The dolmens and menhirs are tenebrous stone burial chambers and strange stones of a variety of sizes sticking up from the ground, respectively.  They seem to imbue the entirety of the region with an enigmatic air peculiar only to this little peninsula of France. 

Early Celtic tourists settled the area in the 6th century B.C.E., no doubt entranced by its ambiguous rocks and charm.  Even Julius Caesar, one of Gaul’s most famous travelers, was puzzled by the peninsula when he conquered it in 56 B.C.E.

It’s so fascinating in fact, that after the Romans kicked them out, the Celts returned from their life in Britain to settle the area once more.

Even today the land is an anomalous pocket of Celtic tradition in France. The Gaelic language is still spoken in some parts and they fiercely display their culture on or in any flag, window or menu that will bear it. It was annexed by France in 1532, but 400 years later they’re still not keen on the French and a strong separatist movement is still alive and well. This is France’s Quebec.

Brittany was known by the Celts as Armorica, “land of the sea.” Today, it is a popular holiday area and ancient land with excellent beaches, attractive countryside and ancient sites. From its sandy beaches and islands to the walled cities of St-Malo and St-Servan, or the forest of Paimpont with its myths and King Arthur legends, Brittany has a wealth of interesting places to explore.

Half-timbered buildings characterize the bustling, medieval towns of Vannes, Dinan and Rennes, while the castles and fortresses of St. Malo, Fougères and Vitré bear witness to Brittany’s strategic location. The region’s beauty has attracted many artists and the lovely town of Pont-Aven is lined with galleries showing works of painters past and present.

Brittany's climate is similar to that of Cornwall, England with mild winters and warm summers. June, July and August attract many artists, who come to paint in the special light.

The Journey

Folk traditions in Brittany, as in Ireland and Cornwall, are rich with legends about magical fairies, mermaids
and other spirits. There are as many mysteries
surrounding the menhirs of Carnac
as there are about Stonehenge.

June 19, 2010

Arrive Paris and take the train to Rennes, Brittany where you will be meant at the train station. Our home for the week is a Gite complex.

The Gites are perfectly set within a small very peaceful and tranquil hamlet, with own parking, no nearby main roads, so just birdsongs. Our Brittany Gites / Holiday Cottages are central to many of the places that we will visit and are only a 30 minute drive to the local beaches.  

Set in almost an acre of ground each Gite has its own private garden all as a large graveled patio area, washing line, patio furniture, sun parasol and quality BBQ. A gate from the private garden leads to a large communal garden / play area with a 21 ft diameter by 4 ft deep heated pool, secret cabin, play house, Play equipment with rock climbing wall & slide, badminton, swing set, and picnic bench. There are also picnic benches to the front of the Gites for those who fancy breakfast in the Sun.

Evening welcoming meal, ceremony and over-view of the journey.

June 20, 2010—June 26, 2010

For the next six days we will explore the mystical forest of Brocéliande, Mont-Saint-Michel, the prehistoric megaliths of Carnac, medieval towns, walled cities and the megalithic tomb at Gavrinis on an island in the Gulf of Morbihan.

Brocéliande, the stomping grounds of the faeries and their Queen Vivianne, Merlin the Magician and the Knights of the Round Table, is the remnant of a vast primeval forest which in the first centuries A.D. covered the interior of Brittany stretching from Rennes to Rostrenen. This dense shadowy forest has spawned numerous mysteries & legends.

In this mystical forest and area, we will explore Merlin's Tomb, Fontaine de Jouvence, the eternal youth fountain, Val sans retour, the "Valley of No Return" where the legend tells that only Lancelot managed to break the spell cast from Morgana the faerie to prevent anyone from leaving the place. The area is also symbolized by a Golden Tree. The Fountain of Barenton which can engage a storm when its water fall on a nearby slab. It is also the place where Merlin fell under the spell of the beautiful faerie Queen Vivianne and remained caged in a circle of air. The Château de Comper, the supposed birthplace of Vivianne turned today into an Arthurian centre with annual events.

