Paris and Brittany 1/2

The trip, made by camper, lasted 19 days during which we visited Saturday 27.07.90 We set off from Piedmont around 15.45, we find a lot of traffic crossing Aosta and enter the Mont Blanc tunnel around 19.30. We want to get as close as possible to Paris and we continue driving, with a dinner stop, on the motorway until 23.

Sunday 28.07.90 We set off at 7.45 after a quick breakfast to arrive, finally at 12.30, at Fontainebleau where we have lunch. We visit the fantastic royal palace, it is truly worth it, devote a few hours to it. With the help of the Touring Club guide, complete from the point of view of architectural and artistic descriptions, there is no need to take a guide. We, having left at 15.45, stopped in the forest where there is a thousand-year-old oak, called JUPITER, it is truly immense, and the ROQUETTES, original rock formations We set off again to arrive at 20.15 at the campsite in Chartres. Monday 29.07.90 At 9 we are already off to the fantastic Chartres. We visit the old town and the Cathedral. This city, with its ancient flavour, is truly fascinating.

It feels like going back in time, the narrow streets and medieval buildings, little markets and craft boutiques, in short it is cared for like a little jewel. The Cathedral, then, is impressive with the narrow and tallest stained-glass windows in Europe, it is imposing but, at the same time, brighter than classic Gothic. After the visit we set off to reach the campsite at Versailles. Campsite is really saying too much: it is a meadow where military exercises used to take place, there are still some buildings, and the toilets are from the old barracks. Nearby another part of the barracks is still fully active and, therefore, you may see, on the road, the passage of many conscripts in their fine uniforms. The position of the campsite is very convenient, almost opposite the Palace of Versailles and 10 metres from the bus stop that leads to the Gare for Paris.

If, however, you want to have a nightlife I think it is not exactly suitable. In the afternoon we visit the palace gardens, which are free. Unfortunately all the fountains were switched off: we discover that in summer they are turned on from 16.30 when we were by then outside, to save water.

Tuesday 30.07.90 Having arrived in front of the Palace we discover that it is closed and, therefore, we continue by taking the fast train (subway type) to Paris. The visit is of the most classic kind: going up the Eiffel Tower, taxi to Pont Neuf, the Ile. We visited the Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame. External visit of the town hall, then on the Seine we take the Batobus (a bit disappointing) to return to the Eiffel Tower. By metro, very convenient, use it, to Montmartre, the artists' quarter and the church of the Sacré-Cœur. By metro to St Raphael to take the train to Versailles. Train to Vick, from the station we walk back to the campsite. The timings are a little stretched because between tasting various pastries and shopping it is difficult and wasteful to make too quick a visit.

Wednesday 31.07.90

After hearing tales of unimaginable queues I force everyone to wake up at 6.30 to be at 8 in front of the gates of Versailles to visit the Palace. Obviously it is just us and a Japanese man: he beat us by 10 minutes! A pity the Palace is still closed. After a quarter of an hour a couple arrives, by 8.45 the queue was 100 metres long. At 9 our visit begins: the guided tour is compulsory, we are lucky, the one in French is the first to leave and, therefore, we are almost alone with our guide. The poor Japanese man had to wait for a few tourists to arrive for the English one. It begins with the Grand Apartments while at 10.30 the visit to the private apartments and the theatre begins. With the guided tour one cannot linger too long but, on the other hand, one can appreciate the Palace more.

At 13.30 we go out and the queue to enter the palace is now kilometres long and under an inclement sun!

Thursday 01.08.90

We visit Paris again by metro (the day ticket is worthwhile). Almost the whole day is dedicated to the Louvre, in reality it would take several days to manage to see it all. We have lunch in the Tuileries gardens and buy a few books in Place de la Concorde. Then the Opera and the Madeleine, Place Vendome, Centre Pompidou where we go up for the panoramic tour. Les Halles, the underground department stores disappoint us a little. We walk part of the Champs Elysées, the Etoile, the Arc de Triomphe. Finally we take the metro back to Versailles. From the station to the campsite we opt for a taxi: we are dead tired.

