Poitiers (Poitiers, ancient Limonum) is a city in France, on the Maple River (Loire basin) - the main city of the historical region of Poitou and the administrative center of the Vienne department, a fairly large and busy city. On the site of a fortress of the Celtic tribe of Pictavia, the city of Limonum arose in the Gallo-Roman era. It was one of the most important Roman metropolises in Aquitain...
Brittany… Rocky shores covered with heather, trembling under the pressure of ocean waves; a wind saturated with iodine, salt and the spicy smell of herbs - this is Brittany. Golden beaches, many kilometers long, washed by purple waters - this is also Brittany, the most aristocratic French resort. A modern miracle. Not multi-storey - there are castles at every step, the Middle Ages with houses expanding towards the roof, and streets seven hundred years old. But these are not scenery or nature reserves – this is normal life. No wonder they say: “When you come to Brittany, you travel through time and find yourself in the 18th century.” And this is Brittany.
This is thalassotherapy, inseparable from Brittany, like the ocean that washes it. It was from this area that the fashion for marine procedures, which have such a beneficial effect on the body, spread throughout France and Europe more than a century ago. Here you will instantly forget about stress, overwork, polluted air, and the unbearable rhythm of big cities.
Brittany – the westernmost region of France. Four-fifths of its perimeter are washed in the north by the English Channel (la Manche - sleeve), in the south – Atlantic Ocean. The length of the coastline is 3000 kilometers. So it is clear why in ancient times Brittany was called Armor or Armorica (Latin Armorica - “country by the sea”).
The entire coast of Brittany is incredibly picturesque and very diverse. Huge rocks, vast expanses, dunes, heaps of boulders, lonely lighthouses, waves, and wind, as well as gorgeous sandy beaches, calm water, a scattering of small green islands, charming fishing villages, port towns with fortresses, harbors with yachts, oyster plantations, seaside restaurants in blue and white, ancient castles, aristocratic towns - resorts with casinos and lively nightlife. Everyone can find a place to suit their taste.
Holidays in Brittany are useful and wonderful at any time of the year, including autumn and winter. Brittany is a favorite vacation spot for the British and Parisians, who say: “Having gone to Brittany, a person stops regretting Paris.”
The main event on the coast is the ebb and flow of the tides. Every 6 hours, the sea and coastal landscapes change beyond recognition. The amplitude is up to 14 meters! People go out for walks on the wet sand, like on a boulevard. Many people have shovels and buckets for collecting mussels, oysters, and crabs. Of course, you can buy them at the market or in a supermarket, but it’s much nicer and more interesting to gather seafood yourself for dinner. On the coast there are a large number of farms for growing mussels and oysters, which are grown on high poles entwined with netting, but everything that has fallen to the ground can be raised. In an hour you can collect up to 5 kilograms of mussels - that's dinner for 10 people!
But Brittany is not only a “country of the sea”, it is also a “country of forest”. The forests begin 20 kilometers from the coastline – oak, pine, maple. There is a lot of scope for mushroom pickers, since the French do not pick mushrooms themselves, but prefer to buy them in the store. In France, there is a free service: you can go to any pharmacy and the pharmacist will sort your mushrooms into edible and inedible and tell you how best to prepare them.
There is an idea of Brittany as a rainy country. This is not true. The climate here is mild, oceanic, without large temperature changes. In winter there is practically no snow, flowers bloom all winter. In summer there is no sweltering heat. The unusually clean, iodized air and sea water, combined with a mild climate, have a beneficial effect on the health of not only the elderly and children, but also everyone who needs peace of mind after the stress of city life.
Bretons treasure antiques with the jealousy of collectors. Castles, houses, and natural beauties are also included in the “red books.” The Bretons have been in love with their land for a long time and deeply. It is known, for example, that Anne of Brittany (the last duchess of independent Brittany and Queen of France) is buried in Paris, but her heart rests separately - in Nantes, in Brittany.
Brittany is a great supporter of traditions - religious and cultural. They are still very relevant here, and they say that just some thirty to forty years ago, many Breton settlements lived a patriarchal and closed life. Families had 7-10 children, and traditional pancakes (be sure to try them - they are served in every restaurant) were cooked on the fire of a huge open hearth.
The unique character of the Bretons is explained by the fact that they are the only people on the European continent with pronounced Celtic roots. Many people here still speak a Breton (basically Celtic) language. Endless Celtic legends and beliefs are alive here. And in the very heart of Brittany, a section of the fabulous Broceliande Forest has been preserved, where, as they say, the knights of the Round Table gathered, where the wizard Merlin and the fairy Viviana once settled. For interested tourists, the guides will show the “mirror of fairies” - a deep peat pond where fairies combed their hair in the morning - and the sacred beech tree of the Druids. Previously, all of Brittany was completely covered with forests, and wizards, elves and druids had freedom here.
The search for the Holy Grail took place in Brittany, King Arthur, the knight Lancelot, the wizard Merlin, the fairies Morgan and Vivian and Duke Bluebeard lived here, Tristan and Isolde loved and suffered here.
All castles in Brittany are open to tourists. They operate either as hotels or museums. Castle hotels and mansion hotels are located everywhere - in cities, in the middle of forests and fields and, of course, near the ocean. Since Brittany juts out into the Atlantic as a peninsula, from any point you can get to the coast and deep water in a maximum of an hour and a half of tireless road.
There are 1,300 roads on the peninsula along the seashore. These walkable hiking trails stretch along almost the entire coastline, from the bay of Mont Saint-Michel to Saint-Nazaire. The so-called "customs trail" was built after the French Revolution by the customs department to monitor the coast and combat smuggling and robbery of shipwrecked ships. The coast of Brittany, with its uneven terrain and great length, was a favorite place for the illegal unloading of a variety of goods. At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of customs officers patrolled the coast day and night in all weathers, trying to intercept smuggled goods. Currently, customs trails have been preserved and developed for walking.