Sept 25: La Roche Bernard

As we were hurrying to get going, remarkng that the region had no little villages worth stopping in, unlike the other places we had been, we turned around a narrow switchback to climb a short hill. What we saw made us stop, and reconsider. This town is a tiny old port on the river Vilaine. It is as picturesque as any place, and we spent a few hours here.

When you climb to the top of the town, you can see the reason this place was settled by the Vikings in the 8th century. It commands the river, especially well in the direction of the sea, and the high ground on which the town was built is surounded on three sides with water. The river forms a narrow inlet that is a perfect harbor, and the side facing the river, where any invader would approach from is sheer cliff.

On the day we arrived was the market, so we strolled around it, and bought a rasted chicken to eat for lunch. Mmmmm! We ate it on a bench overlooking the harbor, and were well satisfied. Also here was a place that kept bees and sold all kinds of honey products, and even had free samples of honey! We spent a bit of time here before moving on, happy to have uncovered a little gem in the area.