A few weeks ago our friend Karen suggested that we get together and spend a few days in a holiday home owned by mutual friends in Caurel, a small village almost in the centre of Brittany. Not having been to that part of France for nigh on 15 years, this seemed like too good an opportunity to turn down, so Claire and I, together with Karen and her son Caleb (aged 7), Caleb's best friend Kingsley and Kingsley's Mum, Mel booked the ferry, purchased a few Euros, dug out our passports and looked forward to a few days of Bretagne hospitality.
Departure day dawned and it being the first day of the summer holidays, typically it was misty, drizzly and drab. The ferry was also jam packed with parents taking their offspring across to the Continent, determined to make the most of the six week break. Despite the number of cars and passengers however, the ferry departed on time and some eighty minutes later we were driving up the ramp at St. Malo, trusting in the sat-nav and making our way southwards to Caurel.
Our trust was not betrayed and before long we were pulling up outside our Gallic abode. It was a lovely little house, typical of the region offering a panoramic view and with more than enough room for everyone to live in comfort. It also had a reasonably sized garden that could double a football pitch for the two boys.
After unpacking the priority was food so the girls went off to the local supermarché to stock up on bread, cheese and wine, whilst your correspondent was on child minding duties. Needless to say, the late lunch did not disappoint!
Not surprisingly, time had flown by and we hadn't planned on doing too much for the rest of the day. We did however take a short drive to the nearby Lac du Guerledan, the largest man made lake in Brittany. The view would have been picturesque had the lake not been drained earlier in the year in order to carry out repair work on the dam and hydro electric plant, but the remains of what became underwater buildings and flooded trees provided a rather surreal backdrop.
Needless to say we were all rather tired after dinner and having put the world to rights over a glass of wine/cold beer, our beds were calling.
(Bit of a problem attaching pictures...scroll to the bottom of the page and all four should appear).
No comments:
Post a Comment