Une Année à Paris, l’Été
Every time when we talk about the summer in France, we can’t help thinking of Côté d’Azur of Nice or Les Calanques of Marseilles. La Provence is definitely perfect for a sunny summer. No body can resist the sensation of jumping into the refreshing water from the burning land.
However, summer seems very special to Parisian. The south of France is way too crowded and hot for the them. They’d rather to go to Brittany, the west of France to spend the holiday. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY to discover this new destination!
I should be so lucky
Lucky, lucky, lucky
I should be so lucky in love
I should be so lucky
Lucky, lucky, lucky
I should be so lucky in love
My coco took me to his summer house in Brignogan Plage. He was excited to announce that it was in the must-do-with-me list.
The village is located in the north seaside of Brittany. The houses are mostly owned by family as summer house so there is always a pretty yard to play games and barbecue. The atmosphere is more intimate than it in a big city. Unlike Provence, even summer the temperature is quite cold, around 20 degrees. It is not always sunny nor warm, which is similar the UK, changing all the time. Only the lucky dogs get the chance to bask in ray of sun. But anyway, we are on the beach, INTO THE BLUE is still a pleasure for everybody.
When I got my back up against the wall
Don’t need no one to rescue me
Cause I ain’t waiting up for no miracle
Yeah tonight I’m running free
Into the blue, into the blue
With nothing to lose
Into the blue
With very few people on the beach, we can embrace the freedom thoroughly. No matter we run or we dance, no one can disturb us. There is coast hanging over the horizon and there is narrow beach full of stones. Moreover, seaweed is rushed by tide, spreading the smell of wild Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes the air is full of gloomy fog while sometimes the sunlight reveals the brightness of Celt people’s glory. Yes, Brittany is like the little Britain in France. The relics can be found easily which remind us Stonehenge. Maybe that’s one of the enchantment that attract Parisian coming.
Above is everything that I have seen in spring. Even I haven’t been back, I can draw the picture for summer with these FINER FEELINGS in the depth of my heart.
But what is love
Without the finer feelings
It’s just sex
Without the sexual healing
Passion dies
Without some tender meanings
It ain’t love
Without the finer feelings
In August, to spend my holidays, I decided to return to Brittany, but to the south. I arrived in La Baule eventually. Like all the popular summer villages, La Baule was very commercial and full of people thanks to the vast beach. Mostly the tourists were French instead of international. As the only Asian, I got a lot of attention. Although it was summer, the weather wasn’t sunny all the time. Cold wind blew away visitors from swimming. I had to dress like others, wearing all the clothes to lay down. Just a few weeks ago, coco was here, probably next to my present position. Me on the sand kept thinking: only if you were here, I would have PUT YOURSELF IN MY PLACE.
I hear that you’re in love now
Oh babe I don’t know what to say
I can’t believe that I still feel this way
I hear that you’re in love now
Oh babe I don’t know what to say
But before you decide that you won’t be mine
You’d better put yourself in my place
15 min away from La Baule, in a bigger port Saint Nazaire, I had my best seafood dinner. Only 19€, the dish was filled with crab, oysters, shrimps and sea snails. The seafood was so fresh that in the restaurant I could only hear the sound of teeth breaking the shell. The smell of sea hit my nose, just like the tide hitting the land, over and over. The city was bigger, but there were much less people especially on the beach. My soul could relax completely without any distraction at such a calm night, repeating the LALALA melody in my tipsy head.
Set me free
Feel the need in me
Set me free
Stay forever and ever and ever
La la la…
Before going back, I passed by Nantes, the biggest city of Brittany. It was easy to find the castle of Duchess Anne, who devoted her entire life to the independence of Brittany. It was one of the most important commercial cities since the Roman Empire and got prosperous because of the slave trade. All the history was narrated in the castle. For ending the holiday, I enjoyed a Galette with blue cheese, pear and salad. It is a typical Breton dish based on black wheat with meat or cheese or sausages. When we eat it, normally Cider is accompanied. I remember that my first Galette was made by coco. He was always IN MY ARMS when he took me to discover something new.
