Why do you like living in Brittany?

Over the last 7 years we have often compared day to day life in Brittany with that of our previous life in the UK and are often asked why we like living here. Yesterday some French friends asked us that very question; culminating with a request to come up with a list of the top ten reasons. So we gave it some serious thought and came up with our own list.

It is inevitable that others would consider other reasons more important and we would be pleased to have other ex-pats express their views based on their own experiences. The answer to the next question is, yes, we could probably come up with a list of things we dislike about living in Brittany, but would probably struggle to achieve ten, so we will leave that for another day. In the meantime, in no particular order here is our top ten.

 

Patience and Good Humour

We have mentioned this before in our various posts on this Blog, but it is worth repeating that the Bretagne people are extremely friendly and always have time for you. They go out of their way to make you welcome and once you have been introduced to someone they will want to develop and continue the relationship. You can always find individuals who are exceptions to the rule, but these are few and far between. Despite the fairly hard life in rural areas and low levels of income we have only ever found good humour and endless patience, especially with our French language.

 

Local Accountability

The local commune places all responsibility on the Marie and his/her team regardless of what their actual responsibilities are, as a result we find they are much more responsive to the needs of the residents. It could be partly due to the fact that the Marie lives in the community and comes into contact daily with the residents. It is not uncommon to visit the village and see the Marie or one of his staff being harangued in the street by one of the communes residents over a local issue. It is really great to be able to go direct to the person who can make things happen and who knows the area and environment.

 

Access to Local Services

In our small village we have, a pharmacy, small supermarket, 2 Boulanger, boucherie, post office, doctor, dentist and two tabacs. This is not uncommon in Brittany and despite the competition from the increasing number of out of town shopping area’s the local business’s survive due to the continued support of the local community. There have been attempts to close the local post office but so far local opposition has been so strong that the centre has backed down, for the moment anyway. To understand how these small businesses survive you have got to understand the way the community lives, i.e. our farmer neighbour only ventures out of the village once every two or three months and that’s a special outing!

 

Cleanliness of the Environment

It is interesting but after 7 years we tend to take it for granted and only notice the difference on a visit to the UK. Roadside verges beautifully trimmed, roundabouts planted with all sorts of shrubs and colourful flowers, village and town squares dressed with floral displays. A competitive spirit exists between towns and villages to achieve the best looking display and local authorities place appearance high on their agenda. It has to be said that the culture of the Bretons has a part to play in achieving this clean environment, the only people who drop litter are the tourists.

 

Health Services

This can be a very touchy subject for some ex-pats as we had to fight to maintain our rights to health cover in France last year, but anyone who has been unlucky enough to need health assistance in France cannot help but be impressed by the service. You can often see a doctor on the same day and get referred to specialist within a few days. Accident and emergency rarely has more than two or three people waiting and if you need to be admitted you will have a bed straight away. We can only speak of our own experiences which are very positive.

 

Scenic Beauty

Brittany has one of the most beautiful and dramatic coasts in France which is why it attracts so many visitors in the summer months It has such a variety of landscape from the flat farmlands in the east to the rolling hills and mountains in the west. It is no wonder that one of the most popular pastimes for the Bretons is the ‘randonnée’ taking participants through some of the many hidden pathways which twist and turn through the landscape. We could live here for the next hundred years and still not have explored all the hidden beauty of Brittany.

 

Road Condition

As you drive around Brittany you cannot help but be impressed by the quality of the road surfaces and general maintenance. It obviously has something to do with the fact there is less traffic and therefore less damage, but it is still impressive especially when you drive into the heart of the countryside and the quality is still maintained. When you drive off the ferry in the UK you immediately notice the difference and begin to think there is something wrong with your car.

 

No Shortage of Activities

In Brittany there is no shortage of activities to engage even the most reluctant participant, sailing, kite surfing, hang gliding, canoeing, football, handball etc. Or if you prefer a more sedate pastime why not join one of the many activities organised by the local community or perhaps an evening class. If there is something you have an interest in I think you can guarantee that there will be a chance to participate in that activity in Brittany. To date we have tried, sailing, randonnée, land yachting, boules and Breton dancing.

 

Relaxed Pace of Life

If you are looking for fast pace of life then Brittany is definitely not the place for you. Here time can and does stand still, especially if you have no sense of urgency and have a relaxed approach to getting things done. Initially this philosophy can be infuriating to an ex-pat who is used to the cut and thrust of life in the UK, but eventually you will have to submit or seek medication. If you can get used to the idea that the midday meal takes two hours and the evening meal three, then you are on the road to conversion.

 

Food & Wine

Well, how can we not like the food and wine available in Brittany, the variety and choice makes entertaining a real pleasure. It is fair to say like most ex-pats we expected the food to be a lot cheaper than in the UK, but in reality there is not a great deal of difference. However the availability of really fresh produce that has not travelled kilometre’s to get to the shop revitalises your taste buds. As for the wine, well Brittany is not renowned for its wine but its home made cider is guaranteed to give you a good night’s sleep.