Brittany/Bretagne

*HOME OF crepes and alcoholic apple cider. DO IT.

-       Vannes = Gothic port town complete with architecture straight out of Beauty and the Beast, a castle (Castle Suscinio), beach with Atlantic Ocean, and salt farm. Salt farm: a place similar to rice paddies where they cultivate and harvest salt.

-       Biggest garage sale ever spanned two streets uphill, with its own cotton candy vendors and barbecued food for sale

-       Strolled along a canal that stretches from Nantes to Brest with super idyllic trees lining it

-       We had first rate, home-made breakfast and dinner, mostly on the patio (terrace), mostly until 10:00 or 11:00 at night.

-       Said farewell to Fred and Georges, whose weekend holiday ended. Sadness.

-       Went shopping in Rennes at numerous places. Europe is a haven for shoes of all shapes and sizes. Margot even found two pairs, which is kindof a big deal for her.

-       “Celebrated” the 4^th of July via a surprise breakfast of American-style pancakes topped with caramel and Nutella. Breakfast of champions.

-       Sorted out our train tickets to Nice… FOR THE FUTURE: even if you have a Eurail pass, you still need to book specific train tickets as the Eurail network is limited and does not in fact guarantee you seats on a train. Also, always validate your ticket(s) in the station beforehand.

-       Brocéliande: forest of legends, home to Merlin, King Arthur, and Breton/Celtic lore. Epic questing occurred in the forms of visiting the fountain of eternal youth, Merlin’s castle, hiking through the beautiful forest in the magical rain while stopping frequently to be told stories and fairytales. We scaled a mountain amidst the ferns and the rain and the oak trees, and as soon as we hit the summit, it stopped raining long enough to take pictures. Tales of dragons, faeries, gnomes, mermaids, witchcraft, metamorphosis, and epic battles were told.  SO MUCH LEGENDARY.

-       Went to the seaside town of Quiberon with Babeth and Philippe (aka Mama and Papa ‘Zo’): enjoyed lunch, climbed over the “cote sauvages” or savage coast with epic rocks and thoughts of Disney songs, again.

Went to Malestroit for the BEST crepes and cider EVER. In the process, we obtained the most adorable teacups, one depicting Broceliande’s cider and Merlin, the other mentioning korrigans (mischievous gnomes).