At Home in Brittany

In Praise of “Le Vélo”

A recent visit by two extremely fit, health conscious and more importantly; young members of our family suddenly made my husband and I very aware of our lack of energy. They highlighted our deficiency in the “get-up-and-go” department; our desire to swim, play tennis and leap on our bikes was still there but our bodies needed more convincing.

 

How could this happen when we are lucky enough to live in the heart of the country surrounded by sea, inviting places to walk and empty roads to cruise along on our bikes? The question had to be addressed and this was the couple more than capable of dealing with it and the answer was simple; our problem was evidently laziness! A lazy lifestyle and too may trips to the boulangerie. (By car!)

 

The first appraisal of our stamina was observed during what is usually a gentle but pleasurable cruise into our nearest village to purchase the obligatory baguette; which on that day would also serve as a way of putting into practice the French phrases of our guests. From the outset my husband and I realised we would not score high marks for our efforts; lack of road awareness, unsuitable old badly maintained bone-shaker bikes, meandering in the middle of roads to gaze at cows, far too slow and just downright dangerous riders. Whereas the language exercises of our young erudite trainers was impressive. I believe the habitual “afternoon aperitif break” at our friendly neighbours on the return journey may have reduced our score; although the homemade cider got the thumbs-up from everyone.

 

The Challenges of Driving in Brittany

Driving a car in Brittany can be a real pleasure and a nightmare dependent on how confident you are as a driver and whether you are driving an expensive car. The first thing to understand is the French do not place the same value on their cars as the English, for the majority it is simply a way to get from A to B. In complete contrast to the majority of English owners who have a passionate love of their cars and value them as an important status symbol to be cherished as a member of the family.

 

Once you understand this contrast of values you can begin to prepare for the driving standards to be found on the roads of France and in particular Brittany. I should say in defence of the French drivers that over the years there have been a number of changes to the driving rules which tends to split the drivers into two groups, those that have been tutored in the existing rules and those that insist the old rules are still applicable. This adds to the challenge and excitement of driving on Brittany’s roads as you have to anticipate the next move.