May 24, 2016 - Tanya's in the Azores and More - Day 5 - Mont Saint Michel & Honfleur, France

Elisa's Daily Scoop

​Carnac, Brittany Fun Facts

Hey there to you!!

I'm not going to lie...I am super jealous of Tanya today lol - I LOVE FRANCE and Honfleur is one of my favorite towns.  

I so enjoyed this adorable seaside town and the surrounding areas when I was there in 2013!

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I'm sure tomorrow is going to bring tons of new and lovely pics on Tanya's blog of Honfleur.

Today, she is featuring LOTS of pictures of Carnac, Brittany.  DO NOT MISS IT!!

So, what's new on my end...
Well, I have another infestation of squirrels in my house - ugh!! These guys really like making my home their home!

As I never want to harm these critters, we work with the pest control to do an animal friendly "eviction" where basically, we lock them out so they are forced to find another home.

Unfortunately, each time the pest control closes up the hole they have chewed to get into my house, they seem to chew another. I'm hoping today is the last time and they will be gone by tomorrow.  We'll see.

16 Facts about Carnac, Brittany France

photo credit: www.keyword-suggestions.com

1. Carnac is a town beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan department in north-western France.

2. One of Brittany’s greatest attractions are ​the standing stones of Carnac. ​

3. Carnac is famous as the site of more than 10,000 Neolithic standing stones, also known as menhirs. 
 
4. There are three fields – Ménec, Kermario and Kerlescan, which contain around 3,000 aligned megaliths, which date from 4000BC.

5. . It is not known why the stones were put up, but it is thought they had a religious or cultural significance.

6. The Maison des Mégalithes is a good starting point to visit the stones as it shows a film (in English) about the site.

7.  The town is split into two areas: Carnac-Ville, the home to the Museum of Prehistory; and Carnac-Plage, a family-friendly, seaside resort with a state-of-the-art thalassotherapy center.

8. In 1903, a seaside resort was created on the old salt flats, developing extensively through the 1950s to create the split Carnac of today: Carnac-ville and Carnac-plage. 

9. In 1974, a renowned hydrotherapy centre was sponsored by champion cyclist Louison Bobet, retiring after having won the Tour de France three times from 1953 to 1955.

10. Carnac-Plage has five sheltered sandy beaches, which are backed by attractive 19th-century villas and pine trees.

11. Grande Plage, which is 1.2 miles long and is the most popular for families.

12. The Saint-Colomban beach is located in Carnac-Plage and is very popular with windsurfers, as its position allows for the best exploitation of strong winds from the West.

13. A local myth holds that a unicorn lives in the waters off the city and in a cave near St. Malo.

14. Oyster farming is big business in Carnac, with its beginnings in the 1880s.

15. There are around 80 oyster farmers based around the Anse de Pô from whom you can buy shellfish direct.

16. There are a number of camping grounds in the woods around Carnac, some clustered around various lakes such as the Étang du moulin du lac which is immediately to the west of the river Crac'h.

That's it for today...see ya back here tomorrow!!

-E
​xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELIN IN: FRANCE

Fuel Restrictions and (almost) running out of gas!

Good Day Everyone!
Bonjour!!!

I hope everyone is having as Great a Week as we have been.

We spent yesterday falling in love with Carnac, Brittany. So lovely in every way.

The village is absolutely adorable, the people are so warm and nice, the coastal views are outstanding, and the megaliths...WOW!

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And let's not EVER forget the BREAD! 

We could live on French Bread alone!! 

It is the BEST, and each day you'll see us walking around towns all over France carrying a delicious baguette!

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After spending a wonderful time in Carnac, we began our way to Saint Malo.

The only thing that caused any detours or trouble yesterday was the fact that Northern France is having Fuel/Petrol restrictions -

"FUEL restrictions are in force in parts of northern France, as protesters demanding the axing of planned employment reforms continue to blockade refineries. A number of Total and supermarket service stations closed after running out of fuel.  Authorities in Seine-Maritime estimated that one-third of service stations had run dry yesterday, as the blockade of the Total refinery in Gonfreville l'Orcher, near Le Havre, continued. "
-The Connexion

We had no idea...but we certainly found out - the hard way!!!

During all of this, Dave was getting rather nervous, I figured that there could be much worse places to get stuck without gas than in the French Countryside, Dominic napped, and Cosette tried to keep an eye out for anything that looked like a fuel pump - we've learned that gas stations come in all shapes and sizes.
I also got reprimanded by a not so nice Frenchman! That was rather comical!!

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After finally finding a gas station that wasn't sold out, we waited in a long line with everyone else and luckily got our ALLOWED amount of fuel. 

What a headache. But at least we were back on our way again...

And onward to Saint Malo.
​Having a lovely dinner and then wandering the streets of the old city.

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Which is where we will head again this morning before going to Mount Saint Michel (one of my favorites).

Day 5: Honfleur & Mont St. Michel, France
Activities - Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, La Grande Rue, Le Vieux Bassin, Old Honfleur, Ste-Catherine's Church

Alrihghty, it's that time for me to head out once again!

See ya tomorrow with more SCOOP.
-T