gwened (12. 564)

Capital of the Moribihan department of the Bretagne region, we made a visit to the ancient harbour and Old Town quarter of Vannes, whose ducal seat goes back to the Gallo-Roman settlement of Darioritum (then named for the seafaring Veneti people whose land was occupied, the Breton version derived from the same) and was considered the chief city and parliamentary centre of independent Brittany from the fifth century, with the first king Nominoë reigning in the early 1000s until the time of the French Revolution.

The entire medieval townscape was quite a sight to take in and we had quite a few impressions of the well-preserved, walled core and ensemble of historic buildings.

The heraldic charge of the city is the ermine, also reflected in the flag of Brittany, which we really like as the dog’s coat is similarly scored with a white spot on her chest with the same noble marking.

Another famous emblem of the patrimony of the city is a polychrome architectural element, Vannes et sa Femme, a stone bust of the couple dating from the sixteenth century incorporated into a half-timbered building’s façade (maison à colombage, presently a pizzeria) and the jovial pair possibly originally advertised a cabaret. This pixelated image affixed to a wall just outside Place Henry-IV is perhaps an homage to Missus Vannes.

littoral (12. 563)

The commune encompassing several small villages and hamlets and islands including Île de Saint Cado and the Étel riviera, the administrative anchor town of Belz, which despite having grown as a tourist destination has retained its character as a small village only expanding off one central main street (see also) with the townhall intact with original bell tower.

The toponym is thought to have come from the Breton form of the name of the Celtic god Belenos, a serpent with the head of ram—uncoincidentally our hermit above is said to have driven out the snakes from the islands, coinciding with the destruction of many megaliths, though the prehistoric iconoclasm was not universal and most were only cannibalised for ready building material.

The community observed the eightieth anniversary of the Normandy landings and Allied flags of the UK, Canada and the US are still hanging above the streets with more information at the memorial of Belz and its involvement in the wars of the twentieth century.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the castles of Bellinzona (with synchronopticæ) plus the US supreme court grants presidents blanket immunity for official acts

ten years ago: America calling for an end to hostilities in Ukraine plus mediation and mantras 

fourteen years ago: Germany ends mandatory military service 

sixteen years ago: synthetic trees for carbon capture 

habitués à pêcher (12. 562)

Returning to the Quiberon peninsula, we drove all the way to the southern tip to explore—as much as the oppressive heat would admit—the eponymous fishing village, stopping to marvel at more sites along the rugged coast explored to the Atlantic, unlike the protected eastern shores sheltered by the gulf.

We visited the old harbour of Port-Haliguen, which like all fishing villages in the area benefited greatly from the commerce and catch up through the Belle Époque—particularly Quiberon which had become the world’s first cannery after Nicolas Appert of Châlons-en-Champagne introduced his airtight food preservation process, applying corking techniques and sanitization on an industrial scale and establishing a tinning operation.

The sardine crisis first emerged during the 1902-1903 season and while most communities were able to adapt with deep sea fishing for tuna and mackerel, this unfortunate timing meant that the invention of Appert was no commercial success and the process of food perseveration was gifted to the public. Quiberon maintains canning operations and the port is a marina for leisure and departures for outlying islands.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Holy Mountain of Varese (with synchronopticæ)

twelve years ago: a visit to Linsengericht plus snooping on NATO partners

fourteen years ago: more on the Greek financial crisis

fifteen years ago: the lowly mosquito 

8x8 (12. 561)

willis wonderland: an appreciation of an influential designer that defined the aesthetic of the 80s 

 

husband-and-wife slices: the thorny problem of translating Chinese dishes—the apotheosis of Chinglish on menus 

 

social mountaintop: a hot-take about the rise of MAGA and its charismatic figurehead 

destiny of the republic: a new biography on James Garfield, US president for two hundred days 

border control: Norwegian visitor barred entry for verboten JD vance meme 

crockett and tubbs: a compelling Miami Vice and Star Wars crossover 

borenstein back to blogging: an appreciation of the format and schedule—via Language Hat 

kunstler tapeten: wallpaper inspired by the Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburg classic film The Red Shoes—via Naog n th e Lake

presqu'île (12. 560)

Returning to the long, narrow peninsula of Gârves opposite Port-Louis via the route sandwiched between two beach fronts, we took in some more views of the harbour and marina of this an storied fishing village and ancient former quarry.

Though stable since the Middle Ages, this tombolo (see previously, the first documented mention cutes three isolated islands) is the outermost reach of the drifting dune massiv and is threatened with erosion, especially in the built up areas.

