The peaceful sunset on the coast of Brittany.
For the 2012 season, DuVine Adventures has added an all new bicycle tour to our French repertoire: the Brittany bike tour. We are extremely excited about and proud of it, but our French cycling tour extraordinaire, DuVine guide Vincent Reboul, might be even more elated than anyone else. While he has lived all over France, he has fallen truly in love with the singular and spectacular region of Brittany, and cannot wait to be leading bike tours there. Find out why:
In the 1990’s I lived in Brittany for seven years. Being a “modern gypsy” as I am, seven years is the maximum amount of time I can spend in the same place. This is a record for me and my lifestyle – I must have loved the place.
Looking back, I can say without a doubt these years have been amongst the nicest in my life. I’ve met some of my best friends on this French peninsula, and where the land here ends, the neartest neighbors for the Bretons are Americans across the Atlantic. Maybe this is why I’m leading tours for DuVine today?
Before I thought to be a DuVine tour guide, I was teaching tennis in a small town in northern Brittany called Tréguier. Bretagne is like an Island: You can easily drive everywhere and the distances are never too long. If you stay in the middle of the country the sea is at an equal distance away wherever you go, about 100km (except from the east).
I say “country” intentionally because, even if this region is part of France today, that has not always been the case and you can still feel the air of independence and uniqueness, and sometimes the notion is so drastic that you really have the impression of being in an entirely different Pays (which means country in French).
Need some examples? Here’s your proof that Bretagne is really a different place:
1) The Breton language: Never say to a Bretonnisant that Breton is a dialect or he will be very upset likely not talk to you anymore. Remember the expression têtu comme un breton (stubborn like a Breton).
Can you resist these treats?
The language is part of the Celtic family (actually, a variation of Breton is spoken in Wales and Galicia). It is a very peculiar language and, like in Ireland or Cataluña, you may see signs along the road in both French and Breton. My mother, who now lives in Central Bretagne, was amazed by the fact that if you watch TV or listen to the radio, two hours a day is dedicated to Breton only and you don’t understand a word of it – no translation is permitted. 300,000 Bretons speak the language today, and after WWII almost nobody was speaking French there. This just shows you how much Bretagne was isolated for such a long time.
2) Another unique trait is the dancing: It is not at all folklore, and remember, don’t upset the bretonnisant. It is a serious matter .Very different from the aérial Irish dances, the Breton dances are quite the opposite and are more down to earth. You stick to your partner the whole time, even when the dance brings you down to the ground.
The origin of the dances comes from a ritual when a new house was built, during which all the inhabitants would gather to stamp the clay ground of the main room. All these dances occur during events called fez noz (night feast) or fez deiz (day feast). The energy you feel during this dance is incredible.
3) The instruments played during these show are the third unique aspect of Brittany: A small diatonic accordion, a bombarde (very small kind of flute that makes sounds that can raise the dead), a biniou (a Breton bagpipe), and singers, of course. Going to a fez noz in Britanny will be the experience of a lifetime that you will surely never forget. You don’t have to dance, you can grab a beer and just observe the locals – you will feel as if you have traveled back in time.
4) The food is also very different: If you are a seafood lover this is the place to go. It has the best oysters and best lobsters in France. Brittany is not known for its wine, but great cider and an alcohol made with honey, called souchen, are available in plenty. And they are delicious.
Galettes, buckwheat crepes, stuffed with all kind of delicacies such as andouille sausage and apple together is fantastic. Regular crepes are just for dessert, and just as good. A real crêperie should always offer a lait ribot (a kind of sour drinkable yogurt) to go with galettes. Don’t leave without trying kouign aman, probably the worst enemy for anyone watching their weight! They are just too good to resist. Or you may want to try a far breton: a flan cake stuffed with pruneau. There is no wine but local beers abound, and are my second favorite, after the ones in Belgium and Ireland.
One of these ships may be catching your dinner tonight.
5) The architecture looks austère in this part of the country, and all the houses have a slate roof and most are made of granite. You will find beautiful churches and calvaires as well, but the most interesting are the monuments from the Neolithic age. Megoliths of tumulus, cromlech, standing stones (known as menhirs), and stone tumulus known as dolmens are a striking view, like mushrooms in a field. The south of Bretagne is particularly blessed with such magnificent ancient structures.
For a non-Breton, the most important subject is the weather. Of course, Brest, the most western city in France, can claim to be the rainiest place in the country, but the truth is that, in Bretagne, you’ll experience all kinds of weather in a single day. There is a saying here that goes: “En Bretagne il ne pleut que sur les cons” (in Brittany it rains only on the idiots). I have a saying on my own: “Authenticity is in Bretagne, superficiality is in Paris.”
Go to south Brittany with DuVine and you will not regret it. People are shy, but when the ice is broken they are amongst the nicest around. To prove my point, here is a little true story: One day of cafard, I decided to stop for a drink in a bar that I’d never seen before. I entered the bar anyway and ordered something, sitting down at the comptoir. The only other customers there were two men and a woman, who appeared to be musicians. We started to chat and they soon realized that I was a little depressed. Without questioning me, they started to play music for me and improvised a little concert. I was touched by their incredible generosity and will never forget that gesture. The Breton people gave without waiting to be asked or without asking anything in return!
DEGEMER MAT: Thank you very much
BREIZH DA VIKEN: Breton forever
KENAVO AVE SHALL: Goodbye and see you soon…on a bike tour in Brittany!
-Vincent
