These places are like three different faces of Bretagne. Rennes is a lively university city with young people and touch of intellect. Old medieval center is full of small restaurants and terasses, along the river are bold 18 hundred facades. New futuristic buildings are rising even around old medieval houses.
Old medieval houses of Rennes were partly built of wood
St Malo is a small idyllic, but touristic town surrounded by walls on the Atlantic coast. Spent again time at the beach just watching the sea and people strolling around the low tide area.
Brest is a commercial harbour and naval base of French army. The whole city was bombarded to ruins by the allied troops during WWII as there were German navy base at that time. After the war the city was rebuilt, somewhere I saw it named the ugliest city of France. To me it looks little like a former Soviet city, but somehow I liked the roughness of the city.
Brest monuments
Our hotel in Brest is down at the harbour area which is a mixture of harbour life and lively restaurant street.
Fishing boats at Brest harbour
In Brest sightseeings worth visiting are Oceanopolis and Marin museum, which is located in the old fortress of Brest. It tells about the long history of ship building here. Brest is an important ocean research center and also Oceanopolis is more like a science center than aquarium.
Oceanopolis is both scientific and entertaining.Learned that sharks are not so dangerous as thought, elephants, crocodiles, snakes and even wasps cause more deaths than sharks.
Enjoyed watching the fishes, but even bigger experience was seeing a wild delfin jumping in the harbour area during our evening stroll.
In St Malo is a memorial of resistance. This is perhaps a little difficult topic in Bretagne, because Nazis gave Bretons some privileges they had missed. Part of them were in the resistance though.
St Malo coast during low tidePeaceful time at the beachInside the walls of the town.Reflections in Our Ladie’s church St Malo
In Rennes we stayed in a small hotel at the residential area. although I was wondering did I make a wrong choise when dragging our suitcases and trying to find the place. However finally it was a delighting small hotel and a frequent bus connection to downtown was found.
Hotel Arcantis had a relaxed atmosphere with funny surprises.
In the cafeteria was a jukebox, old comic books and funny old-time things.
Breakfast at small Hotel Arcantis Rennes needed some technical skills
At the breakfast you prepared your own juice and coffee and cut your bread with a giljotin but everything was really fresh then.
Now Goodbye Bretagne we will meet again. Train from Brest to Paris is waiting.
Interrail tickets had to be filled before every trip
Six hours with TER trains from Normandia to Bretagne through countryside, small villages and towns. Cows and horses, hilly scenery.
Normandian trains where so far the only ones where you could charge your telephone.Bretagne trains in French
… and in BretonRennes train station under construction is worse than Pasila in HelsinkiHowever everything functions in case you find your wayNothing bothered the players
In Northern France all railway connections go through Paris. It seems that TGV seats toward Paris are sold out often, at least the interrail quote. That happened to me now third time when tried to get a seat from Antwerpen to Paris. So again trip was done using small local TER trains and several changes.
Short distance TER trains took us to from Antwerpen Paris slowly but securely
We found our way from busy Gare du Nord to Gare St Lazare from where the trains to Normandia are leaving. Enjoyed some jazz at the station and found a lively lunch restaurant across the station.
Gare St Lazare is small and cozyFinally arrived to Trouville after 11hours ride.
The town resembles small Lissabon with its steep hills. The neighbouring Deauville is more flat and like a jet set place with its film festivals and old villas. Sandy beaches are on both sides.
Our small apartment looks over the roofs of the townBeach at the sunsetAnd at noonFamilies and dogs at the beach
I am still confused with the ebb and tide, when the water is rising and lowering, but maybe I learn during this trip.
This autumn interrail headed to west, first target was Antwerpen via Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris. General strike in France complicated our planned journey.
TGV took us to Lille
A few international trains passing the border were fully booked, but using small TER trains from Lille we finally arrived to Antwerpen after several changes.
Finally in Antwerpen.This is again one of those mighty European stations
I enjoy the atmosphere of these old station buildings. Nowadays ticket offices are sometimes difficult to find as all kind of commercial services have conquered the old stations. However the feeling of departure and arrival is still there.
Nuns eagerly taking selfies at the piazza in front of St PeterBoys fed by a wolf mom are a symbol of RomeTevere, Tiber
Our final target, Rome. Today May 25th we however spent a few hours watching the Funeral service of former and appreciated president of Finland, Mauno Koivisto via internet.
Rome is full of beauty, but the most touristic sites were full of people, too. There were also many soldiers with dogs and heavy machine guns in railway- and underground stations and in front state offices. Don’t know if it was just due to G7 meeting or was it because of terrorist attacks in major cities. However I enjoyed a lot walking along the river banks, visiting Capitolium, narrow alleys and street cafes. The journey has been full of experiences. During nearly three weeks we travelled from Helsinki via Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and finally stopped for a week in Italy. Tomorrow’s flight to Helsinki is already looked forward. Good to get back home. Rome will be revisited, but hopefully during more peaceful time.
Positano and Amalfi were built on steep rocky coast line.
Made boat trips from Salerno to Positano, Sorrento and one whole day trip to Capri.
Views from Sorrento balconies. Riitta bought a photograph of nuns playing on this balcony.I who don’t normally like pizza enjoyed this Margarita, in Sorrento, maybe the best pizza I have tasted.Axel Munthe built his Villa Michele at Anacapri, on an ancient place were Roman emperor Tiberius had his villa.Looking down from the Munthe’s Villa. Exiting ride up to Anacapri along narrow serpentine roads packed in the small crowded buses was experience as such.
One of the few sandy beaches was in Paestum, south of Salerno. To get to the beach required 2 km s walk.On the way to the beach we found a large area of Greek ruins.
Youth hostel is located in an old convent, from seventeenth century.
Salerno is a a small and still authentic Italian town, close to different touristic attractions, that can be reached by boat, bus or train. After travelling through Europe our aim is to stay here a few days, enjoy the atmosphere and visit Capri and other Amalfi towns.
My first visit to PompeiPaintings at the ruinsRelaxing at the beach
For swimming you have to take bus to Vietri sul Mare. Water was warm for Finns, but not warm enough for most locals.
Found a familiar plant in the botanical garden.Minerva botanical garden is the oldest in Europe. It was built on three balconies for medicinal plants and herbs.Nest of kittens with their mom under the plants.
How much you can see of Venice during two nights and one whole day.
From here, Rialto Mercado comisario Brunetti used to buy fresh wegetables on her way home. I bought some apricots.Checked also the Finnish pavillion at Biennale. Two artists, Erkka Nissinen and Nathaniel Mellors had created a funny, but propably also profound video+ animatronic sculptures. Talking of myths and current Finnish society.
We walked along the small alleys of main island, several vaporetto drives, visited mercado, the market place by Rialto bridge, checked the Opera house Fenice, Murano glass island and most exiting the Biennale. A positive surprise that it was already open.
The hostel was nicely located on a more peaceful island across the main island. We shared the dormitory with 12 others, but nights were peaceful. Our bunkbed was near open window with a scenery to a small forest.
Our bunkbed near the open window.Hostel at the Giudecca island Zitelle.
In addition to all valuable touristic sights I was exited of the everyday life of that strange city. Ambulance and police boats, vaporettos were moving people, all the goods had to be moved without cars, shopping was done without cars.
