Not much happening but the heat.

August 6, 2018

Leaving Josselin I had to climb away from the river/canal but from there the morning was just a series of short climbs, some flat, a downhill, and repeat. The countryside is very pretty in this part of Brittany, but villages are scarce and traffic rare. I was headed for Carnac and took a lot of back roads that went in the right direction. Calm, I would call it.

The first really big town I came to was Ste. Anne de Auray. A local man had a vision, and convinced enough people to support him and the result is a basilica church with a lot of religious stuff attached. So I've got a question: if you hear ordinary voices you are schizophrenic, but if you hear saintly voices you get a basilica. Why? It's quite nice as these things go, though and if that helps people feel better, I'm all for it. Much worse has been done in the name of religion.

Nice basilica and the sign gives the story along with a map of the compound buildings and their significance.

This is the sacred steps. I'm not sure what one does here, but it's part of the annual pilgrimage.

In Ste. Anne, I spotted a bistro and had a good lunch of baked ham with wine sauce, deviled eggs, and chocolate mousse for the princely sum of 16€.

Leaving Ste. Anne, I also left the calm roads behind me. Auray was a city in full effervescence and leaving Auray, I found my self on one of the busiest roads I've ever ridden. Traffic whizzed by a meter or so from my elbow, and I just cranked hard on the pedals and searched for a way off the highway. The only bright spot was some kind soul stopping his car and flashing his headlights to let me across a clogged intersection. Eventually, I found a turn-off that put me on a quieter road that led to Carnac. Nerves shot, I stopped a the tourist office to see if they could help me find shelter. A hotel near the beach, le Celtique, had a room and I took it. A shower and a much needed nap followed.

On a completely unrelated note some weird thoughts went through my mind arriving in Carnac. If you are old enough and you lived in the United States fourty years ago, you might remember late night TV with Johnny Carson. He did a repeating skit in the character of Carnac the Magnificent where he would provide humorous answers to question drawn from envelopes "hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnalls' front porch since noon today." Oh the crap an old fart can recall.

Today's ride: 83 km (52 miles)
Total: 275 km (171 miles)

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