Lawyers Travel to Brittany to Seek Blessing or Pardon of Patron Saint

Should you ever become involved in litigation and your lawyer gives less than a sterling performance, you might suggest that he or she journey to the little village of Treguier near here and request a pardon from St. Yves, the patron saint of lawyers who is buried there.

Thousands of lawyers come here from all over the world to seek blessings, or redemption, for past and future cases. St. Yves, who studied law before becoming a priest, is also the “poor man’s counsel,” and gained a reputation for taking and advising only the most hopeless cases.

Treguier and Trebeurden are but two of a dozen colorful towns on this promentory of northern Brittany, a region noted for its rugged and rocky coastline interspersed with beautiful beaches and small fishing villages.

Brittany was first settled in the 6th Century BC by Celts, who named it Armor (country of the sea), returning in the 5th Century AD after being driven fron their homeland by the Anglo-Saxon invasion. They then named it Brittany, or “Little Britain.”

The Breton language is also akin to the mind-bending Welsh tongue, and both regions are given to legends of demons, spirits and sorcerers. Which doesn’t prevent Bretons claiming that they have 7,777 saints, only a handful recognized by the Vatican.

Getting here: Air France flies nonstop to Paris. American, Pan Am, TWA, Delta, Continental and a clutch of foreign carriers can get you there with stops and changes. Air Inter will fly you from Paris to Lannion (five miles from Trebeurden) in an hour.

Round-trip LAX-Paris costs between $890 and $940, based on advance purchase, month and day of week flown. Air Inter charges $150 for the Paris-Lannion leg.

A car is very useful in these parts, and Renault USA (call (800) 221-1058) is one of several French firms offering tax-free car-leasing programs. Renault’s gives you a new car, unlimited mileage and insurance coverage, starting at $675 for three weeks.

How long/how much? Take three days to see this region of the northern Brittany coast. Lodging prices always seem reasonable outside France’s large cities, but dining costs can be expensive.

A few fast facts: France’s franc recently sold for 5.02 to the dollar, about 20 cents each. Late spring to late fall is the best time to visit, although locals claim that winters are very mild.

Getting settled in: Hotel Ker An Nod (Rue de Pors Termen; $42 to $56 double occupancy) sits on a small bay just across from a beach. Bedrooms are moderate in size and extremely simple, though many have little balconies with fantastic views.

The hotel features a lovely, garden-like dining room with windows on the bay. A $17 menu offers fish soup or mussels, catch-of-the-day or steak, and dessert or cheese board.

Family Hotel (Place de Crec’h Hery; $36 to $40 double) is at the village center across from the tourist office. Family is a cozy and homey place, with a huge old chest in the lobby having the look of a family heirloom.

Bedrooms and baths are on the small side, but some are suitable for a family of three or four. And the owner, Madame Le Gall, is a most friendly lady who presides over the desk and dining room.

Hotel du Toeno (Corniche de Goas-Treiz; $39-$50 double, $5 more in August-September) is a very modern, motel-like place just outside town on the Tregastel road. Bedrooms are ultra-contemporary, baths the same, and seafront rooms have spacious balconies.

Regional food and drink: Lobster from along this coast is prized all over France. A favorite way of cooking it is a l’Americaine . But a Parisian waiter once made the mistake of writing homard a l’Americaine , and the succulent shellfish in a rich sauce of white wine, brandy, garlic, shallots and tomatoes has been known as such ever since.

The regional fishermen’s soup, la cotriade , is pure Breton and made of whitefish and eels, potatoes, onions and sometimes cream. It’s served like a bouillabaisse over slices of bread. Chateau du Coing de St-Fiacre is a fine muscadet to serve with both of the above.

Good local dining: Le Embruns (Ile Grande), on an island connected by causeway to the mainland, is an old Breton stone house very popular with locals. An assiette de fruits de mer (a plate of shellfish) gives you various kinds of oysters, mussels, shrimp, scallops, clams, winkles and such for $15. You alsomay choose the $25 menu, which starts with a fish terrine, moves on to a platter of shellfish, then either a brochette of coquilles Saint Jacques (scallops) or broiled lotte (angler fish), cheese and dessert.

A more simple seafood restaurant, Les Brissant (on Ile Grande’s main street), has a three-course menu for $11. You’ll get a salade nicoise or hearty salade bretonne (various cold meats and potatoes), then the catch-of-the-day, plus cheese or dessert.

For a real taste of Brittany, pop into the creperie Le Goeland (Rue de Trozoul), where the crepe cooker by the window and small bar with locals having a mid-morning glass of red is the domain of hearty Madame Bougan, a “real type” as the French say.

Creperie des Isles (on harbor) has an inside room and bar as well as picnic tables with umbrellas right on the beach. You’ll find crepes stuffed with sweets, or the thicker galettes of buckwheat filled with mushrooms, onions and other staples, for about $4 at either creperie.

Going first-class: Manoir de Lan Kerellec (Allee Lan Kerellec; $100 to $240 double, low season, $116 to $250 high) is an 1890 manor house. The house and its site are breathtaking.

Handsome and personable owners, Luce and Gilles Daube, exude Gallic charm as they look after guests’ and offer advice on the best sights and walks along the coast.

Even if you don’t stay there, arrange an evening meal in the dining room with its soaring ceiling of vaulted wooden beams resembling a ship’s hull. Window tables give you an unforgettable view of the setting sun across the water.

Two menus of $50 and $76 offer the very best Breton food. Its preparation rates a Michelin star and the Manoir’s membership in the prestigious Relais & Chateaux group of owner-operated lodgings.

On your own: This coast of Brittany is noted for the rose and purple rocks along its shores, carved by wind and tides for centuries into fantastic shapes that have been given imaginative names. Take the coastal walk from Trebeurden through Tregastel and on to Ploumanach for viewing these phenomena.

Make the short drive over to the delightful little medieval town of Treguier and its 13th-Century cathedral where St. Yves is buried. Sit at a sidewalk cafe across from the cathedral on Market Square, have a cooler and enjoy the afternoon carillon concert.

Trebeurden is a resort village with seven sandy beaches, an equestrian center, 18-hole golf course and enough water sports and fishing to keep anyone occupied and active for weeks.

For more information: Contact the French Government Tourist Office, 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 303, Beverly Hills 90212, (213) 271-6665 or (213) 272-2661, for a brochure on Brittany, another on hotels in the region, plus a map of northwest France.