Brittany in Northern France

This video from Education 2000's takes you to see Brittany in Northern France.

Brittany in Northern France North of Normandie lies Britney which until the 5th century was a Roman province. After the Romans departed, the Celts arrived. They’ve been driven out of Great Britain by the Angular Saxons and their descendants have preserved many customs. The old language as well as retained close ties with their distant cousins in Ireland and Scotland and Wales. A unique architecture in Britney are the calvaries. In church court yards, these religious stone sculptures portray the life of Christ and are usually dominated by steins of the crucifixion. This calvary contains no less than 225 figures. The western most point of France is scarred by rugged shorelines and rocky promontories. The entire stretch of the west coast abounds in dangerous and beautiful cliffs carved over many millennia by the erosive forces of wind and water. At Etretat in Normandie, nature has sculpted an elephant with its trunk extending into the water. At least that’s what the locals said it was. The bay serves as a fishing port. Local fishermen prepare their boat and put on their waders. They know that the best fishing is where the cold currents of the deep meet the armor shallow waters surging back and forth near the rocks. They travel far out in the water and then approach the rock out cropping from the sea and thread the needle as the locals call it. To the north is Calais, 18 million people a year across the straits of Dover to Calais neither head directly England or along the coast most bypassed the city and the city hall missing one of Rodin’s better known sculptures, the Burghers of Calais. A six initiated figures were the city fathers who after an eight-month siege surrendered themselves and the keys to the city hoping by their sacrifice to save the town and its people. The wife of Edward the 3rd was so moved by their bravery and compassion that she got them to spare the men in the town. In South of Calais on the bunks of the Somme lies the city of Amein with the largest of all French cathedrals. Its construction was begun in 1220 to house the relic of John the Baptist. The interior is vast over 1½ football fields long and it’s 75 yards wide. Not many tourists visit the area so it’s an excellent place to wander around, to meditate and a marvel with the engineering skill that went into the construction of this magnificent high gothic cathedral. Many couples select to have their wedding ceremony in this old cathedral. The wedding guests gather near the entrance to congratulate the bride and groom. And everyone kisses the bride sometimes twice or three times on the cheek. This cheek kissing is practiced all over France and I think it’s a great substitute for a handshake, but I never figured out whether I was supposed to kiss her once or twice or even four times.