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  #1  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 17.23.19
Padraig Breathnach
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito My trip to Brittany

My recent trip to Brittany was not typical tourism. I went to a place
I know well to spend time seeing friends. Such trips are not normally
the stuff of travel writing, but can yield vignettes worth sharing.
Here are some:


1. Getting There

I visit Brittany regularly, at least once a year and often twice. I
take my car with me, in part so that I can bring home wine and a few
other bits and pieces. My usual pattern has been to travel with Irish
Ferries between Rosslare Harbour and Cherbourg (sometimes Roscoff,
which suits me better, but fate seems to have had a habit of
conspiring against me on matching my schedule with that of Irish
Ferries).

Of late I have not been happy with Irish Ferries' treatment of their
staff: they have been laying off their Irish crew members and
replacing them with eastern Europeans who work longer hours for less
money with no time off and no continuity of employment -- twelve hours
a day, seven days a week, for a contract period of three months, at
less than half of the Irish minimum wage of €7.65 an hour.

I decided to look for an alternative. What I found was a freight ferry
which accepts some cars. The number of small vehicles is not governed
by the availability of deck space, but of cabin space -- the more
trailers transported without tractor units, the less the demand for
cabin accommodation for truck drivers. The yield from small vehicles
is probably higher, so I imagine that the shipping company engineers
bookings to maximise the number of cars carried.

The company operating the service is new. It was formed to take over
the route (and boat) from P&O, who discontinued their service after
making a policy decision not to carry live animals. The decision was
influenced by animal rights campaigners. The new operator, Celtic
Link, do accept livestock. So there was what I considered an ethical
question: should I use a service that might involve animals being
treated badly? Was that more or less reprehensible than people being
treated badly?

Anyway, I decided to see for myself, so I booked a return crossing on
MV Diplomat. When I boarded, I found that I was travelling in company
with about 30 truck drivers and 20 motorists; there were also about
3000 calves in purpose-built trailers. A cursory inspection on
boarding suggested to me that the calves were fairly relaxed and,
while fairly densely packed, they still had room to move.

The crossing was fine. Ferry operators treat truck drivers well, and
they treated all passengers equally: good cabins, larger than on most
ferries; meals of reasonable quality included in the fare; adequate
and comfortable social space -- all for a lower fare than I would have
paid with Irish Ferries.

During the voyage the livestock were fed and watered. When we docked
at Cherbourg I had a good look at the calves, and they had a good look
at me in that interested and stupid way that bovines regard anything
that moves. They seemed as relaxed as those that watch me at home when
I *** the grass. I was convinced that the journey was not stressing
them to any appreciable extent. I knew also that they would not be
travelling much further without a break: if they were not to complete
their journey soon, they would be taken to a lairage at Laval. All
transport stresses animals somewhat (mostly at the loading and
unloading stages) but I was satisfied that these calves were
experiencing no more discomfort than they would on a journey from one
farm to another -- perhaps less, because they had plenty of time to
settle between loading and unloading.

By the time I disembarked, my conscience was easy: I was not
supporting the ill-treatment of animals.


2. An Afternoon Stroll

Yves and Annette fed me a lunch that could stick you to your chair for
the afternoon. And then Yves proposed that we take a walk. As they
live in a rural area, close to a river, I envisioned a pleasant stroll
to aid the digestion, and I agreed.

Out came the maps. Yves wanted to show me a chateau, small but
distinctively Breton, which he considered interesting. Annette opted
out, so Yves and I set out in his car to the small village of Callac,
which I just about knew how to find, and past Callac into the
mysterious territory of Argoat, all narrow roads and hills and woods
and few signposts -- la Bretagne profonde.

La Bretagne profonde (deepest Brittany) is an experience more than it
is a place. It is unknown to many of those who visit the popular
Breton destinations to enjoy the beaches and rocky coastline and
characterful towns, particularly those by the sea. To find it, move to
an inland town, find a road from the town to a village, from the
village to a hamlet, and from the hamlet into the heart of the
countryside. There you will find old farmsteads, calvaires, ancient
churches, megaliths, chemins creux (sunken paths), ancient manoirs,
and all sorts of surprises such as canals and Roman aqueducts. It is
easy to project one's imagination into the eighteenth century or
earlier. That's where we were going.

