Rennes

Rennes is the capital of Brittany and we travelled there not only because of that, but there was nowhere else to go! It happens to be a long weekend and most places are booked out. We had an easy, but uneventful cycle down from Dinan, firstly by using the canal towpaths and then the open road, before hitting the canal again to enter Rennes city centre. We find the cycle paths can get a bit boring after a while but they are great ways of entering cities and missing all the traffic. The blackberries are beginning to ripen so we collected a few handfuls and had them with yoghurt later on. We stayed in a 'residence' this town and so have cooked our own meals for the last two nights. And benefited from the cheap wine at the supermarket! There was a Saturday market which we walked around and we also bought some new potatoes and olives for the evening meal. The art gallery was also pretty good and they have a few Picasso's and other amazing works.

On the way to Rennes - just outside of Dinan





Art or graffiti?






Rennes Piscine (why don't councils incorporate art into civic buildings today?) This city got the best mosaic artist around to do this.



Saturday market


Mummified cat and other small animals!


Standing in front of this painting was not that different from being next to a real person.


Picasso sketch - Mouth painted with three brushstrokes!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rue de la Cochardière,Rennes,France

Beautiful Day

Sometimes everything goes well and this was one of those days. After some incredibly hot weather the day was very cool with overcast skies when we cycled out from Clemacy, not along the canal, as originally planned, but up into the hills heading for the 'Carriere d'Aubigny' where we had heard there was one of the best tourist sites in the region, an old stone quarry. It lived up to expectations and was an amazing place, almost like a cathedral atmosphere but underground. It had been mined completely by hand and the stone was used in many of Paris' buildings, including the Opera. The miners picked into the rockface and used dry wooden wedges to fracture the huge blocks from the wall, as the natural moisture made them swell. They used candlelight to work by and you can see the soot marks still on the ceilings of the man made caves. Since opening the site for tourism they have employed stone masons to teach their skills to school groups and have also commissioned works of art.

The rest of the day was spent cycling along quiet country lanes in an arable farming district before hitting the vineyards around Coulonges-la-Vineuse, where we had booked a Chambre d'Hote for the night. Along the way we feasted on ripe black cherries in an overgrown orchard.

Inside the subterranean quarry.


Countryside along the way







Lunch stop


Cherries!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Coulanges-la-Vineuse