Rennes is the capital of
Brittany, located in the eastern part in the department of
IIle-et-Vilaine. It is 214 miles northwest
of Paris and 44 miles south of
St. Malo. Rennes is a fairly large city whose metro area contains upwards of 500,000 people.
It is also a university city. The University of Rennes and other higher educational institutions contribute 40,000 students
to the overall population. The Vilaine and Ille rivers run through it.
The Parliament of Brittany is located there. Its
building is a large, handsome and imposing structure facing a large open area on the bank of the Vilaine river. From there
it is a short walk to the Place des Lice where there are many half-timbered buildings dating from the 1700's. Wooden structures
before that time burned to the ground and these were the replacements.
On the way to Place des Lice is the Mordelaise Gate consisting
of two towers and a drawbridge that once was the entrance to the city in medieval days . Right there are the remains of
the original Roman city wall dating from the third century.
You also pass the town's covered market, Les Halles Martinot, built
around 1870. A Saturday market is held there, the third largest in France. Unfortunately we were not there on a Saturday. The
photos page shows the Parliament building, half-timbered houses, the Mordelaise gate and the remains of the Roman wall. The
letter reports
our visit. There does not appear to be a tourist office listed on the internet.
