La Bretagne

J7
Day seven was much quieter. We started the day with a buffet breakfast and sampled everything we could, and set off full of fuel for the day. It was full off WOW moments and every village contributed to our fun.

The best part of the day was Vitré. It is one of the few medieval towns in Europe still intact. The chateau is imposing and the narrow lanes are lined with tall wooden buildings that look well past their use-by-date. They are so crooked you wonder if they are about to collapse.

Sally visited one shop and purchased a pressy for Mandy which the lady put into a box. We went off to the Post Office and after finding the price of $60 to send it we changed our mind.

A quick visit to the Tourisme Office led us to the voie verte along a former railway line which took us Domalain. We were pleased to follow this route as the roads which we crossed were very busy. We arrived at Pat's for the night.

Pat and I have corresponded by email for about 2 years and she helped me immensely with my written French and I with her English. After 2 years we finally got to meet.

After dinner I went with Pat to her rehearsal for 12th Night by Shakespeare. I could understand very little but I did notice that their

director was an excellent performer and they will put on a wonderful performance on the day. I even got to listen to Pat tickle the ivories of her accordion while everyone individually sang a verse of a song.

J8
Pat works in Rennes and she offered to take us in to town while she was at work so we could play tourist. Rennes is a big city by New Zealand standards. The place was absolutely humming at 8 in the morning and lots of the streets are pedestrian malls.

We found the old part of town where there are a few medieval houses. Sally got Robert's pressy there and then we went off to the Post Office a second time. It was a fraction of the price in Vitré so we sent both pressies to their new homes.

For lunch we ate a long baguette stuffed full of brie and charcuterie

and toasted till piping hot. YUM. Then we set off looking for the gardens. We found them next to the church of Notre Dame. Inside, the church was a sanctuary after the noise of the city. It had been added to over the centuries and one half of the church had a slowly sloping floor. Most unusual.

We entered the gardens and ambled slowly through the formal gardens and an art exhibition. In the botanic garden we stumbled across two kiwis. They say that kiwis are to be found everywhere in the world and Rennes was no exception. A good old fashioned flax bush and a cabbage tree graced their display. Strangely you are not allowed to walk on the grass or lawns in the gardens.

Pat picked us up at 5 pm and told us of a surprise. We had to guess what is was. She drove home a different route and stopped at the La Roche aux Fées just on dusk. It is a melancholy type of place to visit. The rocks are massive, but somehow peaceful and serene. Once again we were privileged to see a part of France that most foreigners would never see.

Then we visited the town of La Guerche-de-Bretagne and its magnificent church. The WOW factor just kept on coming. At home we were welcomed by Victor who had just returned from a long business trip. We chatted the evening away over a meal of gallettes made with black wheat. A real treat.