Thoughts on Brittany

As I depart from Brittany I reflect on the success of our trip. My goal was to step off of the well trod tourist locations of Europe, like Barcelona, which are beautiful and interesting and iconic, but, at the same time global and invaded by U.S. stores and music and hordes of tourists (and no locals). The ongoing protests in Barcelona, Lisbon and other cities attest to this phenomenon. The Camino was certainly authentic in its own way (and not “touristic”). It remains a challenge to experience a local culture when so much has become global and “touristic.” So did this trip to Brittany step up the challenge?

First, I start by concluding that the most authentic way to experience any local culture is to rent a VBRO apartment or house in the countryside and stay awhile. Pick a small town or city (like Nantes). Develop a path to a favorite cafe, bakery, butcher, grocer and restaurants. You will not be a local but you will come to sense what the culture is like.

Second, find local restaurants run by a couple or just a few folks. Any restaurants that have aspirations may offer an experience (see pics 1 & 2 below) but they drift away from local specialities and, IMO, focus on, as Keven suggested, Instagram Cuisine (i.e., Cusine focused on its visual appeal over flavor). Our experience in Japan really brought this point to the fore and my plan in Brittany focused on ease of eating at high end hotels which was a mistake.

Third, stay in small hotels cozy neighborhoods or small towns. Seems obvious, but in this trip I often picked beautiful hotels/Inns/Chateaux outside of town or hotels centrally located in town. Pics 11 and 12 are from a small hotel in Paris in the Marais. Sure the room was laughably small (and not to Richard’s taste) but, for me, the excellent staff all of whom were friendly and ready to sit down and have a nice conversation, made the experience intimate and provided details on what living in the country is like.

Fourth, always, always opt for a walking tour! I prefer private tours so we can ask all of the questions we want and engage in intimate conversation without bothering other folks on a tour. Most tour guides I’ve met self-select their occupation based on a desire not just to teach or earn a buck but because they like the back and forth exchange of lively conversation. Our guide, Alice, at Mont Saint Michel (MSM) (and Richard in Kyoto and our expat guide in Florence) are prime examples of folks that love talking about life in their country, differences in culture, history, cuisine etc. Guides make a trip immersive. Cooking classes also have been a big hit.

Fifth, always include walks in a country’s garden/parks. There is just something wonderful that happens to the psyche when you amble around a park. And parks reflect the culture of the place you are visiting. Parks also allow for people watching and mingling with

Sixth, come home to a daughter, visiting, who makes you a Father’s Day breakfast.

Brittany Assessment. Other priorities than the above prevailed in our trip to Britany, and those took away from a truly “authentic” experience. We did not do #1 or #2 (when the four of us were together) as much as would have liked or #3 (when the four of us were together). I focused a lot on fancy accommodations and fancy meals. We also trooped from place to place which was the desired outcome but that lessened the local experience. We did stay at fabulous places, and that was a treat for all and promoted a relaxed group conviviality. That we ate at the same places we slept offset the many days when we spent one night at a hotel and had no desire, after a long day, to foray into town.

On top of that, as die hard tourists and history buffs, we visited a lot of touristic locations like MSM, forts, submarine bases, and menihirs (Neolithic stone sites) (which we all loved doing) and thus encountered the most tourists. Good news, we went at the perfect time of year and encountered almost no tourists that were not French (or some Germans). Also, less tourists traipse around Britany.

The four of us had a great time and obtained a real flavor Brittany while hitting the top spots. So I would mark the trip, overall, as a success as we satisfied our priorities but I would mark down the trip for “authentic experiences.” I would add that I totally succeeded in #6. Margot’s visit was a complete surprise as sheet greeted me at our door as I arrived. I then had a wonderful Father’s Day breakfast of avocado toast with ricotta cheese.

Finally, Judy and I were able to join the King’s Day protest in Bethesda which was a raucous and successful affair. Sadly, Trump’s tanks in Washington event was not inundated with rain.Read more