Bonjour, La Belle France
Oh my goodness, I’ve missed travelling.
Living so close to the French coast (only 14 miles away) makes popping over to Brittany for a few days hard to resist, but due to the pandemic it hasn't been possible. So, at last, being able to visit our mobile home for a few days was wonderful.
The Jersey/France border restrictions were lifted about 3 weeks ago, and we were very lucky our ferry departed, as the first few sailings out of Jersey were cancelled. This was due to the collapse of the St Malo freight, passenger and baggage handling company and the stevedores striking in protest. It was a great relief to receive the boarding cards the day before we were due to sail.
Does your car shout ‘Warning, ferry!’ like mine does? I know I wear glasses, but really, there’s no need to be rude.
Clearly, travelling at this present time is a very different experience to normal. Condor Ferries should be praised for the precautions it’s taking. Face masks were mandatory from check-in at St Helier harbour until passing through French customs in St. Malo. It was a little surreal seeing all passengers wearing masks and seated with at least one chair between them (even those from the same household).
Kelly and I rocking the mask look ;-) We got ours from Superdrug #notanad
The reason for our trip wasn’t just for a little break. We were collecting an addition to our family – an 18 week old rescue kitten. Due to COVID travel restrictions, rescued cats and dogs have not been allowed to be shipped from mainland Europe to Jersey. So, as the borders were opening again, Kelly and I decided to collect little ‘Mo’ ourselves (more about him in a future post and on Instagram).
Being from a small island where a drive in the car ends at a beach 10 minutes later (not a bad problem to have), it was great being back on French roads again.
As we have a mobile home in Dinan, just south of St Malo, our plan was to stay isolated as much as possible and relax for a couple of days before we took the 5.5 hours drive to Limoges (320 miles south-east of Dinan), to collect Mo. This became particularly important when only a couple of hours after arriving, we discovered that Brittany was now considered a COVID red zone! There’s been a spike in the ‘R’ or reinfection rate increasing it to almost 3.
Thankfully, masks are mandatory in all shops and there are hand-sanitizing stations everywhere. Yet, when we popped to the InterMarche supermarket to grab provisions for the next couple of days, it was unnerving to see people not following social-distancing measures and barely visible floor markings. I know some people don’t want to wear a mask, but personally, I don’t have a problem with it. Yes it gets a bit hot and stuffy, but if it helps in some small way to keep both me and others safe, I think it’s worth it.
The problem with not having visited for a while is that my very limited French is very rusty - not a great combination. I confidently approached a shop assistant and asked, ‘Qu'est-ce c'est le confiture?’ When a look of complete confusion came over his face, I thought it was because he hadn’t heard me properly through my mask. Then I realised my mistake - I had asked him ‘What is the jam?’ rather than ‘Ou’/’Where’ is the jam!
Even with the COVID risk, I have to say it was lovely being back in this beautiful area.
The campsite is located a three minutes drive from the picturesque medieval port of Dinan. It’s like stepping back in time and too beautiful not to take photos.
The River Rance flows through it and under a huge viaduct meandering south through the Cotes D’Armour for approximately 20 miles. During previous visits here I’ve loved wandering along the river, stopping for lunch or a cool drink in the port and then walking up the steep cobbled hill to the historical walled town. At the top of the hill, there are ruins and ramparts to walk around.
In the town itself there are hundreds of old brown stone buildings, some with Tudor styled wooden struts on the outside. If you ever get the chance, it’s well worth a visit.
What is it about French food that we find so tempting?
French cuisine is raved about, the world over. My problem with it is that the French don’t really do veg and I love loads of vegetables with my meals. If you go out for a meal, there’ll usually be some form of potato on the menu, but you’re lucky to get a carrot and couple of beans served as ‘seasonal vegetables’. In fairness, things are far better than when I first started coming to France as a child in the 1970s. Mind you back then, I was in my element with a big bowl of ‘moules et frites’ and some baguette for dipping in the sauce – delicious! As odd as it might sound now, children were served a small glass of Muscadet with it. How times have changed?
One of my favourite meals in France is when we have ‘picky bits’. A trip to the charcuterie often ends in way too much being bought – a selection of saucisson, pate and other cold meats, accompanied by grated celeriac and carrots, champignons a la grecque and tabbouleh. Then to the fromagerie for Port Salut, soft Brie, Rocquefort and Boursin. Of course, it would be rude not to partake in a glass or two of the vin rouge or the local cider. Oh my goodness, I’m salivating just thinking about it!
There’s no denying that the French know how to bake, so a trip to the boulangerie is a must. Who can resist a proper ‘baguette tradition’ or one of the many sweet and colourful delights behind the glass display case? Of course, I can have coffee and croissants for breakfast at home, but it tastes so much better in France. And there’s no way, I’m coming to France and not indulging in a freshly baked tartlette fraises – drool!
For goodness sake, I’m only human. I have weaknesses.
As it turned out, we didn’t end up driving to Limoges to collect Mo, so we decided to go to the IKEA store near Rennes (we don’t have one in Jersey). It amazes me how easy, yet perilous, it is to spend 4 hours just wandering around the store. It’s full of great storage ideas at reasonable prices, and surprise surprise we didn’t leave empty handed. However, it wasn’t just an artificial pot plant and new serving dish. Oh no! We ended up coming back with a new sofa bed and couple of shelf units for Kelly’s lounge area!
So after our four day trip we returned home with a few bottles of wine, a sofa-bed, FOUR kittens (see next post) and an extra 10lbs on my hips because of all the bread and cheese!
On arrival back in Jersey, we had the COVID nasal and throat swab test. It’s a little invasive, but over quickly, and nothing like as bad as I had heard it was. It’s extremely odd that as long as we have the test we don’t have to self-isolate, even though we won’t get the results for 48 hours and have just arrived from a COVID red zone! To my mind, that’s a very strange decision by the Government of Jersey. However, we intend to self-isolate until we have the results and I will probably work from home next week to be sure I’m not going to infect anyone.
So, as they say in France, Au Revoir (goodbye until we meet again).
And here he is. Little Mo resting after a very long day.