The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: November second, listening for the rhythms of Brittany, the French province, not post-pubescent pop singer.

Shaped like a wolf's head, Brittany juts into the Atlantic from France's northwest coast. Surrounded on three sides by the sea, the granite fringed peninsula has more than 750 miles of shoreline, though it's barely 150 mile east to west. Savage and rugged in some places, that coast is gentle and sandy in others. Inland, Brittany is a land of small farms and tiny villages, windswept heathland and fields lined by fruit trees. Though Brittany and its people are largely defined by the sea, both are as closely linked, geologically and genetically, to the islands of Britain as they are to the historical nation of France.

Stemming from stubborn Celtic antecedents, Bretons have clung to their ancient ways. For generations, they have wrested tough a living out of the violent seas and arid soil. Their's is a place where change comes slowly, where old is not the stuff in museums but of daily life. Religious rituals are lived, not re-enacted.

Brittany's towering granite cliffs and warm, white sandy beaches have made it one of France's and Europe's most popular seaside summer escapes, especially in August. Yet year round, rather than worn out traditions or artificial charm for tourists, Brittany remains a proud, vibrant, self-authentic place. Local's still gather to toss boules and argue politics in their native Breton. In dozens of cities and towns, market day remains a major event. At Saturday night parties, the reedy tones of the bombard still beguile lace draped dancers and loud, clear tides of rhythm wash across Brittany.

FMI For information French Government Tourist Office, 410-286-8310 or www.francetourism.com. In France, you can visit SI (Syndicat d'Initiative) tourist offices in most towns or call Bretagne Info 011-33-2-9936-1515.

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