The beautiful country of Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Brittany occupies a large peninsula in the north west of France, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. The historical province of Brittany is divided into five departments: Finistere in the west, Cotes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, the Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay. Brittany is home to many megalithic monuments which are scattered across the peninsula.The largest alignments are near Karnag.
The purpose of these monuments is still unknown, and many local people are reluctant to entertain speculation on the subject. The words dolmen (meaning stone) and menhir ( meaning long) are Breton and commonly used by either Breton or French people. Brittany is also known for its calvary sculptures, elaborately carved crucifixion scenes found at crossroads in villages and small towns, especially in Western Brittany. Besides its numerous intact manors, Brittany has several old fortified towns also.The walled city of Saint-Malo , a popular tourist attraction, is also an important port linking Brittany with England and the Channel Islands.
It also was the birthplace of the historian Louis Duchesne, acclaimed author Chateaubriand, famous corsair Surcouf and explorer Jacques Cartier. The town of Roscoff is served by ferry links with England and Ireland. There is a very old pilgrimage called the Tro Breizh (tour of Brittany), where the pilgrims walk around Brittany from the grave of one of the seven founder saints to another.Historically, the pilgrimage was made in one trip (about 600 km) for all seven saints. Nowadays, however, pilgrims complete the trip over the course of several years.
In 2002, the Tro Breizh included a special pilgrimage to Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Sant Paol, Sant Brieg, and Sant Samzun. Legend has it that whoever does not make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime will be condemned to make it after his or her death, advancing only by the length of his coffin each seven years.Brittany is an area of strong Celtic heritage, rich in its cultural heritage. Though long under the control of France and influenced by French traditions, Brittany has retained and, since the early 1970s, revived its own folk music, modernizing and adapting it into folk rock and other fusion genres.
Located on the west coast of France, Brittany has a warm, temperate climate. Rainfall occurs regularly – which has helped keep its countryside green and wooded, but sunny, cloudless days are also common.In general, Brittany has a moderate climate during both summer and winter. In Brittany a common expression and response to people complaining about the rain is "En Bretagne, il ne pleut que sur les cons", which actually translates as "In Brittany, it only rains on the idiots", and should be understood as if one is not pleased with Brittany, he should leave it.
For most visitors, it is the Breton coast that is the dominant feature. Apart from the Cote d'Azur, this is the most popular summer resort area in France, for both French and foreign tourists.Its attractions are obvious, warm white-sand beaches, towering cliffs, rock formations and offshore islands and islets, and everywhere the stone dolmen and menhir monuments of a prehistoric past. The most frequented areas are the Cote d'Emeraude around St-Malo, the Cote de Granit Rose in the north, the Crozon peninsula in far western Finistere, the family resorts such as Benodet just to the south; and the Morbihan coast below Vannes.
Accommodation and campsites here are plentiful, if pushed to their limits from mid-June to the end of August, and for all the crowds there are resorts as enticing as any in the country. Whenever you come, don't leave Brittany without visiting one of its scores of islands – such as the Ile de Brehat, the Ile de Sein, or Belle Ile – or taking in cities like Quimper or Morlaix, testimony to the riches of the medieval duchy. Allow time, too, to leave the coast and explore the interior, particularly the western country around the Monts d'Arree.
