Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08
OUR VISIT TO CARNAC.
A Washington Woman's Interesting
Account of an Interesting Trip.
WHAT IS SEEN IN BRITTANY.
The Picturesque Breton Peasant Women
Limited Hotel Accomm oda tions-A Drive
to Carnac-A Breton Wedding in . Pic
turesQue Old Church.
correspondence Of The Evening Star,

Correspondents Of The Evening Star
Paris, July Is, 1891.
IT WAS OUR FIRST TRIP TO BRITTANY.
l. and we had been anxious to zee the cele-
brated Druidical remains the famous menhirs
and dolmens. ever since entering the ancient
duchy at Nantes. So it was with much eager
ness that we watched from either side of the
railway carriage window ~ we rushed through
the barren rocky fields, with their farms and
windmills, for frst sight OF tbs strange gran
lite stones whose origin no one knows. Yet the
nrsf thing which we saw in the Druids' coun-
Try as the train stopped at Plonharnel was
neither sacriicial stone nor heather altar. bat
great red cross standing out dark against the
rainy sky, so huge that one scarcely noticed tho
ancien. tumuius or burial mound on which it
was built.
We expected to get good second breakfast
or lunch before going on to Carnac, mile and
q half away, and this second breakfast had be-
come a very important part of the program
after one hours railway journey on a cup of
coffee and a roll and when We passed through
the station and came out on the muddy road
side, where stood a small diligence marked
Carnac," peasant woman thrust the adver-
tlsement OF an Inn into our hands and assured
us, with the assent of various other white
capped women and blue-bloused mon who
stood near, that it was the only inn at Pion-
harnel.
The rain which was falling in showers, varied
by half hours of heavy mist, chose to come
down very hard just then, and the prospect Of
any shelter was welcome. The inn stood Just
across the road. and we started for it in hum
CRY despair. led by the woman. who dumped
stolidly through the damp sand in her huge
sabots. But nearer approach did not add to
the attractions Of the Hotel DIES Menhirs', as it
was most appropriately Observation-Disclosures
peasants with wine glasses in their hands watched
US from the windows. and very dirty children
tumbled about the front door. The Hotel des
Menhirs' was nothing more than Debit DIES
Boissons, or low drinking place, and obviously
impossible.
BREAxFAsrLEss TRAVELLERS.
What should we do now? Had we braved the
rain and mist to see the stones of Carnac only
to be baff1ed by hunger and weariness9 An
other peasant woman solved the difficulty by
pointing to the diligence which was just
startlng-we had better 60 to Carnac, she said,
and lunch there. We hesitated, especially as
the diligence was small and had already two
inside passengers. until her assurances that
the inn at Carnac was good and the self-evident
fact that the Hotel des Members" was bad in
duced us to yield to her entreaties. We
climbed into the vehicle and started.
THE DILIGENCE OF BRITTANY
is very like the ''carryalI' of New England, ex-
Ccpt tudt Vic louT Ausluc pstso6uStrb BIZ laClUR
each other. Today all the leather curtains
were closed on account Of the rain, so
that nothing could be seen of
the outer world except at the back. Through
this opening we watched eagerly for some
signs Of what we had come to see, but nothing
was visible at first except many rods Of much
travelled road, enlivened by occasional peasants
with funny Breton hats. Presently we reached
Plonharnel village and tumbled through its
stone-paved streets without stopping, passing
by Baedekers Hotel, closed and deserted. Then
the sandy road began to stretch cut again and
the spires and roofs of Plonharnel to rise up in
the distance against the gray sky. By dint Of
only looking backward the mile and three
quarters of the guide book seemed to
lengthen with the road and the village we
had left behind us to be always Just at our
heels. The country, SO far we could see it.
was mere stretch OF rough. unfenced meadow,
full Of stony outcrop and stunted bushes, very
like the seacoast Of Rhode Island. But where
was the sea? We're we near it? In our ignor-
ance Of the geography of the neighborhood we
we're astonIshed when beyond the gray rocks
and yellow grass of the fields we saw q familiar
purplish line that could be nothing else than
salt water. and just then, the fog lifting little
the sea breeze blew thu rain away. and close
beside the roadside appeared q great block of
granite. supported by smaller stones. IN the
semblance Of a rude table-our first doimen!
Naturally we ionged to get out and investi-
gate this strange relic of the forgotten ages.
but tuc ulilStHCt uIlNcT hepb OI btcdQlly. having
no enthusiasm for archaeology, and We dared
not delay public conveyance carrying matters
of such importance the Carnac mails. So
we logged along with our eyes fixed on the de-
creasing shape Of the giant table, and finally
after a good deal more of the rugged noorland
I'D occasional glimpses Of the distant sea. We
began to rattle over paved street and stopped
at last in the market place OF Carnac.
FIRST IMPRESSION OF cARNAc
Our first confused impression when we had
stumbled down from the high step of the dill
gence was Of purple clematis, great vine Of
which, with its pointed leaves and starry
flowers, hung over the nearest building. Our
second feeling was that of great relief, for
beneath the clematis tendrlls saw q neat
stopping to look at the beauties Of Carnac,
we paid the driver his ten sous, and
hurried into the hotel. To our aston
ishment we found ourselves in kitchen.
bnt such kitchen! A huge fire
huge room, with its cupboard above full of
gaily painted plates and rows OF candlesticks
and its big dark cavern below, where few
wood Goals shoue redly. Opposite the fireplace
stood a neatly curtained bed with a smart lace
counterpane. and there were some quaint
wooden settles. and on a shelf one or two very
artistic water jars, Grecian in shape and a
lovely green i'll color. The rafters of the cell
ing were brown with years Of smoke and from
CLEANS of brass and copper. which caught the
red freight. We thought instinctively Of
Rembrandt.
CHANCE FOR MEAL.
Our hostess stood bowIng to US, her hands
busted in opening with knife some strange
green shell fish, which we rightly guessed to
be Breton oysters She was good-looking
woman. very neat, with q rosy face beneath
the curious stiff cap Of the country, which must
have come down without any alteration from
the middle ages A piece of Grape was passed
over its white folds and bands Of Grape
replaced the usual velvet trimming on the
flowing Breton sleeves of her black dress show
ing her to be u widow. A very capable one, too,
Judging by the severity with which she greeted
ur mingled with civility, and the evident awe
inspired by her in the two maids All three Of
these women had quaint stiff faces, not unlike
the Madonnas Of the early Flemish school
one Of them in her flowing blue linen draperies
and odd, coif-like cap recalled a medieval
Martha in q little shadowless picture We had
seen shortly before at Nantes.
We asked il breakfast were to be had. Yes,
| q table d'hote at IL O'clock-it was ready now;
we could sit down at once Would it be eaten
| in the kitchen? we asked ourselves falteringly,
for there was no sign Of any other room, but
neither Of us felt disposed to question the
| severe landlady any further, SO grateful we're
We for the immediate prospect Of something to
eet. The thirteenth century maid came to
| our relief and led the way through
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