brest



With only five months left in Europe, I wanted to take the opportunity while I was here to go back to the city of Brest, where I was the first time I was ever in Europe in 2002 for my french study abroad program for the summer. I hadn't been to Brest since 2005 when my family went to France and visited with my "french family" in Brest. I was able to visit my "french brother" in Rennes, where he lives now in December 2012. The trip was great. Again, it was a struggle to recall my french! But, I managed to get by. I flew into the tiny Brest airport on Friday night. Jean-Marie ("french father") picked me up at the airport and took me back to his house where I ate some bread and ham as a late dinner/snack. On Saturday he took me to the local market in a nearby village where we walked around, shopped for some fresh produce, and bought mussels for lunch (for "moules-frites").

 

 

Jean-Marie made the moules frites for us and they were definitely the best mussels I've ever had. Together, the two of us ate 1.2kilos of mussels - here are the remnants:

 

He taught me how to make them, but he said what makes them good is when they are fresh, and obviously these were as we just brought them home from the market and Brest is right at the ocean. After lunch, we went into the city of Brest. I was surprised that I didn't remember more about the city/the road from the city to their house. However, the key parts of the city were just as I remembered.

 

Jean-Marie told me that the only thing that had changed in Brest was that they now have a tram (big news)!

 

After our walk around the city, buying chocolates, having tea and dessert at a cafe, and shopping a bit, Jean-Marie took me to the train station and I took the train to Rennes, where Julien lives. My time in Brest was really great, especially the fact that I got to spend so much time with Jean-Marie. I arrived in Rennes and Julien picked me up with his 2 year old son, Tybalt. Tybalt wasn't so sure about me and was very shy. It took him one day and then he wanted to be my best friend :) When we got to their house, his wife, Laurence, and daughter, Cassandre, had just arrived home from shopping. Cassandre (age 5) remembered me from when I was there a year and a half ago. She was so excited to see me and play barbies and princesses again.

 

The rest of the weekend I spent playing with the kids, "practicing" my french by playing Taboo with Julien and Laurence, watching the world cup finale, eating wonderful food (Laurence even made crepes on Saturday night!), and drinking wonderful wine (because, as Julien told me, I'm was in France so I had to)!

 

On Sunday, while the kids were napping, Julien and I went to visit the Roche-aux-Fees (rocks of the fairies):

 

Saturday night, we woke the kids up at 11pm and went to a fireworks show for the French national holiday, which was Monday. The kids were so excited (Cassandre because she got to wake up again and Tybalt because he thought all of the fireworks were targets that he shot with his fake gun).

 

I had such a lovely weekend spending the weekend with this family (even if they aren't my own real family). Thanks to the Roux for everything they did for me, especially all the amazing home-cooked food!