Carnac - Karnag in Alignment With Egypt

 Driving through torrential rain we arrived on Saturday 10 May in the ancient Breton town of Carnac, where there are several alignments of menhirs. But first I noted how the whole site was planted with pollarded London plane trees whose knobbly branches seemed like my arthritic old fingers, except these trees were bursting into new life with the coming of Spring.

The next morning when the torrential rain had stopped we walked into the Grande Plage district of Carnac for luncheon. Only pancake shops were open, so that's what we ate, for a few days.

 There were several villas of style on the esplanade. The wood-work alone on this monster of Edwardian taste must have set them back a few thousand old Francs. The house is called "St. Michael" and in confirmation there is the archangle in popish effigy on the right-hand upper whatever that architectural feature is supposed to be.

 This is the way to travel along the dead flat roads of Carnac. Three seater, six seater, ten seater bicyclettes. But only one person can steer, which is against the human rights of the other riders, I suspect, in French law.

 There were lovely walks around the campsite and into old Carnac town centre. This weary pilgrim rests at the calvary of St. Cornely, of which more, next.

In the ancient town centre of Carnac is the church dedicated to pope St. Cornely. On the tower is a blatant effigy of himself between two delightful bas-relief plaques showing prize cows and the pre-Christian menhir alignments. Nick won't like this because he'll think it's more about 'churches', but I think it's about the importance of cows round Brittany.
Cornely seems to be the patron saint of pancakes, if the number times crepe joints invoke his name in Brittany is anything to go by. However, the Latin name of this geezer is Cornelius. The cows were bulls and carried the baggage of himself. He came to the sea, was confronted by an enemy army, but guess what? Using the bulls' eyes somehow he turned the soldiers into ...  menhir alignments of stone. That is my very free translation from the French, but as it's rubbish it doesn't really matter, does it?
What does happen each September is the blessing of cattle which are brought to the church in old buses. The priest does the blessing if sufficient monetary inducement is offered. Read about it here.

This ancient B&W postcard clearly shows a Breton farmer off to the blessing in Carnac.

 The following morning after the customary torrential downpour we drove to the alignment of ancient stones to see for ourselves. There's a historial in a very expensive looking exhibition centre to explain it all but we didn't go in. There's a fence round each site (there are several and they are very large) and the gates are locked so you have to join a paying guided tour. Well we can see exactly what they're about. They're to stop motorhomers pitching-up for free.

And the lines aren't very straight.