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Happening upon Dinan: This little town, now with 11,000 inhabitants, was founded around 850 by 6 monks from Wales who wanted to build a church here on the banks of the river Rance. I'm not sure why they came here in the first place, but the then ruler of (I think) Brittany, called Nominoe, said they could build the church and have some land and money if they bring him some relics, meaning bones of earlier religious leaders! They then went off to the channel islands, dug up some suitable graves, and brought him the bones. And there you have it, Dinan was born.
The medieval city, also with high and thick stone walls and ports of entry into the 'fort', has unlike many other cities in this part of France, escaped war unscathed. Therefore all of the old timber-frame houses are perfectly preserved and when strolling through town on Sunday I passed many a visitor arriving at a doorstep for a quick chat or with a bottle of wine for lunch. People live here...
On a Sunday most business activity is quiet, but a fresh produce market operates in the centre of town and most creperies, bars, patisseries and bistros are open. Especially those by the river, which you reach walking all the way down the steep cobbled 'rue la [something]'.
There you can normally take a ferry to St. Malo or Dinard, but on Sundays only a boat tour up (inland) to Lehon is operational. The English speakers on the boat unfortunately miss the clearly very entertaining quips the handsome french guide make, but get a laminated copy of the formal script at least. This explains that we are leaving the maritime part of the river and now on the canalised bit which goes all the way to Lorient for instance. Just to get to Rennes (50 min by car), you pass 47 locks! We pass through one with the water level rising 1.2 metres). It will take some time traveling this way... In years gone by, when the boats got to the bridge at Dinan, they could no longer sail and therefore cows or horses pulled the boat from the side with ropes fastened to them. If the boat caught the stream and went faster than the animal without the captain cutting the rope in time, the animal was pulled into the water and drowned. And here's the interesting bit: it was customary and not only happened often but usually continued for considerable time, that the captain's wife would then take over the pulling duty with the rope around her waist!
Before catching the boat, I took a walk out of town, the first part along the river then bending inland, on what looked to me like a lesser travelled road. All the while wooded and green: gorgeous. Just did not anticipate the sudden wave of rain and cold wind which left me the only drenched and teeth clattering passenger on the boat.
For lunch I tried a galette, which is the salty version of a crepe. Should have gone for the ratatouille only, as the anchois (anchovy) made it VERY salty! The red wine was good though :-)
Now to Spain, where Rioja awaits me!
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