Yves parked the car and I saw no chateau. Map time. He showed me the
path we had to take, but I had no idea of the scale of the map. Off
we went, Yves setting a good pace, on a narrow path over heathland,
the sort of path which serves also as rivulet, and it was raining
gently. Up and down slopes, skidding occasionally, into woodland where
the path was barely discernible and exposed roots could bring down the
unwary walker, crossing streams by clambering over boulders jumbled
together by glaciers 10,000 years ago, slipping on wet autumn leaves,
then taking a path alongside a river gorge until we came to farmland.
There should be an old church over there to the left, Yves said, and
there was, so I trusted his map work. The chateau should be not much
further. But when we came to where the chateau was supposed to be, we
found only a farmyard. There was nobody there. It looked as if the
search for the chateau would have to be abandoned. Then I saw a farmer
in the fields doing what the Irish call "looking at cattle" (an
understated way of referring to the necessary procedure of inspecting
livestock daily to check that all is well with them). We went over to
him, and engaged him in conversation. I left it to Yves, as a native
of the region and a man who knows about farming, to lead the exchange.
The protocol was similar to that followed in Ireland: a non-intrusive
enquiry about his work before getting on to the matter of interest to
us, the location of the chateau. Some distance away, he informed us.
To my relief, Yves decided that, several kilometres further on, it was
too far to walk, and we should go by car. We had been walking for more
than an hour, and it took us almost another hour, taking a different
and slightly easier route, to get back to the car.

We drove to the location identified by the farmer, via village,
hamlet, country road, and narrow lane. And there was a small chateau.
To my eye it looked like a late medieval structure, a fortified house,
but with some eighteenth century windows *** here and there into the
massive walls. A bit tired, somewhat dilapidated, but seemingly
inhabited. Worth a look, I thought, but Yves was disappointed: it
wasn't the chateau he had in mind. So, without getting out of the car,
we turned and headed back to town.


3. How Very French!

Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
French experiences.

When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)

I drove into a filling station and had €40 convenient to hand (to be
more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
my purchase. I overshot, and pumped €40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
or .025%. I tendered the €40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.

So which is the typical French experience?


--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
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  #2  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 18.06.46
Miss L. Toe
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

> 3. How Very French![color=blue]
>
> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
> French experiences.
>
> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>
> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>
> So which is the typical French experience?
>[/color]

My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.

P.S. I saw my first penny dish in London on Wednesday (just like they have
in the US).


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  #3  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 18.06.46
Miss L. Toe
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

> 3. How Very French![color=blue]
>
> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
> French experiences.
>
> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>
> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>
> So which is the typical French experience?
>[/color]

My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.

P.S. I saw my first penny dish in London on Wednesday (just like they have
in the US).


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  #4  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 18.06.46
Miss L. Toe
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

> 3. How Very French![color=blue]
>
> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
> French experiences.
>
> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>
> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>
> So which is the typical French experience?
>[/color]

My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.

P.S. I saw my first penny dish in London on Wednesday (just like they have
in the US).


Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #5  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 18.06.46
Miss L. Toe
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

> 3. How Very French![color=blue]
>
> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
> French experiences.
>
> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>
> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>
> So which is the typical French experience?
>[/color]

My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.

P.S. I saw my first penny dish in London on Wednesday (just like they have
in the US).


Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #6  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 21.27.49
Padraig Breathnach
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

"Miss L. Toe" <missltoemissltoe@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>> 3. How Very French!
>>
>> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
>> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
>> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
>> French experiences.
>>
>> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
>> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
>> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
>> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
>> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
>> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
>> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
>> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
>> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
>> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>>
>> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
>> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
>> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
>> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>>
>> So which is the typical French experience?
>>[/color]
>
>My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
>own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
>had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.
>[/color]
What's the point in my trying to satisfy people's appetite for
stereotypes if you undermine it by trying to explain individuals'
actions as being determined by their particular circumstances?

