"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Yesterday was a very simple day, made up of simple things that made me, simply, happy.  I really like days like that.

So there's this adorable crêperie just on the other side of my host-family's restaurant, called Le chat botté.  And when Cassandra told me she hadn't eaten there yet, we set up a date.  At 12:30 yesterday afternoon we met up in front of the restaurant, hungry for galettes and crêpes.




To minimize humiliation in front of our french waitress, Cassandra and I selected the same entree with the most easily-pronounced name:  L'ogre.  Obviously, the english for this is literally "The Ogre"...  Not the most appealing culinary title, I admit, but the dish itself was awesome: cheese, ham, and mushrooms folded into a galette and topped with a fried egg *drooling just remembering*.  Yummy, but of course we would not be satisfied without dessert! Again, we went with the same thing, crêpe au caramel salé, a Brittany speciality.

Finally full, Cassandra and I took a walk around Dinan while we digested, but it was a Sunday afternoon and the town was pretty much dead - all the stores were closed up; there were few people and even less cars.  After about 20 minutes of aimless meandering we called it quits and I went home.

And that was pretty much it for the day except on the was home there was THIS DRESS:

I'm really not a fashion-person, anyone who knows me can back me up on this.  I dislike shopping and mostly regard clothes as a practicality, not a statement or source of pleasure.  But I'm still a girl.  And this is still a cute (uber-cute!) a-liner!  Yes, the 145€ price-tag was a bit of a put-off... but the photo I got for free <3

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." ~ Steve Martin

This morning I woke up to find a gorgeous fine mist hanging over town - however, not ideal for my plans for the day!  I was going to visit La Chateau Fort de Lehon with my schoolfriend, Jeanne*. I'm still blown away from the fact that I live within walking-distance of a castle!


Thankfully the weather co-operated; as I set out later that day on my excursion, there was even a little sunshine!  I met up with Jeanne at the base of the hill on which the Chateau is situated, and together we made our way to the top.


The ascent was steep and included more steps than I cared for; we were both a little breathless upon reaching the peak.  But the climb was worth it.  The castle, built in the early 1300s, retained it's outer walls, but inside it has become a grass field. There was a well and and a small religious monument up there also, but the best part was the view.  To one side we could see all the way back to Dinan's ramparts, on the other, la fleuve de la Rance winds it's way through ancient countryside.  

































Spotting a path that run's along the Rance's edge, Jeanne and I headed down to the riverbank and spent the next hour or so trekking through autumn leaves, taking pictures and chatting.  I think my french must be improving - I wasn't able to hold a conversation for that long when I got here!



At 4pm I said good-bye to my friend and started off home.  The sun has been going down ridiculously early recently; around 4:30 in the afternoon!  It's unfortunate that the school days are so long, for the sun tends to rise and set while we're in class.  I was tired from all the walking that day, but I also felt more animated than I have all week.  It's astounding what a little vitamin D  does for you!


As we slip into this colder quarter of   the year, please take advantage of any sunny days that come to you - Grab a sweater, call up a friend and go take a walk in the autumn air!

*name changed upon request

"Insert cunning and relevant quote here" - Someone Smart

For the past eleven days I have been enjoying "Toussaint".  Officially, it is a holiday that falls on the first of November, also known as All Saints' Day.  But for us French students, it serves as a well-deserved break from the long school days.

October 22

My host-sister's birthday!!   Happy seventeenth, Marina!!  From me, she gets a Canadian cap and tank-top (even though it's too cold for either at the moment) and a Telus bag. 

                                                            

October 23

Visited a castle on the sea with my host-brother and -father.  Not Mt St Michel; this one was much smaller and a LOT less crowded... but I actually preferred the view!  It overlooks the sea to one side and is flanked by country on the other.  So...yes.  Very Pretty.   Afterwards we had coffee and dark chocolate outside a cafe, and later that evening Carlos, the other chef that works at Capriccio, came over and we all had a wonderful dinner in honor of Marina's birthday.

October 24

Second month in France!

October 27

Went to Normandy with M. Berthoux and Cassandra.  We visited two cemeteries dedicated to the men who fought and died on the beaches of Normandy  in 1944.  One of them was especially for Canadians; France had even given the land in which the soldiers had been buried to Canada in honour of what their men had done.  So technically I was back in Canada that day.  It was bittersweet walking between the tombstones of all those young men; most of them were not older than 23.  But there was so much pride and respect put into that cemetery; every tombstone had a unique epitaph and was decorated with a cross, and between the rows maple trees had been planted.  I was sad, but 

very proud to be Canadian that day.

October 31

Halloween!!! So, let's say it started with a bit of a mix-up.  Initially, the plan was for Cassandra and I to dress up as Canada and America and go to the movies at 5:30 to watch "Un Monstre a Paris".  But I double-checked the online schedule and it looked like our movie would be showing at 3 instead.  Deciding this was too early to be waltzing around in costumes, we met up in normal dress at the theatres - 2:15.  When we got to the ticket-lady, however, she informed us that our movie was not playing.  Disappointed, Cassandra and I stumbled out of the cinema like the confused foreigners we were and proceeded to "eat our emotions" (read: the candy we were going to sneak into the movies) in a park across the street.   Soon sick of sugar but not ready to go home, we then headed to a bargain store and partook in a little retail therapy, which included the purchase of some very fuzzy socks and a book that translated insults into 5 different languages (french, english, spanish, german and arabic).  Leaving the store in a  considerably better mood, we went back to the theatre and found out that the movie really WAS showing at 5:30, so we walked back to Dinan, meandered about for a bit (that's a sweet word, "meandered"), bought more candy, and watched our movie.  (It was cute, though I really wanted the flea to have more screen time.  Please just look up the trailer online.)  So after that, Alessandro and I had an all-or-nothing Mario Kart showdown to decide who is true Champion of the Game... He won.  By one.  Damaged pride aside, it was a great day and awesome way to wrap up the break.  My Canada costume is going to have to wait until July 1, though.

November 1

Nothing special happened today, except the third instalment of Uncharted is out on the shelves.  Anyone who has ever come into contact with the previous two will understand my excitement.

And that was Toussaint.  Almost (almost!) ready for school tomorrow.