Brittany

Europe » France » Brittany » Lannion
September 13th 2010

Published: November 30th -0001

Edit Blog Post

Mecahe

Brittany

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 French. Pol-ewen was a real talker he talked all day and very, very well for a little fella, he is in his second year of school and Maelin was a very cute little man of two and his name means little prince, he is at that stage where he just wants to cling to mum. The boys were very well behaved and so well mannered

Brittany

they were a pleasure to be around. Angelique is an English teacher and her husband Pascal manages three branches of a local bank. They live a lovely white two story home in the country in a new estate, and they have just purchased a home in another suburb, the new home is made of stone and it is three stories high, it was once the residence of the local minister. It has this amazing garden full of trees and flowers, with a view of the surrounding country side. The boys will have an absolute ball in the garden they can let their imaginations go wild. I said to Angelique she just has to pack them a lunch in the morning and send them off out to the back yard.
Well did I have a great time, Angelique introduced me to her whole family and they certainly made me very welcome. Angelique’s mum was trying to speak English and she was doing a pretty good job of it, at times it was funny and we all had a great laugh. The French language will say things such as “the car of Marisa’s”, the English language would say Marisa’s car so when

Brittany

they go to translate French into English it can sound a little funny. Angelique warned her family to take care when they pronounce Thank you as with their French accents in can sound like the old F word, Oops.
I really feel at home in Brittany, it is such a beautiful place the landscape it so different to anywhere I have been. The coastal area is covered in these amazing rocks and boulders boasting some very wonderful and funny formations. We drove past a house in Plougrescant it built between two massive boulders the roof of the two storey house was level with the boulders it was the most fascinating thing I have ever seen, unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to take a photo. The little towns you come across ever so often are just beautiful, there’s flowers everywhere lovely stone homes people gathered in the town centre’s, and pretty shops tucked away down narrow streets,
The food is amazing in France, from a simple baguette to it cheese’s, cured meats, desserts OH the desserts and pastries are to die, sweet breads in the morning for breakfast, massive baguettes for lunch and a dinner menu to delight even the

Brittany

most fussiest of eaters. All the restaurant do a special where you can order a choice of entrée main and desserts starting from a reasonable 15 euro. I am so hook on their bread it is really delicious, it’s light in the middle and crunchy on the outside, not to crunchy though and the flavor of the crust is mouth watering. At this rate I will have to watch myself or the airlines will be charging me for excess weight.
Angelique’s family provides them with a lot of fresh produce, Pascal’s parents own a farm, Angelique’s father is an avid fisherman, and her brother in-law owns an organic farm that produces milk and yogurt. One night Angelique’s dad turned up with a bucket full of shell fish, Pascal cooked them up in Apple cider they were just incredibly delicious. Another night Pascal made traditional crepes called galettes they were filled with ham cheese and a cracked egg, they were the best and everyone has to get up and makes their own, it’s a real family affair I had a really good night, watching everyone joining in as a family and having a laugh, It was really funny because everyone would

Brittany

Amazing Rock formations throughout Brittany

observe each other’s crepe making skills; the comments were hilarious the house was full of laughter.
Angelique took me to the town where her and Pascal were married the church was called the Brelevenez Church it was in a tiny little village and it had amazing views, the church was originally constructed in 1190. Inside there were models of old ships suspended from the ceiling, I would say this was a representation of the community. Angelique was saying there is a two year waiting list to get married in this church. Certain parts of the church were constructed during different periods such as a window on the south side was in gothic style whilst the tower and the spire were constructed of pink granite during the 15th century. This is very common amongst the historical buildings (churches, Cathedrals )I have come across in France they all have different style windows, doors, walls, ceilings and floors, all dating through different periods in history, I all blends in so well and its really what gives the buildings such character and ambiance. Angelique’s wedding went for a marathon four days, what a celebration. She spoke with such grace and love of the day

Brittany

it bought back such wonderful memories for her I was honored she wanted to share this with me.
The French people are very sociable and everywhere I go people are saying bonjour Madame even the young children. They all love to get together, eat food and drink wine, in the mornings they are all gathered in the local bars drinking short black coffee’s laughing and enjoying their start to the day. I have had a few problem with the language barrier when they think I am POM things get a little tough once I explain I’m from Aus they come around. They don’t like them there POMS.
One town we went to was built from the pink granite that comes from the area, the shops, homes, fences, pathways, all built in this lovely subtle pink granite, apparently the granite is radioactive. There were huge pink granite boulders that lined the coast, streets and the country side, also boasting many amazing rock formations. The area was very beautiful and it was Angelique’s and Pascal’s favorite part of Brittany. The coast was very unpredictable one day the sun would be shining the next it would be overcast and raining. The tide had

Brittany

come in so far that it was crashing into the shores flooding play grounds and car parks we actually sore a car that was parked in a car park and it was surrounded by water. Another day the tide would be so far you couldn’t see the ocean at all and all the boats were lying on their side with nowhere to go.
One of the days was so lovely and sunny and Angelique’s mum wanted to see the ocean as she had been in Paris visiting a friend for the week, so of we all headed too Ile Renotte . The boys went to the beach with their grandma whilst Angelique and I went for a walk along a pathway that presented us with some beautiful views of the beach. It is really beautiful, the turquoise sea rolling in on the golden sands, blue skies, and the smell of the fresh sea air; ahhhh this is the life. When we went back to collect Angelique’s mum and the boys, the boys had been in the water, they had a great time with grandma. Every afternoon Pascal, Angelique and their children would all go for a walk together along one

Brittany

of the many coastal paths, this was their opportunity to relax and unwind together as a family, and usually they would have their dinner around eight. I really enjoyed the afternoon walks, Angelique’s family would join us and it gave them all a chance to catch up, and also practice their English skills with me.
One night we went to a traditional Brittany festival it was a lot of fun, people dancing, eating, drinking, laughing lots and simply enjoying themselves. We had barbequed salmon and chips it was really nice, Angelique and I were arguing over who was going to pay, any way I insisted they have been so generous, the lovely gentleman found it all a little humorous so he didn’t charge me full price. Angelique loves the traditional Brittany music and dance it is a lot like the Scottish, when we arrived she began to dance in the middle of the street and was trying to get Pol-ewen to join in it was really nice, poor Pol-ewen went all coy.
We walked through the medieval town of Pontrieux where we came across a few crystal shops ( : Angelique pointed out the little sheds that were along the

Brittany

river and she explained to me that this was where woman would gather to wash cloths many years ago, thank goodness mum has a whirpool !!!!
Pascal loved to be by the sea, so we had a few nice drinks by the marina in Paimpol, it was full of boats, many being large fishing boats as this was the main business in this town, Pascal had a giggle; being the local Bank Manager he said to me I own all of these, a good sense of humor has Pascal.
There were so many fabulous places to go to and see in Brittany, Angelique and Pascal made sure my days were full and fun packed there is no way I would have seen or experience the things I have if I was on my own, Angelique and Pascal are very proud of their heritage their home and their country, I will always be grateful to them for showing me such a wonderful time and their generosity was just lovely, I now have some great friends in France, also a love of France, its food, its culture and its people, thank you Pascal, Angelique and their Families. I hope that one day