Let's get back to the Alignements de Carnac. Last time we were there it was still foggy, but eventually the fog burnt off and the sky slowly turned blue. With that the atmosphere of this place changed as well.
We walked along the seemingly endless paths.
The standing stones were impressive.
Do you see a face in this one?
One really wonders how the people were able to move these giants and then put them all in a row without our modern day tools.
The Geek and I were too slow for Kaefer, so she proceeded on her own (I suspect she wanted some time away from her annoying parents) and someone was kind to take our picture (this is for Nicole's Friday Face Off). We got rid of our jackets after the sun had come out.
The rocks were all different and had a lot of character I think. Please note the amount of lichen on many of them.
It was going on forever! Menhirs, menhirs, menhirs.
Obelix would have such a blast!
Who the heck is Obelix, you might wonder. Well, I'm glad you asked.
Our heroes Asterix and Obelix are the creations of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, a French comic album series that almost every child (and adult) in Germany and pretty much all of Western Europe knows. In 50 BC all of Gaul is occupied by the Romans except for one tiny village (which looks like it is located in Bretagne) whose inhabitants fiercely resist the Roman legionaries. With the help of a magic potion brewed by their druid (called Miraculix in the German translation) which gives them temporary superhuman strength they can fight the Romans. Obelix, however, is not allowed to drink it since he fell into the pot of the potion as a child and has lifetime superstrenght. In the comic books you usually see him casually carrying large menhirs on his back or dead boars under his arm, the favorite food for their lavish victory parties. Their adventures lead them throughout the antique world. These comic books are some of the very rare ones that are used in German schools for instruction in French, Latin and Old Greek. In my school it was used in Latin in the 9th or 10th grade (I started to learn Latin in 8th grade).
No wonder that here where menhirs are available in abundance, you would find Asterix and Obelix souvenirs in the shops.
As I mentioned in my first post about the Alignements, there were also tumuli (individual tombs) and dolmens (collective tombs).
Slowly, the sun ws sinking toward the west...
... and painting warm colors onto the menhirs.
When the sun finally started to disappear, the true magic began.
I leave you with a few sunset pictures and hope that you will enjoy them.
12 comments:
What a perfect blend of ancient mystery and playful nostalgia—Carnac's timeless menhirs and the spirit of Asterix and Obelix make for a magical walk-through history and childhood memories alike
I love the Asterix and Obelix references. We have many of the charming series here.
And I love your photos too.
Thank you.
Carola, my Darling, how can you possibly suspect that children need time away from annoying parents? I know from personal experience that we are the most wonderful people on Earth, a constant source of wisdom and enjoyment, paragons of virtue in every way. Perhaps Kaefer drifted away to bask in the sure knowledge of it all and to thank her lucky menhirs. Yes, that must be it! Thank you for the information in the comic book characters. I found that very interesting. And lichens too, lots of lichens, lovely, lovely lichens just waiting to be identified and admired. Sadly, ai was not there with my handheld magnifier and guide book. Finally, the sun setting over these ancient monuments is magical and inspirational, even in this modern age when we can start the car without leaving the house. I am quite sure, Carola, that you are a druidess reincarnated. And a high priestess at that. Kaefer probably knows that too! Sincères amitiés de ton ami canadien- David
...Carola, gorgeous images. I sit here trying to imagine how they were placed like this!
You inspired me to add this area to my travel list-or I should say pop it to towards the top of my travel list. Wouldn't it be great to be able to just hop in a plane and go where you want when you want? I suppose after awhile you might not want to go anywhere if you went places all the time. Your photos are lovely. JUst an FYI-you link at Nicole's page is right back to Nicole's page. I'm off to read about those poppies peeking at me as I write this comment. . hugs-Erika
Liebe Carola,
wie schön, dass du uns mitgenommen hast! Dein Beitrag hat mir ein Lächeln ins Gesicht gezaubert – wir durften tatsächlich im Lateinunterricht ebenfalls Asterix lesen, und das gehört zu meinen ganz wenigen positiven Erinnerungen an diese Zeit 😄. Kein Wunder, dass es in der Region Asterix- und Obelix-Souvenirs gibt. Und klar hätte Obelix dort seinen Spaß gehabt!
Die Menhire in Carnac sind wirklich beeindruckend, und du beschreibst die Veränderung der Atmosphäre mit dem aufziehenden blauen Himmel so eindrucksvoll. Mindestens ebenso faszinierend sind deine Sonnenuntergangsimpressionen – sie fangen die besondere Stimmung dieses Ortes wunderbar ein. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie bewegend es war, zwischen diesen uralten Steinen zu stehen und sich zu fragen, wie die Menschen sie ohne moderne Technik bewegen und ausrichten konnten.
Vielen Dank fürs Teilen dieses tollen Ausflugs!
Alles Liebe, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2025/05/freundinnen-tag-in-der-klimt-villa-und.html
OMGosh. I so want to visit here. This is a magical place and yes I see the face. Thank you for joining FFO and have a very nice weekend.
Gorgeous stones and beautiful photos.
Ich kann mich nicht erinnern wir hatten die zwei im Französisch-Unterricht.
Mein Bruder fuhr öfter mit unserem Vater in Urlaub, Ingo und ich auch ein Mal und mit unserer Mutter - was hat ihr getan?! ;-) Nur ein Spaß! Ich wette euer Käfer hat es sehr genossen!
Tolle Fotos!
Thank you, Carola, for explaining about Obelix as I was wondering after seeing the photos of these amazing stones. I have always wondered the same , HOW were ancient people able to move such large stones, here and elsewhere? It's not like they had any modern machinery, but were obvious very ingenuous and quite skilled. Nice to see you and the Geek who seemed happier than yourself, perhaps you were hot or tired of hiking through the stones. I am not sure I would want to walk under them even though I know they would not collapse after so many years in place.?
Reading this brought back memories of those timeless comics and the wonder of those ancient stones. Obelix hauling menhirs is the perfect image for such a place. Beautiful sunset photos to finish it off. Just shared a new post. Check it out. Thank you.
El lugar es precioso e interesante, me encantaría conocer su historia. Besos.
Post a Comment