Brittany

Monday, 21 July 2008

Breton dishes

A delicious barley-based crêpe topped by an egg and cheese is a typical Breton meal or served with ham and an egg cooked sunny side up is an all time favourite snack (or full meal) in Brittany.

A typical crêpe-based Breton dish, topped by salad and garnished with slices of fruit; serve with a glass of chilled cidre.

Another typical Breton dish: a mixture of boudin, lardon, choux (marinated cabbage) with sauted onion and potatoes topped by a variety of herbs.

(Photo 1 from 30 ans de Gaelle; photos 2, 3, and 4 by yours truly.)

Friday, 18 July 2008

Brittany is my adopted province. Everything in the region is beautiful, its landscapes, seascapes, its stone cottages, its buildings, old and new are simply beautiful and... I love their churches, simply majestic.

The architectural designs of most of the churches in Brittany are similar -- very Breton, i.e., built in granite, the shape is angular and the appearance solid; strange as it may sound, the shape reminds one of a fighter aircraft ready to take off; a strange comparisson but truly, I've seen so many of them and each time that's what the edifice reminds me of, besides of course, the fact that the structure truly seems to be reaching for the heavens...

The tiniest of villages and towns in Brittany has a church. Here are some pictures I took of some of the churches during a visit last month.

Toutes directions vers Plouha

French, Breton and European...

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Old stone house near Pleubian

An old stone house dating back to 1778 near Pleubian magnificently

overlooking the sea.

Church of Begard

Les beaux cieux de Bretagne

Photos by yours truly.

Nearby Plouha

A brief history of Brittany

Brittany was the Gallo-Roman province of Armorica after being conquered by Julius Caesar in 56 BC. It was never fully Romanized, and was devastated by Norsemen after the Roman withdrawal. Established under the name of Brittany in the 5th century AD by Celts fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, it became a strong, expansionist state that maintained its cultural and political independence, despite pressure from the Carolingians, Normans, and Capetians. By the 9th century Brittany was converted to Christianity, and in the 10th century it became an independent duchy.

In 1171 it was inherited by Geoffrey, son of Henry II of England, and remained in the Angevin dynasty's possession until 1203, when Geoffrey's son Arthur was murdered by King John, and the title passed to the Capetian Peter of Dreux. Under the Angevins feudalism was introduced
and French influence increased under the Capetians. During the Hundred Years' War it sided alternately with England and France, causing it to be a frequent matter of dispute. It was finally united with France by the marriage of Duchess Anne and Charles VIII of France in 1491, and incorporated into France by François I in 1532. During the French Revolution Brittany supported the ruling Bourbons.

- From The Free Dictionary