Valley of the Saints - Rainy Brittany- 6
Valley of the Saints
The weather forecast for today says that it should stay dry until the afternoon, and at the moment it seems to be right.
The distance we want to cover today is not long, so we take our time and stop every now and then.
Our first destination is the Valley of the Saints [↗]. This is a project by Philippe Abjean to commemorate the many Breton saints. A kind of Breton Easter Island, as the statues are 2.5 to 7 meters high. Ultimately, statues of 1000 saints will be created, although "saints" does not mean that all of them are recognized by the Catholic Church.
Admission to the area is free, but there is a parking fee. What in the end has the same effect, except that it is easier for them to collect the money. Considering the size of the parking lot and the visitor center, it can get pretty crowded. But today the visitor center and the restaurant are closed. There are still about 10-15 cars and small buses here.
At the beginning the fog still hangs in the fields and this fits very well with the surreal atmosphere created by the many statues of saints. Later, the sun chases away the fog and us.
This part of Brittany is known for its churches with their parish closes [↗] and calvaries. They date back to the 16th and early 17th centuries when different communities were competing to build the most magnificent one.
We visit those of Guimiliau, Lampaul-Guimiliau and Saint-Thégonnec Loc-Eguiner. All very close to each other. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is also right with the second part of its prediction. It's afternoon and it begins raining.
We arrive in Morlaix [↗] around 4 pm. We had already been informed by mail that due to a fair there is no parking available nearby.
Jürgen had booked a hotel at the harbor just outside the city center, because it was said that it would be difficult to find a parking space in the inner city, and now the fair blocked the nice big parking lot 🙁. But it doesn't matter. Jürgen drives us up a hill, where we can park for free in another parking lot.
Unfortunately, the weather has completely abandoned us. The drizzle is replaced by a heavy downpour and after standing under a shelter for quite a while, hoping that the rain will stop, we decide to call it a day.
On the way we didn't even see a restaurant we wanted to stop at, so we stock up on small treats in a little patisserie. We also have red wine, sausage and cheese, although the really tasty one is now only Freya's. In Jürgen's words: "When I see how he slimes around...".
