Imagine waking up to the soft sound of the breeze blowing through the window. The trees rustle and the faint gurgle of the creek churns. The birds chirp their morning songs as the sun streams through the leaves of the trees casting a soft glow on the landscape. In the distance you can hear the sound of a cow or the hooves of a horse tramping across the field.

Everyday, all day, we are enchanted by not only the sounds, but sights of nature. This place is something out of a fairy-tale. It’s easy to forget about the real world when we are enjoying one of the most nourishing and creative environments we’ve ever been.

We have found life out here is somewhat similar to life on the sailboat; its far more simple, and the weather dictates much of what we do. The heat wave that we experience on our initial arrival has passed into more mild and moderate temperatures of about 70F in the day and 50F at night. We’ve also been introduced to a large bout of rain, with few bits of dotted sunshine in between. This is completely fine with us, the rain here is what makes everything so lush and green; plus it makes it an easy excuse to spend more time at our wonderful abode with the Meeka dog. There are loads of chores that keep us busy, Jake actually enjoys mowing the grass.

Speaking of the pooch, I have to tell you all about Miss Meeka (we call her Shmeeka). She is a very sweet 12 year old Dalmatian who has a few health issues, but you don’t notice it in her general demeanor. She is super friendly and is obsessed with 2 things: One is food and two is Jake. Food may seem obvious, but she is very vocal if you don’t feed her at her meal and snack times. And as for Jake, well its just hilarious. She isn’t happy if he leaves her sight even for a moment or if he isn’t sitting in the “correct” spot on the couch. It’s REALLY funny for me to witness. She likes me well enough but Jake is her long lost soul mate I think. 😉

The best part of Meeka is that she loves going for long walks, making it an easy excuse to explore the area. There are so many places nearby to discover and these are some favorites:

Gorges du Corong

The Landes of Locarn form a complex natural habitat including gorse and bracken, past Neolithic standing stones, forests, moors, peat bogs and wildflower meadows that span for miles. It is the largest expanse of moorland – 865 acres and right in our backyard.

Punctuated through this area is a 6km trail that offers a glimpse into these different environments. One of the fascinating features Gorges du Corong. The Chaos du Corong is the name for the big granite boulders that are strewn haphazardly along the Gorges du Corong. According to legend, the ‘chaos’ was created by Boudédé, the first man to inhabit Brittany. One day he was walking along the banks of the Follezou river when stones got into his clogs; he took them out and threw them in the water and the boulders were formed. However, according to scientists the phenomenon occurred millions of years ago when water infiltrated the granite, causing a chemical reaction; the rocks were then displaced by the river and gathered in the gorge. This is one of our favorite hiking paths!

Nantes Brest Canal

The Nantes-Brest canal links the two seaports of Nantes and Brest through inland Brittany. It was built in the early 19th century, and its total length as built was 385 km with 238 locks. It runs all throughout the region and has ample places to access its long trail. We try to visit at least once a week, if not more, since its a beautiful place to spot birds and flowers, breath in the fresh air and get some exercise!

Lac de Guerlédan

The third place on the docket is a bit further out, though it lies along the Nantes Brest. In fact this area was created by flooding a part of the canal, forming what is now Lac de Guerlédan. This is the the largest [artificial] lake in Brittany. The Lac or Lake powers the dam of Guerlédan. The last time it was drained for repairs, it revealed the hidden landscape of 17 locks from the canal and buildings that were flooded. Today it offers over 40 kilometers of steep trails through forests and along the lake, spotted with ruins, cathedrals and loads of wildlife.

Whenever we go out to explore an area, we notice how many people are out hiking, camping and especially biking. And you know what else, while we are here we got to see the last 5 stages of the Tour de France…not live and in person, but on the tele. It was really fun to watch and get into the world of bike racing, especially after seeing how many people here are absolutely wild over this sport. Its a great way to connect to the culture around us.

Beyond going out for hikes, we do plenty of walking right here in our neighborhood. On occasion we would see the neighbor’s who are a lovely couple that we met when we first arrived. One afternoon they invited us over for tea and biscuits and gave us a tour of their garden. They have a gorgeous property with loads of animals; ducks, chickens, dog, cats, and of course a massive garden…everyone here is crazy for gardening. We made dinner plans with them which will indulge our other favorite hobby…cooking!

By cooking of course I actually mean EATING. With how much we eat I’m surprised we haven’t gained more weight. I suppose walking (or running) 7-10 miles a day helps keep it off. 😉 But we have been thoroughly impressed with the wonderful food that we have access to. Jake is a regular Betty Crocker (French patisserie style) in the galley. He has perfected his homemade croissants and keeps us in a plethora of glutenous goodies of baguettes, quiche, pizza dough…you get the idea. I, on the other hand have been focused on the savory dishes, many of which I’ve never actually cooked before. It has been fun to experiment with new food, or adapting my old recipes to different ingredients; paella, pad thai, asian chicken noodle salad, stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes, tempura, beef wellingtons, curries galore, lots of things with prawns, chicken and sausage. The only real down side to is that produce doesn’t last long; 2-3 days at best. So we have to go to the store a lot more often [and plan better].

When not cooking, hiking or taking photos, I have found new inspiration (and a bunch of old art supplies) inside the gazebo. I started painting again, it has been years since I’ve done this with any regularity. Though out of practice, I have loads of ideas and have really been enjoying myself…

Though all of these things seem small, insignificant…they certainly add up to a wonderful experience and adventure that has thus far defined our time in France. I’m looking forward to the upcoming break in the weather, which means we will go out and explore more of France, its glorious country and loads more stones, I’d imagine. 😉