The fortifications at Pohr-Puns was build at the end of the seventeenth century as advance defence for Port-Louis and Lorient and the batteries in the sparsely populated areas along the dunes were an experimental training grounds in the 1800s to test the range and effectiveness of artillery on battleships, known as the Gârves Commission, ballistic research continues here to this day under the auspices of a nearby naval base.

synchronoptica

one year ago: a visit to the Rocco di Caldè (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: plugging leaks 

thirteen years ago: redefining the second 

fourteen years ago: the introduction of the bar code 

fifteen years ago: busting a Russian spy ring 

tumuli (12. 559)

Although closed to visitors due to protect the site still being researched by archaeologists, wandering through the archway of thick ferns and undergrowth approaching the Tumulus of Tumiac, the monumental burial mound (Hügelgrab) in the town of Arzon was very impressive to ponder.

The fifteen metre high and two hundred metre circumference man made hill with an interior vault filled with precious grave goods constructed around 4000 BC provides a commanding perspective of the area and out to sea. According to local lore, hence the nickname Caesar’s Butte, it was from here that the Roman general witnessed the naval victory of his fleet against the Veneti in 56 BC, four millennia later, who were more skilled pilots and whose sturdy ships were impervious to ramming, and thus sealed the conquest of Gaul—though assimilation was more of a negotiated peace particularly with this sophisticated tribe who allowed the Romans entry to their trading partners on the British Isles. The tomb itself was not excavated and studied until 1830.

We also visited the nearby le Petit Mont also at the head of the Rhuys peninsula by the Port of Crouesty, the older and slightly smaller megalithic cairn was converted to a temple of Venus during Gallo Roman occupation and originally contained three tombs, though one was destroyed during WWII when the mound was converted into a bunker by the Nazis, though the exterior architecture mostly remains true to the original.

logis seigneurial (12.558)

Outside of Vannes (Gwened, the de facto capital of the region) near the village of Sarzeau (Sarzhav), we visited Château de Suscinio, built in the thirteenth century as residence and retreat for the dukes of Brittany and fortified over the next two years until Breton was fully aligned with France as a summer home between the seaside and a well-stocked forest for hunting, this uniquely preserved castle retains the representational elements of the high Middle Ages of the casement, moat and towered gatehouse after the introduction of gunpowder and the canon made such structures obsolete and most were scaled back as estates if not falling into complete disrepair.

Part of the preservation was owing to its role in the War of the Roses, housing a contingent of exiled Lancastrian including Jasper Tudor and his nephew, future King Henry VII, safeguarding the potential heirs from kidnapping and execution by Plantagenet usurpers. Having lent support to the Lancastrian rebellion—in exchange for guarantees of independence from France, the duchy eventually transferred their wards, rebuffing the counter-offer and double-cross of Yorkist king Richard III for the surrender of the Tudors after eleven years in absentia.

Following the death of duke Francis II and the end of the Tudor line, the duchy was ruled by Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France, before finally being annexed upon her dearh without issue in 1514. Quarried for stone after it was abandoned by the ducal dynasty, Jérôme du Camboult, the cousin of Cardinal Richelieu aspired to convert the Reviere into a tading company but attempts failed and presently the surrounding marshes are used as evaporation pools for salt extraction.

 synchronoptica

one year ago: a visit to the Borromean islands (with synchronopticæ) 

twelve years ago: nuclear waste in our backyard plus Anglicisms on the train

thirteen years ago: throwing good money after bad 

fourteen years ago: defining the meme plus the cost of fuel shipments in America’s forever wars

fifteen years ago: preoccupation with the undead 

le village aux cinq portes (12. 557)

Originally established as an annex for Port Louis (see below), the maritime hub Le Orient was significantly expanded during the age of transatlantic trade (including the triangular commerce in enslaved individuals) by the French East India Company, hence the name of the largest city in the region, shortened to Lorient—see previously—and though the chartered concern was also bankrupt with the South Sea Bubble but maintained its importance as an export centre. Feeling La Havre was too exposed, the Nazi Kriegsmarine established their largest U-Boot harbour here in 1940 and 1941, and despite heavy bombardment from Allied forces, they were unable to destroy the submarine pins and instead leveled the city to deny Germans further amenities.

Still an active port, ships continued to be built here for both military and civilian use.

Just down shore, we also visited the citadel (previously) of Port Louis—also first commissioned as a relief station for St Malo and entrepôt for the Compagnie française des Indes. With the Revolution, the royal wharf and arsenal was ceded to the state with the king covering its debts.

Many of the privateers fighting in the American revolutionary war set sail from here, and the citadel, presently a museum, was used as a prison for Emperor Napoleon III and members of the French resistance during WWII. It is separated by a long and narrow inlet to the sea, the lagoon referred to le petit mer de Gâvres after the peninsula and fishing village opposite, known for its technique of Pêche à pied—that is collecting seafood by hand at low tide.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Ponti dei Salti (with synchronopticæ)  

thirteen years ago: drone warfare (Dronen Bedrohung) plus incomplete graffiti

fourteen years ago: copper thievery 

fifteen years ago: shades of green and photosynthesis