Bretagne (Brittony)

I came here in total ignorance of France and the different provinces, but I'm getting a real education on the Bretagne region.

First, don't call them French!

The French coast guard sometimes decides to enforce the requirement that ships fly their national flag on the stern...many of the boats here fly the flag of Bretagne from the stern!

For years, the French government banned the teaching of their language and has tried to make them French. From what I can see it isn't working!

The food is excellent and the region has a lot of things like sausages and cheeses that are made only here.

They can't make wine here but do make very good whiskey.

We made a good friend in Morlaix who introduced us to the delicacies of the region along with wines from Bordeaux. Tremendous good fortune on our part as the variety of choices is really overwhelming.

I was really pleased to have him rate my cooking at 2 Michelin stars after having him to dinner on the boat twice. He was amazed at how well we ate on the boat.

The weather has finally turned and we're getting sunny days and warmth. It is always cool here ( a nice break for a Floridian) and tends to lack sunshine, but our rain\cold experience in Brest was unusual for the region.

Nights require a jacket and the water is quite cold but we do see people at the beach with some swimming. We're typically bundled up when sailing. But it really is very pleasant when the sun shines, and it has been the last week.

We're in the season of festivals. Last night a Bretagne band played and it was very interesting to see all the young people singing and dancing to the traditional music. I've never experienced anything like that in the US. Perhaps because they are (defiantly) maintaining their independence and heritage, it appeals to all ages.

And there is virtually no police presence. Whether it is sensitivity to peoples desires not to have authoritarian visibility or just that people here can manage their own affairs without authoritarion intervention, it is noticeably different. You feel really safe and not seeing the police makes you feel safer.

Another positive observation is that they seem to accept personable responsibility for things like falling off a high sea wall onto a dock. There are no railings on any of the dock areas. In the US, it would be inconceivable to have a huge city center with a 20ft high ledge that someone could easily fall over (and there is nothing to prevent cars from going over the edge either).

Children are present, but I haven't seen one take the plunge yet (smarter or more attentive parents?).

I've asked a few people about it (really trying to find out if they lack lawyers or their courts are just more reasonable)...the response typically is that you should just not fall off the wall!

-Scott