I’m listening:
How does it feel in my arms?
How does it feel in my arms?
Do you want it?
Do you need it?
Can you feel it?
Tell me
How does it feel in my arms?
Rain falling down, another minute passes by. It’s time to departure. I wonder if I will come back. In spite of the cold temperature, feeling like a Parisian, I’m attracted by this exotic land from the root. I’m wondering why (je ne sais pas pourquoi).
巴黎的一年，夏
每当夏季，欧洲各国人民都开始了度假，法国也不例外。8月的巴黎，像空城一般，除了游客，很少能见到当地人。巴黎人都去哪度假？
夏天的法国，普罗旺斯自然多彩，蔚蓝海岸游客爆满，高冷的巴黎人难道会随波逐流来到马赛看薰衣草，还是会到尼斯跟着人群下饺子？Mais nous sommes parisians。
法国西部的布列塔尼亚是巴黎人的避暑胜地。
历史上布列塔尼亚长期是独立国家，从语言到民俗，文化与法国截然不同。在乡间小路上，我们很容易能发现一些巨大的石头，这与英国巨石阵的历史相似，都是凯尔特人的遗迹。英国称为大不列颠，而小不列颠则是法国的Bretagne。到了中世纪，雷恩和南特发展成为布列塔尼亚最重要的两个城市，布列塔尼亚公爵城堡就在南特，15世纪在安妮的执政时期，布列塔尼亚最终被法国吞并。
无论在南特还是雷恩，亦或在乡村小镇的餐厅，苹果酒Cider和黑煎饼Galette是当地美食。但是做为度假首选，海鲜才是最受巴黎人喜爱的。在Saint Nazaire的一家餐厅，一份包含半只螃蟹，6只大虾，6只海鳌虾，3只海蛎和若干海螺的海鲜拼盘只需19欧元。在巴黎，19欧元只能在高档场所享受一杯葡萄酒。首先，布列塔尼亚的美食就征服了巴黎人的胃口。
与南法的地中海不同，布列塔尼亚三面朝向大西洋。在春天里，我曾去过北面的海滨Brignogan Plage。这个海滨小村没有许多居民，很多房子是度假用的别墅，因此这里更适合自驾家庭旅行。布列塔尼亚的海岸布满了黑色的巨石，巨石之间偶现金色沙滩。早晨雾气袭来，白茫茫的一片中，分不清海陆空，只能嗅得到阵阵海浪带来的淡淡的海腥味。到了下午，当阳光驱散雾气，海透露出他本来的色泽。碧蓝的海滨与稀少的游人，没有喧嚣与浮躁，能让身心放松，才是度假的乐趣。毕竟在巴黎，工作的奔波早已让人身心俱疲，谁还想去人山人海的旅游胜地？巴黎人需求的布列塔尼亚的清闲。
而前不久，我又来到了布列塔尼亚的南部La Baule。这是个海滨度假村，虽然小店和公寓让整个小城充满了商业气息，大城市能找到的青奢品牌在这也有他们的踪影，但相比南法，这里的游客已经较少，人们言语中也很少能寻到外语的夹杂。路上的人们都对我投出诧异的目光，为何一个亚洲人跑到了法国的人度假天堂？当地的天气变换莫测，即使在8月，晴天也不是天天都会出现，没有人知道什么时候下雨，什么时候放晴，短袖外头，还需套上一件外套。就这样，我第一次把自己裹得严严实实，在海滩上吹着来自大西洋强劲的风。不像地中海的炙热与温情，大西洋冷峻而强烈。巴黎人对凉爽的情趣可的确超乎常人呢！
若问我是否喜欢巴黎人的夏天，我很可能会回答，不会，在西班牙生活了三年的我，心还是归属于晴朗的地中海。但若是让我跟随法国家庭来此度假，也许我会改变主意，烧烤，海滨，还有家人与朋友的温馨，布列塔尼亚是属于家庭的团聚。
theonlyseetworld 