June is early season for Brittany resp. the whole of France because in July & August all France goes on holiday.
A trip to Brittany was on our holiday schedule for some years, however … Last year we finally set the scope on Brittany – only to learn that during July & August a trip becomes difficult: only very few apartments to rent at sky-high prices even if you look about 3-4 months earlier. Also we learnt that traveling to Brittany might be tedious because it’s a way of about 1000 km … by car. So we made a deep dive into train business … which would take up to 12 h with changing trains at Paris.
Finally we cancelled our ideas about holidays in Brittany – postponing the trip for a year.
So we started this year with planning the trip for June which turned out to be fine concerning the overwhelming offers of apartments to rent at fine prices. Also we found a flight from Frankfurt into Brittany so that the journey from door to door only took about 6 hours.
We found a spacious apartment at Saint Armel, a small village at the Golfe du Morbihan.
Saint Armel is quiet – at least during early season. I think most of the about 800 inhabitants were still anywhere than in Saint Armel, because most of the houses seemed empty and shut up – waiting for July & August?
There is a church and nearby there is a boulangerie/patisserie/tabac/bar, the only one in the village. You may sit in front of the building for breakfast w/ fresh croissants, for a light lunch w/ quiche, for a glass of beer or wine in the afternoon, some delicious piece of cake … and watch the traffic, maybe some cyclists, maybe some cars stopping for fresh bread. My better half & I enjoyed a leisurely stay in the afternoon.
Walking the alleyways of Saint Armel you’ll find lots of cosy houses and lost of flourishing roses. Finally you’ll arrive at the only restaurant, a crêperie, with rather rigid opening hours (only from Wednesday to Sunday, only from 12:00-14:00 h and from 19:00-21:00 h – maybe more active in July & August). Nevertheless the crêperie creates delicious galettes, savory & sweet, as well as some traditional dishes like entrecôte frites.
We enjoyed this peaceful setting especially when relaxing in the garden of our holiday home w/ some extraordinary French cheeses, fresh baguette and a glass of white wine like Muscadet.
Our WiFi delivered entertainment if desired via Netflix. (Unfortunately our knowledge of French language didn’t suffice for watching French TV.) So we got thrilled by the latest Borgen series … and Kate Winslet’s Mare of Easttown (both highly recommended!).
Of course we didn’t lounge all the time: we made trips into the region and whole Brittany.
One of our first trips (after having found a well-resourced supermarket – Saint Armel hasn’t got one!) was exploring Vannes. We concentrated on the historic center w/ the amazing cathedral.
A long river channel crammed w/ yachts leads from the Golfe du Morbihan into Vannes where one of the historic gates opens into the historic centre. It’s a walled city w/ defensive fortifications in good shape – you may walk on top sometimes – and a nearby palace with a French garden.
You may walk up the hill to the cathedral, down to another historic gate, once again up into the maze of alleyways … do shopping … Finally you’ll find a busy corner w/ a café for a break.
Early season in Vannes means that you have a fair chance for getting a table & relax … Once we went to Vannes on Saturday when there is market day: it was interesting, but became crowded.
So far for today!
Next time you’ll learn more about Golfe du Morbihan and nearby attractions!
