I love prehistoric traces, and Bretagne is full of dolmens, menhirs and burial sites. Ira and I drove to Carnac today to see some of the more complicated structures. Even on the way, we'd see the occasional standing stone, but over the centuries, you're never sure if they are in their original place or they had been moved.
The drive was long and lovely, about two hours through mostly back roads. Northern France is such rich countryside, crop yields look good and the cows seem fat and happy. And the villages certainly seem to have money, as the houses are all neatly maintained.
Just outside of Carnac lie Les Alignements, a massive grouping of standing stones in rough rows that cover acre after acre. Ira and I walked around one if there extant fields, you can't walk among them during the busy season because they are worried about soil damage. If you show up in winter, you can traipse among them. There were certainly plenty of people there today, though not the crush there might be on a sunny weekend day.
I loved just wandering by, admiring the size of the site. It continues for another kilometer or so, but we didn't visit that until after lunch.
We ate at The Magic Potion in the city of Carnac itself. It was on the second story, and we sat out on the patio soaking up the warm sunshine and eating terrific food, I had a galette with sardines in a Kharkiv and parsley sauce. Ira had one with anchovies, tomatoes and cheese, almost like a crepe pizza. Both were perfect. The galette has such a wonderful texture!
My dessert was excellent, a crepe with apples cooked in butter and mixed with a currant jam. Ira had the ice cream and fell in love. He said it's the best he's had in a long time, which is high praise for someone who eats ice cream in a daily basis. He thought if bringing the waiter over and setting him up with a shop. I remarked that he probably didn't actually make the stuff, and that perhaps Ira was being confused by a pair of blue blue eyes.
After lunch, we drove to Locmariaquer, where there is a magnificent collection of megaliths. First is the biggest prehistoric standing stone, no longer standing. It's broken into four pieces. Next is the Merchant's Table, which is a group of standing stones now covered by a tumulus or grouping of small rocks. The tumulus is a reconstruction. It's great to be able to walk inside and see the shallow engravings in the rocks. You have to duck REALLY low to get through the doorway.
After our fill of antiquity, we drove back home, had a quick period of relaxation, then went out to dinner. We chose l'Ami Louis again, and it was still superb. I started with foie gras as an appetizer, and it was so rich and creamy I want to hug every goose I come across. Ira had the before that I had three days ago, the raw scallops.
He again had the fish shout, while I tried the brochettes de lottes. Yes, more monkfish, this time served with vegetables and a creamy sauce. Itwas perfect. I hope they have monkfish in the US. Ugly creatures, but so tasty!
I am ready to call it a night. Dinan tomorrow. Not much driving, but more walking.
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