Know Thy Self –before we enter the Island Castle of Mont-Saint-Michel, we will explore—Know Thy Self within the forest of Brocéliande.

Know Thy Self is the first hundred miles of your quest for the Holy Grail. And it takes you through the narrow pathways of the dark shadowy root infested forest of self.  Do not be fearful or discouraged as within this forest lay many sparkling mossy glens of love, light and truth. You must enter and pass through this forest as it is the only pathway that leads to the Island Castle, wherein resides the Holy Grail. There is no other choice except to enter.

However, many chose never to enter this forest of self-truth, choosing instead the wide and easy path of illusion. But I ask you, have courage, and enter the forest so that you may enter the Island Castle.

Midsummer—on this special day of Light, we will journey to Mont-Saint-Michel. It has an energetic and mystical quality, being an island half the time, and being attached to land the other. Energetically both of the primary Dragon Lines or Lay Lines, Apollo and Athena, cross the Mont resulting in a perfect sanctuary for the Archangel of the Sun—Mikael. In the days of the Celtic Gaul’s it was known as Belenus, after their God of Light, or Tombelen, the place where he was supposed to have been entombed. Here we will not only honor Mikael and Midsummer but explore the Dragon Energy called by the French Druids—La Vouivre.

Carnac, like its namesake in Egypt, is rich with ancient mysteries. It was once a major focal point for Celtic power and influence. Like Tara in Ireland, Carnac was a spiritual center for religious celebrations, tribal gatherings and astronomical observations.

The Celtic indigenous religion was so strong in Brittany that the full forces of Christianity were needed to convert it to the "new" religion. That is why this area of France has so many saints, literally thousands of them, although only a few are officially recognized by the Church of Rome. A surprisingly large number of Breton saints are legendary for having slain dragons. Saint Sampson is said to have vanquished three of them.  

Indigenous worship was not actually destroyed by Christianity, but rather was overshadowed by it. Although some megaliths were knocked down or removed, others had crosses added to the top of them. Christian chapels were built over pagan holy wells and springs. Breton saints acquired the powers of the indigenous deities they replaced. For example, in the chapel at Edern in Finistere, a depiction of Saint Edern riding a stag bears a strong resemblance to Cernunnos, the Celtic god with antlers. In the Chapelle des Sept-Saints at Vieux-Marche', the south aisle is built upon a prehistoric dolmen. Even though the names may have changed, the same healing powers which ancient Bretons discovered in a few of their wells and springs can still be found.

Gavrinis—it is said that, if you can only visit one prehistoric site in Brittany, the megalithic tomb at Gavrinis is the one to choose. On an island in the Gulf of Morbihan, it is accessible by a 15-minute boat ride from Larmor-Baden. Gavrinis Tumulus is massive: 20-feet high and 165-feet in circumference. 29 upright stones lead through a passageway and into a large chamber, capped with a huge slab measuring 13-feet square. There are lavish carvings of serpents, shepherds' crooks, trees, suns and chevron patterns. Three strange holes, almost like a pre-historic wine-rack, are cut into the rock of one of the chambers.

As you enter the narrow passage going into the inner chamber, you must step over two very prominent stone sills on the floor. It is believed that these are literally stumbling blocks used in initiation ceremonies, in which neophytes travel a symbolic journey across obstacles, to the inner chamber or Sanctum Sanctorum. Designs on the threshold of the inner chamber are remarkably similar to the spiral and chevron patterns carved on the lintel stone above the entrance to the Irish passage-tomb at Newgrange.

In addition to all of these mystical and magical sites, we will travel the Emerald Coast to Fort La Latte built in the 13th century. The castle was used during the filming of the Vikings with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis—a favorite movie of Rev. Dr. JC Husfelt and his son Rev. James Husfelt.

Journey Fee—$2395