Rennes, France
Brittany Region
“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”
Delicious French macarons
After leaving Mont-Saint-Michel, we set our course for Rennes. With lots of rain in the forecast, a proper exploration of Rennes was not in the cards for us. Instead, we planned to spend a rainy day completing school work and determining our route and accommodations for the next couple of weeks. We were so comfortable, we stayed for two full days which gave us a much needed opportunity to catch up on school and get organized.
Rich History and Culture of Rennes
Serving as the capital city of the Brittany Region, Rennes is located a little more than an hour’s drive south of Mont-Saint-Michel and about 225 miles west of Paris. The city’s history goes back more than 2,000 years. While it went through significant development after WWII, it has preserved much of its medieval and classical heritage with over 90 buildings being protected as historic monuments. Today, Rennes is a bustling college town and serves an important role in the tech industry. In 2018, it was named “the most liveable city in France” by L’Express.
Unfortunately, due to the relentless rain, we did not get a chance to explore Rennes properly. We would have loved to wander its cobblestone streets and enjoy the medieval half-timbered buildings that have been preserved in their beautiful splendor. We will definitely be returning to this area to experience the food and culture, including works of art by Picasso, in the future.
Unique Hotel
The Boutique Hotel just south of Rennes, France gave us shelter from the relentless rain of the next two days. We settled into our two rooms and realized that there were very few other guests during our midweek stay. We felt as though we had the whole place to ourselves. One of our rooms contained a queen-sized bed and a couch with a bed that was recessed into the ceiling and dropped into place when a button was pressed. The other room had a king-sized bed, a couch, and another twin-sized bed recessed into the ceiling when not in use.
We loved the ingenious way these rooms were designed to sleep 3 people each while still allowing for a nice living room area during the day. This gave us ample room to sleep everyone comfortably and provided plenty of space to spread out during the day to complete school and work. The rainy weather outside made us thankful for a cozy and comfortable place to catch up on both rest and work.
Safety Lesson for the Girls
Once we checked in, we went in search of some groceries. Since the hotel didn’t offer complimentary breakfast, we drove to ALDI for breakfast and snack food (along with some wine). Kevin and I left the 3 girls in the car while we ran into the store. A few minutes later, Ellie came rushing in with both girls saying that she felt unsafe because 4 different young guys were getting closer to the car from different angles. We finished selecting our items, paid, and left the store. Once back in the car, we tried to find a place for dinner but dark was settling in and we were a bit uncomfortable with the neighborhood. Instead, we headed back to the hotel and ate breakfast items for our dinner.
Over dinner, we discussed the situation Ellie faced in the car with her little sisters. Kevin explained that getting out of the car with both younger girls was probably the worst thing she could’ve done if there was a real threat to their safety. With four grown men against a young adult woman and two young girls, she could’ve easily been separated from one or both of them and left in a seriously dangerous situation. Instead, Kevin told her, she should have made sure the doors were locked and laid on the horn to alert everyone nearby (including her dad inside the store). It would’ve most likely resulted in sending them running but would also have alerted others who could help.
Authentic French Macarons
The following morning, Kevin visited the front desk and arranged to stay another night. We all settled in, once again, for a day of school work and route planning. Kevin was on the search for our next Airbnb location. He and I ran out for a few more groceries to supply us with lunch and the next morning’s breakfast.
Later in the evening, Kevin and Ellie left to get dinner and came back with fresh baguette sandwiches and macarons! The sandwiches were delicious and it felt good to get some lettuce and tomato too. Apparently, they arrived 3 minutes before closing but the woman was super welcoming. She was patient as Ellie did her best to communicate in French and she made our sandwiches fresh. They were tempted by the beautiful macarons on display and decided to order a dozen for dessert after being so well treated. That woman was just another example of the countless warm and welcoming people we met during our travels in France.
Toothpaste vs Itch Cream
On our second night in the hotel, we were a little distracted as the Littles were getting ready for bed. Sophie brushed her teeth and complained about the taste of her toothpaste the whole time. Trying to be helpful (and probably also wanting a second opinion), Sophie put some of her toothpaste onto Rachel’s toothbrush. Rachel was irritated with her sister because she didn’t want help and told her that she didn’t want to use that toothpaste. She tried wiping off her toothbrush so she could put her own on and discovered that it was super thick and not wiping off easily. Kevin came in to investigate and found the open tube of itch cream on the counter and realized that Sophie must’ve used itch cream instead of toothpaste, which would definitely explain the bad taste. Ugh! We had her brush her teeth 3 times with actual toothpaste, rinse and drink cold water, and we monitored her for the next little bit. She was a little embarrassed, but 100% fine and it gave us all a good laugh later!
Obstacles Sometimes Lead to an Even Better Outcome
After another good-night’s sleep, it was time to check out of our comfortable boutique hotel and move on to our next destination. The rain persisted while we packed all of our belongings into our rental and got settled for a rainy drive. Kevin had received an alert late the previous evening that our next Airbnb stay had been canceled by the host. Thankfully, he had a backup plan and he spent the few moments before backing out of our parking spot quickly booking us into another location. It ended up being one of our favorites (but that’s for next week).
We were disappointed that the rain kept us from exploring this beautiful ancient town. However, this stop gave us the rest we needed after two full weeks of exploring western France. We had an opportunity to get school work done, which relieved some stress for Ellie and allowed the Littles to stay on top of their workload. It also gave Kevin a chance to plan our route for the next couple of weeks.
Challenges are inevitable in life. How you react to them sets the tone for how quickly you can overcome them and whether or not you will allow a setback to ruin your day. I tend to get frustrated, but Kevin takes challenges in stride. He even welcomes them. His attitude keeps us all calm and helps us recover quickly from disappointments and changes in plans.
Those rainy days simply gave us an excuse to come back to Rennes in the future and we’re excited about that! We backed out of our spot and headed to our next location which was full of little surprises that made us so glad our first plan didn’t work out. Have you ever encountered weather that has thrown a wrench in your plans? How did you overcome or embrace it to make the best of your situation?
