…which in it’s untreated condition is grey: salt.
Although we use the salt from ‘Le Guérandais’, I honestly never realised that it comes from Brittany and how it is produced. When I was planning our trip, I came across it and searched for the place on Google Maps and realised how gigantic the salt marshes there are - 2000 hectares. Even on the map, the fields look like an impressive mosaic. I was so fascinated that I looked for a little house on Airbnb in Saillé, right next to the salt marshes. It's a quiet residential neighbourhood with very neat houses. We stayed here for 5 days.
The mosaic-like pools were built by human hands. At high tide, the seawater from the Atlantic flows into the basins via a canalisation system and evaporates through the wind and sun. Crystallisation then takes place in the harvest basin. The coarse salt is harvested from the basins in summer, the precious fleur de sel floats to the top and is carefully skimmed off. The salt marshes provide space for a wide variety of flora and fauna. Many bird species have found their habitat here. Species-rich vegetation grows on the embankments at the edge of the water areas. The edible marsh samphire, which looks like heather from a distance, also grows in this water. It is totally exciting to drive and walk in the middle of the salt marshes. And beautiful!
Of course, we also picked up some salt from a small stall right next to one of the salt ponds.
Here are some pictures from Saillé and the salt gardens:
The small town of Guérande, the namesake of the salt, is about 4 kilometres away from us. The medieval town centre is enclosed by a city wall and can only be accessed via one of the 4 gates. We found a very pretty and charming little town. The first thing we saw was the oversized church ‘Église Saint-Aubin’. There is an additional turret on the roof, which reminded me of Arab buildings. In front of the church, we saw a series of steel sculptures on poles depicting figures with various tools. The artist is ‘Nicolas Fedorenko’ and created the artwork as a stylised procession to remind us that until the 19th century, it was mainly deceased children and priests who were buried here.
On Wednesday, we went to the weekly market, which also takes place on Saturdays. Local traders offer a wide range of products in the small market hall and on the market square. There could hardly be a more beautiful setting for a market, in front of the ‘Saint-Aubin’ and on the enclosed square.
Wir very much recommend Guérande.
Here are some pictures from Guérande:
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