Blogs from Brittany , France, Europe - page 24

I contacted Angelique she was very happy to hear from me, she lived another few hours away so I caught the train to her home town Lannion, It’s funny dogs are so welcome over here they get on trains, they are allowed in restaurants, shops and even food stores. The dogs all get along together, it great to see them being so social with each other and the public, it’s like they know they are welcome and they love the life here. Angelique and her two boys picked me up from the train station, it was so nice to see her once again and it was nice to have some company. Her children’s names are Pol-ewen and Maelin, they are traditional Celtic Brittany names, and I thought they were lovely especially when you hear them in ... read more

We left our house for an overnight on Belle Ile, a little island to the south of us which we knew of as a place where Australian impressionist John Russell painted with Monet, Gauguin and Matisse. The two hour morning ferry ride through the Gulf was very pretty, lots of beautiful houses and yachts. We arrived in Le Palais and found a hotel (see pic 2) then decided to rent a moped so we could see more of the island, particularly the Sauvage Coast to the west where Russell had his artists' colony (see pic 1) -- it was as ruggedly beautiful as the paintings we had seen. We had a huge meal at the hotel that night -- between us we had crab, mussels, steak and salmon. A's steak was accompanied by the best frites ... read more

First time on line in a few days and I can't describe my relief to go to the ABC news website and see 'Julia Gillard, Prime Minister'! Okay, back to business. We drove to B&R's in Brittany on Sunday -- about 440km in our zippy little Renault (see pic) from Paris. We had a lovely evening with them, getting to know the house (see pic) and neighbourhood and being treated to lovely food and drink. B&R took off on Monday morning for Italy and we mooched about before heading out to explore nearby Josselin and then south west to Aurvey. Unfortunately we had a bit of rain but it was still very pretty. A's adapted brilliantly to right hand driving... I'm yet to take the plunge. We finally managed to get out for some exercise this ... read more

Up and off in good time having had our campsite identity bracelets cut off in reception and our €20 deposit returned. This to prevent us returning for a free swim we presume. We then drove down to Carantec and parked behind a beach, in an area where we think we could overnight if we wanted. We climbed the steep hill into the town intent on finding a chemist to sell me some nice soothing lotion for my ‘spots’. Monsieur Le Chemist insisted I see a doctor and kept a good distance from me having spotted the spots. He phoned the local doctor and sent us on our way. Monseiur Le docteur was very friendly and shook our hands but we had to speak French. I showed him the spots and also my Telfast antihistamine to explain ... read more

As we had only a short drive to Carantec, on the north coast of the Finistere peninsula, we took a detour via Locronan. This was recommended by a Dutch couple on the campsite as I had suggested Douarenez to them. Excellent parking arranged to visit this medieval town, as no vehicles allowed inside. Paid the man €3 and found our spot. No problem with that as we can be happy that we are reasonably secure if there is someone overseeing the carpark. There was an Antiquities fair in town for the day, through the medieval streets and the main square, which made it even more interesting. Browsed some very curious curiosities but managed to ignore any urge to buy. Managed also not to go into too many of the rather good and enticing shops, fortunately as ... read more