Chapter 61: Getting from AdeB

nerd blog post #67

I got a bunch done on Tuesday so I wouldn't have to sacrifice Tuesday Tradition with Merrill. In celebration of the last T-Trad of 2008, we had higher quality snackies and Merrill bought champagne. What a treat. It's always a highlight of my week.

On Wednesday, I had my final two classes of the semester. One exam and a conversation class. The students in the conversation class brought in treats and we had a grade 6 stylez end-of-year party.

I then went straight to meet Gwellouen, my co-voiturage lady. She was a really nice lady, and it was also her first time doing co-voiturage. She also drove Thomas, a man who works on boats in Saint-Malo. If you recall the pirate ship photo from one of the first Foto Essays, that's the boat he works on! Anyways, Thomas sat in the front, which was good because I love snoozing in cars, and was able to do that for awhile without being impolite.. Thomas was one of the most interesting people I have met in a long time. He and his partner took off a couple of years ago with a knapsack each, headed to the Carribean Islands and then to Canada, by boat. They both worked in Quebec City for a few months, and then bought a van and took off on a year's adventure. They drove 46,000 kms, through Canada, the US, and then right down to Argentina. They zig-zagged the whole way, they slept in their van, and they did it for under $1000 a month (inluding gas). Really cool story. I told him that I might be going to Saint-Malo over the break with Canadians. He said they'd be at her side of the family's house for Christmas, but said we could stay in their apartment for a night if we want. That he'd leave the key with neighbours. Such a nice man, and so.. (side-story: The word for welcoming in French is "accueillant." In French, though, it means more than in English, I find. We don't tend to describe a personality as welcoming.. We'd say that a person, at a particular time, was welcoming. I guess we'd say warm to describe an entire welcoming personality..) ..and so accueillant.

I thought a lot about road trips I've been on while in the car with these strangers. It's different here. No Wendy's for Frostys, no Timmy's for an XL 2M, love Tim Horton's. There were a couple of restaurants on the side of the highway, but no fast food. Also, I learned that it costs 25euros each way to drive to Paris from Rennes. Highway tax. So expensive! They told me that before Duchess Anne de Bretagne married the King of France, uniting Brittany to the rest of France, she demanded a few things. This was around 400 years ago. Back then, there was a tax called pont au chaussee, which was a tax for every time you crossed a bridge. Duchess AdeB didn't have this tax in Brittany, and when she signed the contract, she said that there was never to be any bridge or road taxes in her region. And so, Brittany remains the only region in France where there are no highway tolls or road taxes paid for by travelors. Thanks, AdeB!

The drive was about three and a half hours, and not even the offer of a bathroom break! I was dying by the time I arrived. Obvi. I then took the metro and met Raffi. We went out for dinner last night. What a treat. I had only eaten French food and some Mexican (thanks to Cynthia) since my arrival, and my cravings for ethnic food had been growing unbearable. In Rennes, selection for non-French food is slim, and expensive. But Paris has more options. We ate delicious Indian food, and I was very happy.

When I was in the car, I was saying how much I loved French food, but that I missed the diversity of food in Canada. They reminded me that there were a couple of Indian and Japonese restaurants in Rennes. True, but they're very expensive. And do you find French food cheap? Yes, very. Isn't that logical? ..... I suppose so.

I have a couple of loose ends to tie up before England on Saturday. But I pur in Paris.. Love to you all.

Signing off,
Hincks.