Friday 02.08.90

We set off with the camper from Versailles towards Rouen. We visit the ancient historic centre, the old town hall and no fewer than two cathedrals. Anyone who stops here cannot fail to buy Champagne, it is everywhere and in any form. Try the chocolates with Champagne, delicious. Be careful when getting back behind the wheel: the alcohol limit for driving in France (given 2005) is a little lower than the Italian one, so it is easier to be fined. At 19 we arrive at Mont Saint Michel.

Saturday 03.08.90

Visit to St Michel: carefully calculate the times of high and low tide: the difference in level is such that it also covers the road joining it to the car park. Moreover, one of the two car parks, the one situated lower down, is reached by the high tide at its highest point. Do not leave your car there if you intend to stop for several hours or if you are not sure when the high tide will come. In the fortress we visit: the Maison de Guerlin, a visit to the cathedral with an Italian guide. Tour of the town from the beach and wait for the high tide. There are many young people on horseback and on foot heading towards the nearby island. To tell the truth, some families too. We return to the campsite.

In the evening we hear of a family of cultured Italians, during the crossing of the beach caught by the high tide and rescued by boat! We spend the evening chatting with our neighbours at the campsite from La Spezia.

Sunday 04.08.90

At 6.30 the people from La Spezia leave while we leave the campsite at 9. At the entrance to St Malo we park on the seafront, shopping and then a walk on the beach. The sand is very fine and compact, hard, almost like a road. There are groups of people on horseback and people doing exercise. The beach is so big that there is no risk of getting wet! We visit St. Malo, my sister and I visit the doll museum. We walk on the walls, then have lunch in the camper at the port. Having left St Malo, we visit the hydroelectric power station that exploits the tides, interesting. Inside a video is shown - in several languages, explaining how it works and the electricity yields. At 15.30 we arrive at Erquy. We stop at a campsite near the beach. We even manage to bathe in the ocean: surprise, the water is warm. We collect some shells and then dinner.

Monday 05.08.90

Morning walk on the beach collecting cuttlefish bones, then set off for Carantec. Famous for oyster farming, it is an inlet full of algae at low tide. Unfortunately we don't much like seafood and we are not able to comment on the fame of the local product. Along the beaches there are piles of shells and lorries loading them. The municipal 4-star campsite is very well organised with spaces delimited by hedges. Our neighbours on the pitch are English and German and tell us about their adventures on a visit to Italy. We end up staying up late.

Tuesday 06.08.90

Wake up at 7.30. Breakfast, shower, shopping and set off for Camaret. Visit to Pleyben: the calvary and the church with a wooden ceiling painted blue with golden stars are an interesting stop. We arrive at the campsite of Trez Rouz. We have lunch and then the beach but the water is freezing. There is a beautiful sandy gulf between promontories and rocky islands and with my father we set off to explore the coast. The camera is a must: beautiful views of the inlets with gulfs and sea stacks. The areas with military fortifications and walls are clearly visible. We return by hitchhiking, without realising it one risks doing quite a few kilometres.

Wednesday 07.08.90

At 9 departure from the campsite, we stop to have lunch at Menec. We visit Carnac and Locmariaquer, famous for the dolmens and the great aligned menhirs. We have difficulty finding free campsites and, finally, at 18.30 we find a place for the night. The next day, however, we have to move to another campsite on the beach. We are at Turballe.

Thursday 08.08.90

We visit the little village. We then see many people arriving with bags and baskets of fresh fish. We decide to follow the flow in reverse and discover the fish market. There are the various arrivals of the fishing boats and the fish is truly very fresh. We buy our future lunch. The village is also full of shops selling coral in any form and workmanship. (at the time of the publication of this story, in 2005, I believe they have decreased and prices have increased)

Friday 09.08.90

Departure from the campsite at 9.15, from the motorway we see the grandiose bridges over the Loire estuary. Then begins the visit of the castles of the Loire. The story continues with the account "the castles of the Loire"