How very English.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #7  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 21.27.49
Padraig Breathnach
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

"Miss L. Toe" <missltoemissltoe@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>> 3. How Very French!
>>
>> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
>> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
>> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
>> French experiences.
>>
>> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
>> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
>> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
>> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
>> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
>> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
>> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
>> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
>> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
>> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>>
>> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
>> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
>> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
>> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>>
>> So which is the typical French experience?
>>[/color]
>
>My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
>own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
>had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.
>[/color]
What's the point in my trying to satisfy people's appetite for
stereotypes if you undermine it by trying to explain individuals'
actions as being determined by their particular circumstances?

How very English.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #8  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 21.27.49
Padraig Breathnach
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

"Miss L. Toe" <missltoemissltoe@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>> 3. How Very French!
>>
>> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
>> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
>> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
>> French experiences.
>>
>> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
>> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
>> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
>> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
>> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
>> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
>> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
>> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
>> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
>> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>>
>> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
>> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
>> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
>> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>>
>> So which is the typical French experience?
>>[/color]
>
>My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
>own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
>had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.
>[/color]
What's the point in my trying to satisfy people's appetite for
stereotypes if you undermine it by trying to explain individuals'
actions as being determined by their particular circumstances?

How very English.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #9  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 21.27.49
Padraig Breathnach
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

"Miss L. Toe" <missltoemissltoe@hotmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>> 3. How Very French!
>>
>> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
>> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
>> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
>> French experiences.
>>
>> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
>> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
>> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
>> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
>> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
>> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
>> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
>> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
>> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
>> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>>
>> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
>> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
>> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
>> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.
>>
>> So which is the typical French experience?
>>[/color]
>
>My guess is that the garage man was the owner and allowed to give away his
>own time, but the filling station attendant was an employee who would have
>had to make up the difference (and all the other few cents) him/her self.
>[/color]
What's the point in my trying to satisfy people's appetite for
stereotypes if you undermine it by trying to explain individuals'
actions as being determined by their particular circumstances?

How very English.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
Rispondi citando Condividi su facebook
  #10  
Vecchio 28-10-2005, 21.40.06
JX Bardant
 
Messaggi: n/a
Predefinito Re: My trip to Brittany

> 3. How Very French![color=blue]
>
> Two car-related events. Pick whichever one best suits your set of
> prejudices. A caveat: these things happened in Brittany, so French
> people might disown one or both of them as being Breton rather than
> French experiences.[/color]

Normands and Auvergnats, not Bretons, have a reputation for being
tight-fisted...
Bretons (and Ch'ti, from the North) are supposed to be drunkards, which is
unfortunately not only a cliché.
[color=blue]
> When I came out in the morning one of my tyres was fully deflated. I
> pumped it up (a battery-powered pump is a great motoring accessory)
> and the tyre held long enough to get me to a repair shop. The young
> man there removed the wheel and spent about 20 minutes tricking about
> with it. Then he replaced it and came over to tell me that he had
> found no puncture, so had replaced the valve on the supposition that
> the problem was there, and advised that I keep an eye on things just
> in case he was wrong. How much did I owe him for his time and the
> valve? Nothing, as he couldn't guarantee the repair. (I have driven
> about 1000 km. since, and the tyre is holding its pressure.)
>
> I drove into a filling station and had ?40 convenient to hand (to be
> more exact, in my shirt pocket) so decided that would be the amount of
> my purchase. I overshot, and pumped ?40.01 worth -- a whole cent over,
> or .025%. I tendered the ?40, and the attendant asked me for the cent.[/color]

Both experiences have honour in common...
The first guy found it shameful to ask money for a repair he wasn't sure
about.
The second guy found it shameful that you may decide to give yourself a
rebate. Actually he would probably have told you to forget it if you had
begun to search your pockets for that cent. He, not you, was supposed to
decide whether the price was 40.00 or 40.01...
[color=blue]
> So which is the typical French experience?[/color]

What's this typical anglo-saxon habit of looking for a typical this or that
in every experience? ;-)


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