farmer who worked the land finds a statue of the Virgin and takes it home, however, the Virgin always comes back to the place where he found it ,and several times as well. The bishop ask him to rend a cult in her memory ; the daughter of the farmer who was blind recovered her sight and people flock to the place until finally a Church is ordered built. More in French from the parish page: https://sanctuaire-josselin.fr/de-808-a-2018/

Another interesting pleasant promenade and river boat ride can be had in the Nantes-Brest Canal that passes by the city and just on the back of the Castle along the river Oust. The walks behind the castle are sublime and the boat rides magnificents, also plenty of canoe and kayak activites here. More here: https://www.broceliande-vacances.com/decouvrir/discover-broceliande/

The walks on the city center are marvelous and you can see the oldest wooden house there from 1538 (maison Pouille now the tourist office)  . The district of Sainte-Croix has wonderful homes along the river Oust; the wonderful cinema Beaumanoir is great architecturally and a change from the modern look of cinemas today; see a movie here is gorgeous. More here: http://www.cinemajosselin.fr/

There, is also, a Chapelle Sainte Croix small chapel facing the castle, and the chapelle de la Congrégation now use for expositions etc. There is a laundry behind the castle by the parking on the boat rides in rue du canal. It is label the Lavanderie.

Every Saturday at Place Notre Dame by the Basilica ,you have the market day from 8h to 13h very colorful and good produce.  Josselin is also, a Petite Cités de Caractére (small town of charm).  It is, also, a village fleuri de France with 4 flowers out of five possible; as well as a town of stage or village d’étape.

Village d’étapes offering great service to the visitor label from French government entity. http://: https://www.village-etape.fr/en/villages-etapes/josselin/

Villes et Villages Fleuris , show respect for the environment and great gardens and parks criteria. https://www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com/les-communes-labelisees/parcs-et-jardins-josselin/21834

Petite Cités de Caractére, small towns with charm label, more here: http://www.petitescitesdecaractere.com/fr/nos-petites-cites-de-caractere/josselin

The city of Josselin and its heritage: http://www.josselin.com/decouvrir/visiter-josselin/

And this folks is nice medieval, gorgeous architecture and history as Josselin. Hope you enjoy it as I do always coming here.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So this was actually two towns when I came here to my lovely Morbihan dept 56 of my beautiful Bretagne. Later they were combine into one and had little written on it so here is a fresh new text with some older photos for you on the new town of Theix-Noyalo. Hope you enjoy it!

We took a ride again to the simple village town of Theix near Vannes along the road N165.  Theix is a former primitive parish to which the parishes of Treffléan should be added with its truce of Bizole and Saint-Nolff , except the detached part of Elven. In the middle ages, several Lordships occupy the territory of Theix, the main of which are Le Plessis-Josso, Salarun and Bonervaud. The existence of a place-called  Graz-Iliz bears the trace of a primitive Church whose owner is unknown to us. Theix enters, as Surzur, in the temporal fief of the Bishop of Vannes and stays there until the French revolution. Theix is crossed by the road  N165 from Vannes to Nantes, is bounded to the north by Treffléan and Saint-Nolff, to the west by Vannes and Séné, to the south by Noyalo and Surzur, to the east by the Gorvello and Sulniac. Recently Theix has merged with the another small town of Noyalo and now officially Theix-Noyalo. The town is about 45 minutes from our house!

Upon entering the town the first thing we head out was the Chapelle Notre Dame la Blanche, built in 1239 and rebuilt in 1536, by the Lords of Salarun and restored in the 18C, in 1878, in 1911 and in 1982.  The pits of the frame are carved and carry a long inscription from the 16C giving the names of the various people who contributed to the construction of the Chapel in a rectangular fashion,it has two entrance door one on the southside dates from 1742 and the other one from the 16C with a key door adorn with a figurine in stone. It include a nave, a transept with one arm to the north, and a flat bedside choir. The basement of the south wall is all that remains of primitive construction. Many animal figures, sticks, a cherub and a Virgin Mary are still in place on the gable of the bedside. The sacristy is added in 1730. The ensemble is Flamboyant in style: a pretty door to the south is stamped with the mutilated coat of arms of the Salarun . The southern gate is carved with a hug with flowers and cherubs and dates from the 16C. The altarpiece of the high altar, preceded by a grid of communion in iron of the 19C, dates from 1698. The altarpiece in stone and black marble, accumulates on two levels, garlands, pots on fire, drops of flowers and modillions. In the Center is a painting of the coronation of the Virgin as the triumph of Mary, the lateral niches are home to a Virgin and Child and an unidentified Saint. A 17C homo ecce is located at the top of the altarpiece. On either side, two medallions were hammered. The Virgin of Pity or Pietà, in polychrome stone, dates from the 16C. It has a cadran  on top of a bull dating from 1782. A nice back or chevet finished at the same time as the choir in 1698. Inside there are like 18 statues from the 15C and onwards.

Next , we walked over the Church Sainte Cécile ; dating from the gothic period which made it go back to the 12C at least, and perhaps even the 11C.  The chapel of the left wing had been rebuilt in 1700, and was under the term of Saint Isidore.It went over many rénovations in the 17C and 18C ; rebuilt between 1852-55 in the Romanesque or Gothic, which is restored in the 17-18C  ,and many interior renovation from 1880 to 1900. The painting titled “Décollation de Sainte Catherine”, dates from the 17C. The furniture like the  pulpit, the altarpieces of the lateral altars and several statues including that of St. Cecilia dates from the 19C. The statue of St. Cecilia was placed, in 1895, in the niche of the tower. Done in the style of a Latin Cross ,the stained glass dates from 1883. The lateral altars are dedicated to the Sacred Heart and the Rosary. At the bottom of the nave stands a square tower, in beautiful size stones, surmounted by a polygonal arrow.  Dedicated to Sainte Cécile the patron Saint of Musicians, it has a statue of Her in the tower niche dating from 1895.  Inside it has many relics from the Sainte.

The city of Theix-Noyalo on its heritage: https://www.theix-noyalo.fr/culture-loisirs-tourisme/patrimoine-decouvrir/

And there you go folks another dandy road warrior run in my beautiful Morbihan dept 56 of my lovely Bretagne in my belle France. Sublime! You are welcome!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!