Monday, December 7, 2009

The Most Extraordinary Stones In The World




During my travels in Brittany last month, on my way back from the Cote Sauvage and the Quiberon Peninsula ( where I visited my favorite vintage sardine factory) I saw a sign that said, Carnac Alignements, . To be honest with you, I am not one that is big on visiting ancient world sites but I know that many people are and so I made the detour to check it out for future clients. I did not expect much.

For those you, who don't know, The stones of Carnac, France, are probably the most famous stones markings outside of those found at Stonehenge in England. There are many, many stones at Carnac. And these stones are very old too, the earliest stones are from around 4,500 B.C. The Carnac region contains many, many Menhir or upright stones. The Menhir stones are sometimes found in a line and sometimes in a circle. They can be anywhere from 0.8 meters high to 6.5 meters high. Rows of these stones can extend for distances of over a kilometer.
Some think these standing stones were signposts, others think they marked burial plots, still others think they were astronomical in nature. Research is going on now to try to find out if these stone markings served as sites for astronomy or whether they were aligned with the Sun or Moon in a special way.

Well! (As Jack Benny use to say!) I was not expecting to be stopped in my tracks when I visited the stones of Carnac. I must admit, they were fantastic and the site was over whelming. I visited one of the three sites and I believe the best one, Menec. There is a visitor center there, to explain the mystery of the stones and right across the street are the magnificent stones themselves that seem to run for miles and miles. I must admit, it was quite humbling!
IMPORTANT NOTE: During the winter (From October to March,) one can access right into the stone area (there are spots to enter through the fenced off area and you are able walk around them) , BUT in the other months, its direct access to the stones is very limited ( they say do to the vegetation during that time, I think because of the million of tourists) ,so that one can view them only behind the fence.

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