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| SH Diana enters the port of Roscoff in Brittany (Gennadiy Skorokhod/Swan Hellenic) |
I'll be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about the port town of Roscoff before we tied up this morning. Further to that, I knew little else about the enigmatic region of Brittany in the far northwest corner of France. So, my day here was 100 per cent discovery and enlightenment.
Roscoff (locally, Rosko) traces its heritage back to the 1500s and is full of colourful episodes like when 6-year-old Mary Queen of Scots passed through the town en route to the French Royal Court where she was to be wed to the future King Francois II.
Beyond that, there are chapters of piracy, smugglers, onions, science and spa therapies. An incongruous mix, for sure, all of which makes this a rewarding stop on our southward voyage.
A walking tour with our ebullient guide, Caroline, highlights the important points around the village centre, typified by ornate architecture of stout granite construction, such as Notre Dame de Croaz Batz. This church has a distinctly nautical flavour with carved edifices of aquatic gargoyles and maritime iconography.
The long agricultural history is portrayed in the obvious reverence for Brittany's famous sweet pink onions. There's even an onion festival where the town's walls and windows are festooned with bunches of the pungent vegetable.
Pirates, or more politely, licensed privateers, used the strategically positioned town as a base of operations to launch raids against British merchantmen in times of war. One such character was Roscoff-born Nicolas Anthon, who raided enemy ships in the mid-1700s. He also used the nearby Ile de Batz. When France was not at war, smuggling took over as the next profitable enterprise, with such clandestine commodities as wine, spirits and tobacco providing illegal cargo to Britain.
Another apparent anomaly in Roscoff was the dual-language signs around town. Caroline tells us the root of this goes back to the town's Celtic connections, beginning in the centuries before Christ when migration from present-day Wales and Cornwall started to influence Brittany's culture and ethnicity. This language, called Breton, is therefore an ancient tongue rarely spoken but nevertheless honoured.
So, today has been one of education and discovery in the truest spirit of expedition.
Tomorrow we head for Port Joinville on Ile d'Yeu
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