A Moody Rocky Morning

The most exciting site we visited in Bretagne was the Alignements de Carnac. They were so impressive that I am not able to limit them to just one blogpost. When we first got there the weather was anything but friendly and therefore we experienced a very moody atmosphere. Later in the day it became sunny and the whole area completely changed and became more cheerful. Finally at sunset, the atmosphere changed yet again.

Before we even got there, we had to trundle behind this vehicle, probably transporting manure. It was very slow and on these narrow country roads there really is no way to pass it. Luckily, it eventually turned off in one of the tiny hamlets along the way.

While driving to the parking lot, we already got a good view of the Alignements by passing along a good chunk of them. Just watching from the car the size of these fields of menhirs were impressive.

We paid the parking fee and crossed the street to walk among the menhirs in the long stretching fields.

The Alignements de Carnac are actually four megalithic sites (Kermario, Ménec, Kerlescan and Petit Ménec) that are made up of menhirs and megalithic enclosures like tumuli (individual tombs) and dolmens (collective tombs), stretching over more than four kilometers (approx. 2.5 miles). They were erected around 4,500 BC and are the most famous megalithic site in France. There are nearly 3,000 standing stones. The Alignements became historic monuments in 1889 and they might be considered for the UNESCO World Heritage status in the cultural category.

The birds sure liked this location.

Wandering around these stones - some of them enormous - on this moody morning had something magical and mysterious. Tell me why I had to think of Tolkien's "Not all those who wander are lost"?

There were a few farm buildings in the fields and we passed by a small herd of sheep contently ruminating their breakfast.

Rows upon rows of menhirs, with all of them oriented in the same way, their short side in the axis of the row. These alignements are oriented in a general southwest/northeast direction, with the largest menhirs (more than 3 meters) located on the high points and the smallest (less than .90 meters) in the lowest areas. All the menhirs are made of granite blocks from the local area. How did the people of that time do that? How were they able to move these huge blocks of granite? What was the purpose of these stones? There are still too many questions that are waiting for answers.

So for now we can just use our imagination. Druids come to mind, but thanks to Tolkien I'm thinking of elves and dwarves. I wouldn't have been particularly surprised if Galadriel had appeared behind one of those standing stones, saying "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Tonight you shall sleep in peace." - even though in my imagination Lothlórien doesn't look at all like Carnac.  

Among the stones there was so much to discover as well. 

Eventually the fog burnt off and the sun took away most of the mystery and magic. That didn't make it less fascinating. More later.

A Hike Along the Ridge

 

My friend Kris and I often walk or hike together in our regional parks. Dogs are allowed here, so she can bring Zoey who is a very well behaved older dog. This morning we decided to hike in Sonoma Valley Park, but instead of taking the popular shady paved path we opted for Cougar Trail up the ridge.

That trail starts right at the parking lot and meanders among trees up the hill. In October 2017 the park heavily burned in the Nuns Fire. It had been closed for weeks after that, but when we hiked there in April 2018, it was already far into its way to recovery. You can read about that here.

Most of the old trees were left in the park. They offer a great habitat for wildlife. Especially the once almost completely burned parts were now heavily populated by Acorn Woodpeckers.

Can you see the deer next to the trail?

Halfway up close to the "cranberry pond" we enjoyed the fantastic view over this area. This was the first time on our hike that Kris and I said to each other how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place (we said that several more times this morning).

We stopped every now and then just to take in the trees and the green of the hill. That color will vanish soon when it will get warmer and there won't be anymore rain until the fall.

We hiked up to the ridge - it was warming up, but thankfully most of the trail is in the shade of the trees.

Up at the ridge the trail evens out - a very pleasant hike. Of course there are crooked trees - always a favorite photo subject of mine. Darling Zoey agreed to show her face after I told her about Nicole's Friday Face Off.

We found a bench where we stopped for a few minutes to give Zoey some water and we had a refreshing drink ourselves as well as some apple slices - and we enjoyed the view.

In this area there were a lot of dead and burnt trees. Fascinating!

I especially liked the Lace Lichen - isn't it very decorative? Beside the smaller holes, this tree had a big hole.

Of course I had to check whether anything was in there. You bet!

Some fungi that looked like dried up Turkey Tails were at the lower part of the stump and there were acorns in the holes as well.

Kris discovered this tree:

Interesting and fascinating bark:

And I couldn't help it, I had to take a photo through this tree. It was definitely calling out to me.

A week before when I was here with the park's birding group there were way more wildflowers to see. Most of them were already gone by now. We could still see a few Blue Dicks (Dipterostemom capitatus) and also some Sky Lupines (no picture).

But we saw this little guy, a California Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia california).

Eventually we stopped to eat our sandwiches and give Zoey a well deserved treat until we decided to go back the same trail and not hike down to the paved path in the valley. It was the right decision - the trail through the forest was so beautiful.

This tree seemd to give us a wink as a goodbye when we finally descended to the parking lot.

A Walled Town

 

If you thought that I would take you to Saint-Malo when I mentioned last time that I would write about a walled city, I'm sorry to disappoint you. While we did stop there, I wasn't a big fan of Saint-Malo - too busy, too touristy, too crowded, too large. The medieval Ville Close of Concarneau right at the Atlantic Ocean, on the other hand, was a very pleasant place to visit.

When we first arrived it was low tide and the water was far out. This gave us the opportunity to see the full structure of the enourmous walls and the bridges that lead to the Ville Close. This walled town is built on a long island in the center of the harbor which borders the more modern and bigger part of the city of Concarneau. The old town used to be a center of shipbuilding; nowadays it serves as a touristic center with lovely little shops and restaurants as well as an fishing museum. However, despite it being a tourist site, there were only very few souvenir shops. Even though it was a lovely day, there weren't that many people and we felt very comfortable.

You enter the walled town through the big gate and find yourself immediately in a little area where the flag of Ukraine flies right next to the one of the European Union.

The town within the walls is pretty densely built.

Every now and then there are small gates in the walls through which you can look at the harbor and over to the mordern part of the city.

We were looking for kouign amman (pronounced "queen ah-mon"), a traditional round Breton pastry with layers of butter and incorporated sugar. We bought a quarter wedge and shared among the three of us - it's probably the fattiest pastry I ever had in my life.

I noticed this little guy in a wall along the alleys - maybe a saint or a patron?

Windows, of course, and shutters.

After having walked the entire length of the island we decided to circle back along the massive walls that enclose the old town.

The walls are truly impressive!

Being an old enclosed town of course there were arrow slits in the walls and it was always interesting to look through them and see a very limited section of the world behind them.

I enjoyed the different views over the buildings and the roofs. I always find roofs very interesting - and photogenic.

The best part, of course, was my two lovely companions.

For Nicole's Friday Face Off

I have no idea what these strong metal rings were for, but I sure made good use of them with my camera.

When we left the tide had come in and we could see what the Ville Close looks like when the water surrounds it. It was very pretty.

My favorite girl - well, young woman. Not a girl anymore, although she will always be "my girl" even when she will be 50 years old and I'll have no more teeth...

Also for Nicole's Friday Face Off

What was she looking at? Probably at the colorful boats mooring near the waterfront.