Saturday, March 02, 2013

Mont-Dol

I'm glad you're back to wander one more time around The Little White House.

Je suis ravie de vous retrouver pour une autre petite ballade aux alentours de ma Petite Maison.
Aujourd'hui, nous nous rendons au Mont-Dol, le petit point rouge sur la carte.

Today, we're going to Mont-Dol: it's the red spot on the map.


I fell in love with that weird village the first time I saw it from the train a few weeks after my parents bought their house. The landscape there is rather flat and suddenly there's a hill.

Je suis tombée amoureuse de ce lieu la première fois que je l'ai vu depuis le train alors que j'allais pour la première fois voir mes parents dans leur nouvelle maison.

via lithotheque-svt.ac-rennes.fr
Going up the hill is easy because today there are stairs along the path.

Monter la colline est facile de nos jours car un petit escalier a été aménagé.


There are many, many legends linked to this place, as of course a hill in the middle of a flat land needed to be explained.

My favourite legend is this one: as he was walking in Mont Saint Michel Bay, the giant Gargantua felt something was hurting him in one of his boot. He removed it and shaked it. Three pebbles fell from it: they formed the Mont-Saint-Michel, Tombelaine and Mont-Dol.

Il y a beaucoup de légendes liées à ce lieu, car bien sûr, autrefois, il fallait trouver une explication à cette curiosité géologique.

Je vous livre ma préférée. Alors que Gargantua traversait la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, quelque chose le gêna dans une de ses bottes. Il l'enleva et la secoua: trois cailloux en tombèrent et formèrent le Mont-Saint-Michel, Tombelaine et le Mont-Dol.



There used to be up to four wind mills on Mont-Dol, but today only one is remaining.


Once you're on top of the hill, the view is breath-taking. You're supposed to see the sea... But the weather wasn't the best the day I climbed, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Du haut du Mont-Dol, on peut voir jusqu'à la mer. Enfin, là, il va falloir me croire sur parole, parce que la météo ne le permettait pas le jour où j'ai pris les photos! Au moins, on voyait la cathédrale de Dol.



At least we could see the cathedral of Dol, the nearest town.

And, if you like to peek in people's garden like me, it's really easy once you're higher than the village. This one was my favourite, as I love medieval gardens.

J'ai aussi adoré voir d'en haut les jardins des maisons, surtout ce potager médiéval.


According to historians, humans already lived on the Mont-Dol in 70 000 BC. Many remains of elephants have been found, so there must have been hunters.

D'après les historiens, les premières traces humaines sur le Mont-Dol remontent à 70 000 ans avant notre ère. Impressionnant, non? Des ossements d'éléphants ont été retrouvés: encore plus impressionnant, non? De nos jours, on y croise peu d'éléphants, mais une adorable petite chèvre.

I didn't see any elephants the day I was there of course... But I did meet the cutest goat.


That picture is a little fuzzy, because I have a very small camera and the goat was far away and I didn't think it would come closer. I was wrong!


If you'd like to see more about Brittany, you can visit with me the Fort-La-Latte.

Si vous voulez découvrir un peu plus de Bretagne, visitez avec moi le Fort La Latte.

I was so happy you joined me for the walk!

See you soon,


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17 comments:

  1. Thank you for the little tour. I love the legend of Gargantuan- so fun!

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  2. What a great post - I felt like I was there with you!
    XXX

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  3. J'aime aussi beaucoup ce coin là... et la chèvre est vraiment très choux !
    Mary

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  4. I enjoyed both posts and visiting the castle, hill and gardens!

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  5. Thanks so much for taking us with you on your wonderful walk. Happy to be a new follower through Cozy Little House.
    Hugs,
    Laura

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  6. So beautiful. You inspire me; it makes me consider posting the outdoors.

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  7. This post almost makes me sad! I usually travel to Europe every couple of years, but we bought a place in Florida in 2011 and I missed my trip "across the pond" last year. I have been to France several times, but not to Brittany. However, I did have a French teacher from there and I have studied the charming Brittany paintings of Gauguin, so your tour was a real treat!

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  8. Thank you for taking us on a stroll through this magnificent place. I just stopped by from Cozy Little House to say Welcome~! although I am a little late. I will be back. I am your newest follower ~

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  9. thanks for the tour! it's all so beautiful.
    x

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  10. Hello Magali!!!

    Thank you for the great walk up the trail. I hope that the goat was friendly!!
    What a beautiful town below and you peaking at gardens made it all the more
    fun. LOL

    Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!!

    Pam
    xox

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  11. Hi Magali,

    What a fascinating place? The views are amazing. Thanks for taking us!!

    Sal

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  12. It is a lovely place. I was surprised to find a wind mill in Ireland and now there is one in France. I never knew they were that common in Europe.

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    1. In Brittany we have wind mills, water mills and even a few tide mills (at least one). Thanks for visiting.

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  13. LOVED France. We stayed in a B&B there. Beautiful place you shared. Blessings, Debbie

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  14. Magali, I very much enjoyed our walk. Thanks for sharing this special place. I've visited Brittany several times. It is a favorite destination. '-)

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  15. So beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing at "Oh, the PLACES I've been!"

    - The Tablescaper

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