Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Once outside of Paris and onto its special right-of-way, the TGV ( train à grande
vitesse , or train of great speed) cruises at 186 mph, and you will be experiencing
some of the finest rail travel in the world. Be certain to have seat reservations. It's
not a “seat belt” ride—it's smooth and totally enjoyable. Outbound in the morning,
you can enjoy breakfast as the French countryside flashes by; inbound returning
to Paris, you are in for a “Happy Hour” you'll never forget!
Rennes is unique in that it doesn't remind you so much of France as it does the
area around Cornwall in Britain. As the cultural capital of the French province of
Brittany, it has some strong ties to its Celtic origins in its architecture and gast-
ronomy. Rennes stands at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine Rivers. This
junction of waterways came to the attention of Julius Caesar, and in 56 B.C. , his le-
gions conquered its original Celtic settlers, the Riedones. After this flurry of activity,
however, things settled down for the balance of the Middle Ages.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Rennes still looked as it had for several
hundred years—with narrow alleys and houses constructed of lath and plaster and
no running water for sanitation or firefighting. History records that in the evening
of December 22, 1720, a drunken carpenter set fire to a pile of shavings, which,
in turn, set fire to his house and then spread rapidly throughout much of the town,
destroying more than a thousand other buildings before it burned itself out.
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