Carnac and the Megaliths

For years I have been wanting to walk among the standing stones and photograph them. Last year we were fortunate enough to stay at Hotel Tumulus that is right next to the Tumulus St. Michel. Unfortunately we didn't spend much time there. Also, it was tourist season, so you cannot walk among the stones.

This year I planned the trip during off season so I could photograph and walk through the stones. Although I did find an entrance to the Menec alignments, Kermario was open and that was quite delightful. Another added treat on the road from Quiberon to Auray was a triad of dolmen (Kerioned) just off the side of the road. Absolutely delightful.

On a downside we arrived at Hotel Tumulus to find it had been 'fenced off' so that you could not walk to the top of it, but needed to call a number a get a guide. The hotel staff said they had erected the fence earlier this year. I still had a wonderful view of the tumulus just outside my bedroom.

Off season in this area means just that. There were very few people, but a few of the shops near the church St. Cornely were open. The tourist office right there was not, but the museum of pre-history was. There were a few crepe restaurants open as well, and every one of them was delightful as well as the bakery on the town square. We were also there for an outdoor market and there were a lot of lovely vegetables, but no fruit.

I did, once again, rent the car from Europcar going through the SNCF website once I bought our train tickets. The car rental places are right outside the train station doors to your right. I pre-paid when I ordered the car, (a six-speed Ford mini-van) but still had to leave a deposit on my credit card (though it wasn't charged, just held). It's quite easy to drive in Brittany and there are no tollroads. There are a lot of round-abouts, but I approve of them whole-heartedly. First, make sure you know where you are going (generally the direction of the city you're going to) and secondly, they make driving with the manual transmission a lot easier than stopping and starting.

We easily visited Quiberon, Auray, and Locmariaquer just following the signs.