Vannes, Brittany
I spent 3 weeks in Vannes and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was just the right size to find my way around with a comfortable mix of architectural styles and a thriving food market. The bus system was fast and efficient; I didn’t bother to check the bus schedules as I never waited more than 5-10 minutes.
Perhaps one reason that I never got lost in Vannes is because it’s a walled city with at least 3 or 4 gates still remaining as well as sections of the wall. Brittany was independent and didn’t become part of France, through marriage, until 1532.
The half-timbered medieval buildings are lovely. M. et Mme. Vannes probably started out as M. et Mme. Vennes, whose family lived in that area at the time the house was built.
La Cohue was once central to life in the Middle Ages with stalls selling a variety of goods on the main floor and the courthouse on the first floor. It’s now a fine arts museum with a large gallery dedicated to the works of Geneviève Asse. Her later works are all shades and stripes of blue. I particularly enjoyed one of her earlier works.
Vannes used to be a port city, but that isn’t the case any longer. There is, however, a canal connecting the city to the open water that is used by pleasure boats. There’s also a pleasant pedestrian walkway along the canal.
There are twice-weekly markets in the centre of Vannes that spread out over 3 squares, two indoor halls, and a large number of streets. Many of the surrounding businesses sell food, whether it’s kouigh amman or cheese, or deli foods.
Vannes is at the heart of a very popular tourist area and I understand it’s jam-packed with tourists in the summer. But it still felt like a city where locals lived and worked and played.