Dinan, Bretagne!

The day after driving up to Nantes, we headed to Dinan, a small town in Brittany! It was cold and gray, but Dinan was really pretty and French-y, it kind of reminded me of Saint-Émilion. It was really empty, except for, oddly enough, a lot of runners, which was weird because French people don't run that much, but like half the people we saw in the street were running! And it was freezing too, so not exactly jog-inspiring weather. Cést fou!

We went on the Rick Steves self-guided walking tour, from his France book, which my dad downloaded. It was a good way to see all the major spots. Dinan is known for having a lot of old medieval houses, which all have the upper floors jutting out over the first floor. The Rickster informed us that this is because back then, taxes were based on the square footage of the ground floor, so people would try to make their ground floor compact and then build out. Plus, shopkeepers could sell their goods under the overhang of their upstairs floors. I was really impressed that all these buildings from medieval times were still standing! Most of them are souvenir shops or restaurants now.

We also walked along the ramparts that surround the town, which gave us a great view of the town center on one side and the river below on the other side. There were also some abstract metal sculptures along the wall, which were cool but seemed a little out of place.

Next, we headed to the Basilisque Saint-Saveur, which was built all the way back in the 12th century! The basilica is in really good condition, and all the Christmas decorations and the manger scene were still up.

Then, came like the most amazing lunch I have ever had. I admit, one of the main reasons I wanted to make a stop in Brittany was to try their famous crêpes, and they exceeded all expectations! We went to Le Beffroi, which had an awesome menu where you could get a savory crêpe (galette), a sweet crêpe, a glass of cider (a Brittany specialty), and a café for less than 10 euros. For the savory crêpe, I got one with cheese, egg, ham, and tomatoes, which was so so so so so so good. Not to mention I was starving since we didn't really eat breakfast (I might have had like one cookie). Then for the dessert crêpe, my dad and I both got caramel au beurre salé, or salted butter carmel. In. Croy. Able. Caramel au beurre salé is also a Brittany specialty, and it was just so ridiculously good. It was so smooth and warm and rich and sweet but salty. I could eat caramel au beurre salé crêpes for the rest of my life, and I would be happy.

NOMNOMNOM

After this other worldy crêpe experience, we were off to Mont St. Michel! À bientôt!

P.S. I saw snow falling this morning!!! Only a few flakes, but still!!