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I haven't posted in a week or so ....here is a collection of what we've been up to.

Market day in Malestroit.

There's a town every 10 mins drive in Brittany....well at least in our area anyway. Basically you don't need to jump in the car and travel very far to enjoy something. I could live here. The French have a very quiet and serene way of doing life. Supermarkets are noticeably quiet...streets are noticeably empty and people are often seen just relaxing in an easy chair in there yards. Siesta knocks the middle out of every day, which means that things shut...workplaces, schools, shops etc....so you need to not worry too much about time otherwise you'll stress about getting to the shops on time. No one seems to stress here....there's no rush...I haven't experienced anything quite like it.

I managed to get Bec her birthday gifts at the markets, and found some pink champagne for about 3 euro which was a great drop. Not dry and tasteless like I remember back home.

Detailed carvings in the church door. The church at Melestroit is about 1000 yrs old.

And this intricute stone carving hung above the door.

This Vannes, about 40 min from home.

 The ancient city still retains much of its protective walls and turrets.

Another day spent for retail therapy at Redon which is also about a 30 min drive.

Redon

Redon apartments

Streets of Vannes

Mum and the kids (Vannes)

more walks...this is one of the best ways to soak a place up. Get off the highways, and find some little gems. This is about 15 min away.

Another day was spent on the Atlantic Coast collecting oysters for supper. A good 50 min drive.That's Jake with our friend Kay in the background. Kay and Tanya are our neighbours and have given us a fantatsic dimension to our month here in Brittany. I even managed a game of golf!

French oysters - and they'll cost you nothing but the petrol to drive to the beach.  Some of these were enormous.

A day or two at home relaxing and we visit the French Resistance Museum 15 min from here. The museum was erected on the site of an historic local battle that is said to have help shift the balance of power during German occupation. I have never really thought about resistance fighters but now realise that these were simply the town folk who with little outside help, chose to defend their town against a regular army....and with some eventual support...won their town back.

A town called Malestroit - sounds nothing like it's spelt

Have  to say this is a relaxing scene. We are going to have to come back when the kids are off our hands and rent one of these cruisers.

Each town has a little dock for you along with a power supply and fresh water to stock up on....you hop out and grab your groceries and potter around town until you want to move on.....Bliss!

The pic below is in a town 10 min from us called La Gacilly - also not pronounced as its spelt.

Back to Malestroit. A medieval market town 12 min up the road. They have a market on thursdays which is tomorrow so we might just pop up that way.

More Malestroit

Its a village full of colour....no tourists...and very quiet.

Below is one of the weir structures that allows the rental boats access to the next part of the river.

The weir house. A fella inside comes out to give you a hand. These buildings are all made of stone along with some rich painted windows.

Nuns on a walk during siesta.

We have spent several days at home chilling out. Its the kind of place that feels wrong to be racing around anyway. Everything shuts for a couple of hours after midday....department stores, schools etc (big supermarkets remain open) as they have their biggest meal of the day then. So as Aussie tourists we turn up expecting everything to be open and its not. Empty streets instead....I like it though....they don't seem to live busy and hectic lives....not outside the big centres anyway. So we don't pop out everyday....today we slept in til after 10 am ...why not...we won't get this chance when we get home. The girls went bike riding down the river trail with the neighbours and Bec and I read a bit.

Market Day @ Josselin

This was a rare occasion where we bumped shoulders with the general public. There have been hardly any people anywhere! Markets are everywhere however and are a social magnet for locals. It was a great Saturday morning for us. At 12pm, the old WW2 siren sounds and the markets close down all at once and the people retire to the street cafes.

The medieval castle at Josselin still owened and inhabited by the descendants of the Rohan family, famous to this area.

France

About a week ago we crossed the channel on the ferry. This was quite exciting as the UK was really an extension of home....they all spoke English...it was not really 'foreign'...Immediately thrown onto a motorway and the time I had been dreading was upon us....it wasn't too bad driving on the wrong side of the road ....even considering the fact that my van had a steering wheel on a different side to everyone else. They drive a bit faster than we do, but no complaints. Our first petrol stop meant approaching a cashier who spoke another language...another hurdle...but once done it became fun to try to say my well practiced phrases. The pics below are a grab from our first week here......we will be here for one month.

The temperature has increased fom abround 9 degrees to 25 degrees and all of a sudden we're getting sunshine everyday....rather than just part of it. The arrows above trace our journey so far.

This our ottage....the slightly lower roof semi-detached on a back lane in the middle od paddocks just outside of a tiny town called St Martin which is on the river Oust

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That's a half a kilo of Brie!



France

About a week ago we crossed the channel on the ferry. This was quite exciting as the UK was really en extension of home....they all spoke English...it was not really 'foreign'...Immediately thrown onto a motorway and the time I had been dreading was upon us....it wasn't too bad driving on the wrong side of the road ....even considering the fact that my van had a steering wheel on a different side to everyone else. They drive a bit faster than we do, but no complaints. Our first petrol stop meant approaching a cashier who spoke another language...another hurdle...but once done it became fun to try to say my well practiced phrases. The pics below are a grab from our first week here......we will be here for one month.

Last few days in the UK...til their Summer in 3 months

In the field below, 7000 men died ...one day in 1066. This is the site of the Battle of Hastings. France defeats England and William the Conqueror (or Bastard as otherwise known) sets himself as King of the English.

Soon after William builds an Abbey to apologise to God for the deaths and celebrate his victory.

The groundfloor for the Abbey is basically a rec hall for the monks. The stone ceiling work is fantastic.

We are staying in Kent and visit Dover Castle perched on top of the Cliffs of Dover. But there's no view due to the sea mist. Below is a light house built by the Romans in the first century and next to it a church for the castle.

Inside the Roman lighthouse below.

We have just visited the WWII tunnels in Dover Castle estate. These form a patch and dispatch underground hospital and are15m below ground. The hospital tunnels are dramatised with reconstructions of theatres, beds, mess areas ....authentic aromas are injected into the tunnels along with audio of dramatised dialogues that would have occured during surgery etc. It is broken by bomb noises that cause brown outs and then darkness....a good show!

Nat and Steph cross the draw bridge into Dover Castle....

King Edward II's bedroom within the castle. The 4 storey castle was decorated as it would have appeared in the 11th and 12 century.

A circular set of stairs connects each floor of the castle but there are nooks and crannys, little halls leading off in different directions to kitchens, toilets (long drop), a chappel, a writing room etc etc.

Steph and Nat and friend

 We head off from the White Cliffs aboard P&O and set for France