A Road Trip Around France – Part 2

Brittany

Mont Saint-Michel, with which I concluded Part I, is located on the border between Normandy and Brittany, so I didn’t have to drive far to arrive at the nearest Breton town of Saint-Malo, named after an Irish saint. In layman terms, it might seem peculiar for a French town to be named after an Irishman, but Bretons are, after all, of a Celtic ancestry, which means they’re related to the Irish as well as the Scottish and Welsh. Despite Brittany being part of France since 1532, the Bretons have managed to retain their own language, culture, national costumes, customs, and festivals. The name of the region itself is linked to the Celtic world, since the English name Brittany means Little Britain, as opposed to the island of Great Britain.

The previously mentioned Saint-Malo, a historical port town on the coast of the English Channel, used to be an island but was later connected to the mainland. It boasts a rich maritime history as the inhabitants gained their wealth through piracy, but the greatest testament to the town’s former importance are the colossal wall and a few fortresses that were built around the town and which can only be reached during low tide. Unfortunately, the old town that was sealed within the walls and consequently known as Intra muros was almost completely levelled, however, it has been thoroughly rebuilt and is now visited by a large number of tourists. Just as in Honfleur, sailors left Saint-Malo to sail around the world, and the Falkland Islands, which are located in the southern Atlantic, were named after the town’s inhabitants as they’re still called Islas Malvinas in Spanish. The most popular activity among tourists is a walk along the walls that almost completely surrounds the town. The walls offer a beautiful view over the Atlantic, the waters of which are locally known after the significant difference between high tide and low tide.

The biggest positive surprise of the road trip was a stop in the town of Dinan, considered to be the most well-preserved Medieval town in Brittany with its numerous wooden lattice houses (the house consist of a wooden framework with vertical poles, while the space in between is filled with clay or bricks). Sadly, one such house burnt down in the old town on the day of my visit to Dinan and I could see its ruins and the smoke curling upwards while walking the streets. Luckily, though, there are still a few more such buildings, but when faced with such fires, the inhabitants probably become even more keenly aware of living in wooden houses. Dinan was built on top of a hill and is enclosed by walls, while the old town port lies in the valley by the Rance River. Both parts of the town are linked by a cobbled street that is quite steep and surrounded by typical half-timbered houses on both sides. The latter, like the ones down in the port, have been converted into restaurants, cafés, and shops.

Castles of the Loire

Winding its way for more than a thousand kilometres, the Loire River is the longest river in France. Approximately three hundred kilometres of its midstream near the towns of Tours, Blois and Amboise comprise an area that is known as “The Garden of France” and it was precisely this area the French royalty chose as its home when it withdrew from the overpopulated Medieval Paris. This resulted in the erection of countless castles and palaces known in French as “château” that are even listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites as “the castles of the Loire”. There had already been castles in the region before, dating all the way back to the 10th century, but during the times of relative peace in the 16th century, there was no need for defensive castles with their mighty walls anymore and the royalty started building palaces with impressive gardens. Out of more than three hundred castles, I only stopped at two. My first stop was at the Château de Chenonceau that could very well be named the Water Castle as it partly stretches over the Cher River near the village of Chenonceaux. The site was once home to an old mill, but it had to give way to a grander castle that gradually expanded, even over the river. Chenonceau, one of the most widely known of the castles of the Loire, is known as “the Ladies’ Château” as it had been ruled by women throughout history. One of the most important ladies of the castle was Henry II of France’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who ordered the construction of a bridge over the Rance River, subsequently linking both riverbanks, and of impressive gardens, which can still be admired to this day. After the death of her lover, she fell at the mercy of his widow and had to relinquish her castle to Catherine de’ Medici who added to the bridge and also had her own gardens built. The castle on the river with its gardens is definitely worth visiting and press card holders save €14.50 as they are granted free admission.

Chambord is the largest and the most famous castle in the Loire Valley and also one of the most notable ones in the world, thanks to its French Renaissance architecture. Even Leonardo da Vinci is said to have helped during its construction, though the “château” has never been completed. Similar as other castles of the early 16th century, Chambord opens up onto the gardens and is enclosed by a decorative wall and a canal, and its defensive function had been abandoned, which means it wasn’t built for protection but rather as a leisure facility. The first thing visitors usually notice is the roof full of turrets, chimneys, and spires. It is said that the royal members used the roof to throw parties under the starlit sky, which reflects the lavish lifestyle of the French aristocracy whose downfall came during the French Revolution in 1789. Many castles were destroyed during the Revolution, and most of them were stripped of their treasures. Chambord played an important role during World War II when it was hosting numerous works of art from the Louvre in Paris, among which was also the famous Mona Lisa.

France is quite an expensive destination. Renting a car is the most convenient option for trips outside of Paris (I paid approximately €150 for a three-day car rental with insurance), to which road tolls and fuel expenses should be added. None of this is cheap in France, so numerous “yellow vest” protests against the high fuel prices aren’t surprising. Even parking fees can be quite extortionate. Parking a car in Saint-Michel for less than 24 hours isn’t possible and it will cost you a steep price of €14, while you’ll be charged €3.60 per hour in Versailles. Of course, there’s additional expenditure that consists of potential entrance fees. The admission ticket costs less than €15 for both Chenonceau and Chambord Castles, €12 for the Arc de Triomphe costs, €10 for the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, and almost €30 for the Eiffel Tower (depends on how high you want to go). Luckily, some sights offer free amission for press card holders. High prices in restaurants aren’t comparable with those in Slovenia, so I recommend buying food in shops with more reasonable prices, though, they’ll still be higher than in Slovenia. You won’t need a car in Paris, so it’s best to buy a public transport ticket that will cost you €7.50.

I’ve been to France many times. I’ve visited Paris and Alsace, payed a visit to Côte d’Azur and even headed to Lourdes, a pilgrimage site in the Pyrenees. Despite having driven 1,300 kilometres across Normany, Brittany and the Loire, I still haven’t managed to see everything in such a large country. But that’s ok, as some things should be left undiscovered, so I have a reason to go back to France one day. And I’m definitely looking forward to my next visit.