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Published: September 5th 2008
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We spent 11 days in Paris, far longer than we have spent, or are likely to spend, in any one city on this journey. We loved Paris (who doesn’t?), and got to do and see everything we wanted. We saw the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, and the Rodin Museum. We had dinner at an outdoor bistro in Montmartre. We went down in the catacombs (well, Erin and her Mom did) and then to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We took a boat cruise along the Seine. We visited the antique market, the flower market, and the bird market. And we walked in so many different neighborhoods. Yet, Paris is a city so big, that like New York, London and other megacities, we realized it would take many months, if not years, to really get to know it well. We are really glad that, like my parents who stayed here a few months ago, we rented an apartment rather than staying in a hotel. Not only was it probably cheaper, but it made us feel a little less like tourists, coming home after a day of sightseeing, and cooking our meals. OK, Erin did the cooking, and washed the dishes, but I
made a fruit salad.
Two days before we left Paris, Erin’s mother, Jayne, joined us for this portion of our trip. We have really enjoyed her company, and I know she has been loving her vacation. If anyone else wants to join us along the way, let us know.
As much as we loved Paris, we were looking forward to seeing more of France. I have been wanting to come back ever since my brief trip to Provence 4 years ago (I was visiting my brother in Barcelona, and rented a car and drove across southern France, from the Spanish border to Monaco). Last Thursday, we rented a car for 8 days, and left Paris. First, we spent a couple days in the Loire Valley, including a stay the first night in the Hotel Tatin, where the Tarte Tatin, a famous apple tart, was invented. Loire Valley is famous for its castles, and we visited two of these - Chenonceau on the river, and Villandry with its beautiful gardens.
And then it was on to Brittany, in Northwest France, where we are now. With its quaint, cobblestone towns, beautiful coastline, and green hills, it must be one
of the most beautiful places anywhere. It is also the birthplace of the crepe, so there are more creperies than all other types of restaurants combined. But Brittany’s unique cultural heritage is much more than the crepe.
Erin thinks it’s funny that I always notice little things, like stickers on cars, headlines as I am walking past a newsstand, or bunnies by the side of the road, but often fail to notice big things, like people, or directions. Anyway, I’ve been looking at car license plates and where they are from. The cars in Europe have a letter or letters indicating what country they are from. The majority, naturally, have F for France, but we have also seen many with an E (Espana = Spain) and D (Deutschland = Germany) and so on. As we arrived in Brittany, I saw a car with a BZH tag. I was stumped trying to figure that one out. Later, I learned that BZH was the abbreviation for Breizh, or Brittany in the local language. No, I don’t mean French. They speak their own language here - Breton - or used to, anyway. It’s dying. 50 years ago, almost half the people spoke
it. Today, it’s fewer than 1 in 10, and I am guessing they are mostly elderly folks, so the percentage is sure to decline. Although I did notice a school here teaching the language.
I have been reading a little about Brittany (Bretagne in French), and it really does have its own, fascinating history apart from France. It was its own country, until the 16th century, when the French finally conquered it. The people are of Celtic origin, and their language is close to the Gaelic spoken in Ireland. The women traditionally wore very colorful dresses and elaborate headdresses that they still wear during special festivals. There are many local foods, not only the world famous crepe. Although it’s probably not very historic, they even have their own cola, Breizh Cola, which we all tried and unanimously preferred to Coca Cola. They have their own flag, which they fly everywhere. There’s no longer a strong independence movement, as there once was, but there’s still a lot of regional pride. I have seen many other cars with the Brittany flag or tag imposed over the France one.
Some of our highlights here have included staying in a hotel overlooking
the harbor. Hard to believe, but we later found out it was a one star hotel. Another favorite memory was walking along the beach collecting seashells. Jayne said they were the best shells she’s seen anywhere, and she has lived in Southern California, Hawaii, and Florida. She is taking two big bags full of them home. Eating crepes in a restaurant connected to a 500 year old bridge in a charming small town was another highlight. Walking the city walls here in the ancient port town of St. Malo has also been a lot of fun. It’s one cute town after another here. We are less than 30 miles from the British Channel Islands, and have seen and heard lots of Brits here.
And today, we visited Mont St. Michel, a famous large abbey on a little island. You used to have to walk there during low tide, but now they built a road right up to it. It’s become a little too well known, a bit of a tourist trap with dozens of souvenir shops crowding the small island, but is still an impressive sight.
I also want to dispel two myths. One, that the French are
rude. Two, that they are anti-American.
People in France have been extremely friendly. I have no idea where the rude myth comes from. I can think of at least a few countries in Europe that I found rude. France is not one of them.
Second, the French seem to be fascinated by the U.S. This is very evident in the pop culture and media. So many young people wear shirts or baseball caps with the names of American cities. Restaurants promote American style dishes, or have American themes. We have felt not even the slightest hostility, and San Francisco is filled with French tourists.
So tomorrow, we start driving back towards Paris, where on Friday morning, we will return the car, and drop Jayne off for her flight home. On the way to Paris tomorrow, we plan to visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy, and the U.S. military cemetery, where thousands of soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Europe during World War 2 are buried. Afterwards, we will head south to Central and Southern France, and eventually Spain.
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