Exploring Brétagne…

I’ve put off this post for awhile, because how do you write about such an amazing region?  After the south of France, Brittany was the most beautiful region I visited and it was hands down the most interesting, history-wise.  Being in Brittany felt like being in a mythical legend or fairy tale.  Everything is green and magical-looking.

In fact, I loved Brittany so much, I visited the region twice in my last two months in France!  Because my words couldn’t possibly do such a magical place justice, I’m giving you photos!

This place was called “La Maison des Fées” (in English: The Fairy House).

It looks like a Fairy house…

Inside their house.

Springtime in France rocks.

Brittany countryside

View from a church window

Their were rocks inside with messages for the church. This was my favorite. Thanking the church for sheltering them on a cold night.

Here is the church. It’s perched on a hillside – excellent views!

One of the views

Me with a 400+ year old tree!

Close-up of the tree

Ruins in the countryside

We played around a lot with poses in the ruins.

a carving on the old ruin. It was really amazing to walk amongst everything

Magical.

Brittany countryside. Driving around, I really felt like we’d fallen into a different era.

Bridge.

Wall mural in a seaside town

We stopped at a café for tea and dessert. These cakes are all Breton specialties and they were all delicious.

Yeah. These guys were just walking down the street.

the sea!

a view of the little town

French country road

on the left, there is an old building used during WW2 by the Germans. On the right, ruins of a much older fortified building.

exploring the beach

stairs leading up to the fort

There’s a lot of graffiti inside the building now, but a lot of it is pretty cool looking. Character-adding.

On old window, perhaps a look-out spot for a sharp-shooter.

a view of the WW2 building

View from the fort.

And, views of the coast from the other side.

Not much left but the foundations and walls.

From a distance, we thought that building was a little cottage, but it was actually some kind of armory or something. A tiny stone building, no windows, 1 door and very creepy vibes.

This city might be Brest, but don’t quote me on that.

Gallettes! A Breton specialty and oh so good!

The next day, our first stop was a tulip farm.

I liked the abnormalities

La Torche… a beach known for windsurfing. I loved the rock towers.

La Torche

Here are the windsurfers!

La Torche was gorgeous!

The dunes reminded me of the Georgia coast. :)

Surf shop on La Torche

Outside Concarneau

One of my favorite things about France is that flowers are planted everywhere! They really care about beautifying their cities and the air smells so fresh and lovely as a result.

Close up of the flowers.

Concarneau

harbor outside the walled city.

I love this photo.

I’m fascinated by the wildflowers that manage to grow everywhere, including in the cracks of these massive stone structures.

right outside the walls of Concarneau

Pigeons!

an accordian player

A bit of history, Brittany wasn’t always a part of France. It was originally inhabited by a people descended from celtic culture, called Bretons, who spoke an entirely different language (Breton). Sadly, not many people speak Breton anymore, but the road signs and public notices are still in French AND Breton.

I loved the sentence at the top of the menu” “Available to-go or you can “picnic” here”

I love the “clock” on the side of the building

SPRING!

More wildflowers growing in impossible places.

view from the city walls

This really reminds me of France.

another harbor on the opposite side of Concarneau

The city of Concarneau

our friend baked us a tarte-tartin… Its like an apple pie (kind of) baked upside down.

The final product! It was the best ‘apple pie’ I’ve ever eaten!!

La Trinité-sur-mer

There was a sailing competition the weekend we were there.

“ground full of Americans” ?!?!?!?!

# 45 – See Cherbourg with Lauren. Accomplished! (well, sort of…)

Continuing in my efforts to “profiter” of my time left, I hopped on a train last weekend and met Lauren in Caen to rent a car and take a tour of the Normandy coast.  Our original plan was to head up to Cherbourg, but after some reflection and discussion, we decided that Étretat might be a more worthy end goal.  After seeing Étretat, I’m fully convinced we made the right decision.

Standing on William the Conquerer's castle in Caen! The history in Europe is mind-boggling!

As I said, we rented a car in Caen and headed up the coast – our first stop was Trouville, ancient home of French author, Marguerite Duras.  We walked the beach, saw a bit of the town, and then moved on.

Enjoying the sea air.

Originally, our plan was to eat lunch in Honfleur, but the main road was closed and after attempting (and failing) to follow the detour twice, we stopped at this cheesy (but delicious!) chain restaurant called “The Buffalo Grill.”

The Buffalo Grill. The concept of chain restaurants is not popular in France as it is in the USA, but this one has managed to break through.

I could write an entire blog about The Buffalo Grill.  Its a French chain restaurant imitating the big American chain restaurants (think TGIFridays or Ruby Tuesdays), and they do a GREAT job!  From the moment I walked in to the restaurant, I felt like I was back in America, only a strange America where everyone speaks French.

A booth in the restaurant

They’re cowboy-themed and serve your basic burger & fries type of fare.  I ordered the Frenchy burger, and it may have been the best burger I’ve ever eaten.  And instead of offering ketchup with the fries, you can choose from 15 different types of sauces, including BBQ, Roquefort, etc… DELICIOUS!!!

My Frenchy Burger... MMmmmmmMMMMmmmmm!

It was also the quickest meal I’ve ever eaten in France – they really nailed the timing of an American restaurant too, we ate within an hour, which is nearly impossible in a real French restaurant.

After our lunch detour, we decided it would be best to head straight to Étretat.  It was cloudy Saturday morning, but cleared up by the time we got to Étretat.  Friends, if you’re ever in Northern France, take the time to stop here.  It was breathtaking!  The cliffs are amazing, I could have spent all day just taking in the views, listening to the waves and the gulls’ cries, basking in the sun and breathing in the salty coastal air.

Basking in the sun!

Once you are on the cliffs, there are all kinds of paths you can walk around and down again.  And, without any of the annoying (but perhaps handy?) guardrails you would find on the edge of American cliffs.

Look ma! NO guardrails!

These were like the Stairs of Death, and I did not make it further down than this.

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed in Étretat all afternoon, and I would definitely go back.  It’s amazing how much beauty there is to see in this world.

Views of the cliffs from the beach.

Gorgeous!!!

And facing the other direction

Tinted views

An old church on the cliffs

Life is good.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and one last thing  – We rented a diesel for our travels, and it was surprisingly fuel-efficient. Why don’t we use diesel more in the USA?  We drove 230 KM and used only about 1/8 of a tank – definitely worth the 10 euro upsell (especially since fuel doesn’t come cheap here – that 1/8 tank cost 23 euros!)

Check out that fuel-efficiency