Brittany | Aussie in France

We stopped for the night in Vitré, about 40 K east of Rennes, on the way back from Brest on the western tip of Brittany one summer. We discovered a very pretty little town with a mediaeval granite castle, one of the first castles in France to be classified as a monument historique. There are many beautiful granite, slate and half-timbered houses and colourful façades, mainly in Rue de la Baudrairie. I can’t remember the name of the hotel as it was nothing outstanding, but we had a view of the castle from our window. However, we were given a very useful free Michelin guide to “secondary” towns in France that we’ve been exploring ever since.

Another view of the castle — The castle in Vitré is one of the most imposing mediaeval castles in France. Here you can see one of the towers of the old ramparts

Vitré castle is one of the most imposing feudal castles in France — South façade and Place Saint Yves

Rue de la Baudrairie, from the French "baudroyeurs" or leathermakers — Rue de la Baudrairie, from the French “baudroyeurs” or leathermakers

More granite and half-timbering — Typical juxtaposition of granite, slate and half-timbering

Typical street window — Typical colourful street window

Granite, slate and half-timbering — More granite, slate and half-timbering

interesting outside staircase — Interesting outside staircase

La Soupe aux Choux where we had a very pleasant meal

Gatehouse and Saint-Laurent Tower, Vitré — Gatehouse and Saint-Laurent Tower at dusk

In this Wednesday’s bloggers’ round-up, New Zealander Rebecca Russel (now living in Nice), tells us in a post on My French Life how French women manage to stay slim while American blogger in Paris, Sylvia from Finding Noon, who “likes food a lot”, suggests places to find slimming things like crèpes and butter in Saint Malo in Brittany. On an entirely different subject, Pierre from Paris on Demand describes the Dali retrospective at the Pompidou Centre this winter. The last one was at least 33 years ago (I know – I went to it!), so this year’s is not to be missed! Enjoy!

A French woman’s secret to staying slim

by Rebecca Russel, who lives in Nice on the Côte d’Azur, and is the Director of a property search company, Côte Abode. While looking for French Riviera property on behalf of international clients, she also keeps a keen eye on the latest places to eat, shop and simply enjoy visiting.

I was reminded of how French women eat while dining at a restaurant with an American friend recently. Halfway through our meal he noticed that as each course arrived I would methodically divide up the food and set aside a third.

He meanwhile wolfed into snails in garlic butter (well, he did want to try something French), followed by a whole fish encased in crushed almonds and cooked (again) in butter, accompanied by my leftover pureed potatoes with truffle oil. He finished the entire bread basket before the mains had arrived. We followed this up with cheese and dessert. Read more

Saint Malo

by Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

Two weekends ago we went to Cancale, and I raved about our trip, and it was fantastic, but then life happened and I start writing about more timely stuff, like the Paris Photo Festival, which I really encourage you to go see, which means I got side tracked and didn’t fully finish talking about our trip, which is fine, because, well, do you really care about every little thing we saw and tasted and experienced? I hope not, for your sake! On the other hand, I do like food an awful lot and we had some great meals on this trip that I really want to remember so I can book places for our next trip, so today, I am indulging myself and making a list of my St Malo favorite foods. First, the fish that got away. Read more.

Dali’s retrospective at Beaubourg

by Pierre from Paris on Demand, aimed at helping tourists and Paris lovers to get to know the city of Light under a different perspective, offering news and updates on exhibitions, museums, restaurants, off-the-beaten-track addresses, events and tips to prepare their trip and understand the Parisian way of life.

The Beaubourg Museum will definitely be one of the hot spots in town this winter with the Dali retrospective which will display more than 150 pieces of art by the eccentric artist who was a prolific painter, sculptor and writer.Along with the paintings, visitors will have the opportunity to watch unreleased videos of the artist, TV commercials he directed, photographs…

This exhibition is an unprecedented tribute to the most famous surrealist artist who was a pioneer and an example for future generations.

http://blog.paris-on-demand.com/2012/11/28/dalis-retrospective-at-beaubourg/

from the Tropics to the City of Light

Aussie in France

Tag Archives: Brittany

Monday’s Travel Photos – Vitré

A French woman’s secret to staying slim – Saint Malo – Dali’s restrospective at Beaubourg