14 July is Bastille Day in France. Known in France as La Fete Nationale or simply Le Quatorze Juillet, it commemorates France’s throwing off the shackles of an oppressive monarchy and taking the first steps towards democracy. Basically, it is an excuse for a party. Not ones to miss a party, Dinan will be joining in with an impressive fireworks display, among other celebrations. Other nearby towns, notably Dinard and Saint Malo will be having celebrations of their own. So join the fun! As this goes to print, there is still room at La Vieille Auberge!

Fête de la Musique – Music Festival: June 21
The Fête de la Musique, also called World Music Day, is a date celebrated all over France, with music played in virtually every town. Dinan will certainly be no exception, considering its thriving music scene. Below is a little background on the day, provided by Wikipedia:
The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the moment of the summer solstice. The idea was taken up by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982 in Paris.
Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:
 Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.
 Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free. In 2011, the festival utilized online booking site Gigmaven to organize its performers.

If you are planning to spend some time in Dinan this summer, you could do no better than to be there on what promises to be a fabulous, music-filled day.

Depôt-Vente: A Bargain Hunter’s Paradise
On our trips to Dinan, we just can’t resist a visit to the Depôt-Vente. There are several in the area, but our favourite is La Galerie de l’occasion in the Industrial Zone of Dinan. This is by far the largest and most eclectic. You will see armoires, sofas, tables and kitchen units mixed in with such treasures as a six foot papier-maché Tyrannosaurus Rex and a giant Statue of Liberty.
A Depôt-Vente is basically an antique and bric-a-brac consignment shop. The dealers seem to be astonishingly open-minded about what they will accept. So you may see a gorgeous turn of the century chandelier sitting shoulder to shoulder with a moth eaten stuffed meerkat. But that is part of the charm and fascination of the depôt-vente. We have made some fabulous finds there, some of which are part of our décor in La Vieille Auberge. But not the meerkat. Sadly, we gave him a miss!
Details of the Galerie de l’occasion are as follows:
La Galerie de l’occasion
Z.I. de DINAN
14 Bd de Préval – 22100 QUEVERT
Opening times:
Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 12 noon, then from 2pm to 7pm
Sunday from 3pm to 7:30pm (except summer months)
Closed Tuesdays

Brittany-Japan 2012 — A Year of Exhibitions Throughout Brittany

Seldom have I been so excited about posting a blog than when I found out about this series of exhibitions. Throughout this year (and don’t worry—most are only just getting started), towns and cities throughout Brittany will be putting on exhibitions celebrating the impact of Japanese art and culture on the art and culture of Brittany.

There will be 12 exhibitions in all, two of which are on our own doorstep.

At the Maison d’Artiste de la Grande Vigne in Dinan, (located on the port) there will be an exhibition titled Le Japon dans la Correspondance de Mathurin Méheut (Japan in the Correspondence of Mathurin Méheut) from 15 May to 30 September 2012. This exhibition will be showing letters which were written to the artist Yvonne-Jean Hoffman, who lived and worked in the Maison, by her friend Mathurin Méhut, another celebrated Breton artist, who travelled extensively in Japan. In his letters, Méhut included sketches of Japanese life as he observed it. Over 40 of these letters will be on display.

A mere stone’s throw away, in Lamballe, The Musée Mathurin Méhut will be displaying sketches, water-colours and paintings as well as books and ceramics that Méhut either created while in Japan or brought back with him.

Farther afield, in Concarneau, there is a display featuring a little known technique of “fish printing”. A real fish was rolled in ink and daubed onto paper; then the lifelike details were filled in.

I could go on, but if you would like to know more, I would encourage you to visit the excellent website http://www.brittanytourism.com/things-to-do/events/brittany-s-main-events/brittany-japan-2012. There you can be filled in with all of the details including dates, locations and times to visit.

On your next visit to Dinan, why not take a day trip to Rennes, the administrative capital of the department Ile-et-Vilaine? It is a big town, packed full of great things to see and do. Like Dinan, Rennes is classed as a “City of Art and History.” Head to the historic centre to admire its fabulous architecture, from fortified medieval walls to half timbered buildings. Les Halles Martenot, a covered market built in the mid-19th century, hosts a market every Saturday morning, which is the third largest in France. Rennes cathedral is well worth a visit. First founded in the 6th century, it has grown with the city, and shows splendid architectural styles of many eras. If you are into parks and gardens, do not miss Parc Thabor, a formal French garden, orangerie, rose garden and aviary. The crown of Parc Thabor is certainly the Jardin botanique du Thabor, a lovely botanical garden. There is a fine arts museum south of the river, but if you are touting little ones around, you might do better with the Brittany Museum (Musée de Bretagne), which boasts a science centre with a planetarium.
Rennes is easy to reach from Dinan by car or public transport. By bus, use route 7. Check with the Office of Tourism for current timetables and prices.

They are in!  The Petit Bleu has posted the most popular baby names of 2011.   For girls, the top names (in order) were Louise, Louanne, Camille, Louna  and Chloé.  For boys, it was Máthis, Nathan, Ewenn, Arthur, Timéo, Axel,  Gabin and Clément. 

According to the Petit Bleu, those names are pretty run of the mill in Brittany.  Some of the more adventurous names cited were Aéva,  Aëlig, Alwenna, Amédée, Anjali, Azéline, Aziliz, Chayatte, Dilyo, Euphénia, Gwenvaen, Hippolyte, Jahoüen,  Keridwen, Lilwenn,  Loïza, Naolyna, Oanell, Parmédine  Silnoë, Sorën, Simao, Tihanna, Wallan and Youna.

So if you are out there looking for an original baby name, there could be something here for you!

French Cinemas have had their best year since 1967, according to the Petit Bleu.  And Vers le Large, Dinan’s own cinema, is happy to report an 11% increase in takings over 2010.  This upsurge in attendance is put down to the fact that people are tired of hearing about the bleak economic  climate.  According to a neighbouring cinema owner, Claude Legrée, people just want a bit of an escape.  What better way than with a bag of popcorn and a good movie?

The top film by far, both in Dinan and France as a whole was a French one called Intouchables.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for it on Lovefilm.  Harry Potter, Tintin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Twilight and Planet of the Apes were also top films.

Travelling to Dinan with your car? Do you have car breakdown insurance cover? It’s an expensive option to add to your existing AA or RAC policy.  If like me, you typically just add the car breakdown insurance option when booking your ferry – think again! Brittany Ferries charge approximately £34.00 for a week and if you visit Europe more than once a year you might be better off with an annual European breakdown policy.  A policy with Europ Assistance, who I found via Quotelinedirect.com, was only £59.00 per year which not only covers me for European breakdown but also provides breakdown coverage in the UK.  Just a thought!

The folks of Dinan (or the Dinanaise, as they like to call themselves) have always been proud to point to the medieval origins of their town.  But they are even more delighted to find that new research has put Dinan and its environs on the map a full 500 years earlier than previously thought.

According to Le Petit Blue, local historian Yves Castel has unearthed evidence of a local group who, in the 4^th century B.C., constructed a holy place called Dunos Ahna, or “hill dedicated to the Goddess Ahna,” a pagan deity who protected the living and the dead.  According to Castel, memories of this deity were later merged with those of Sainte-Anne when France became Christianized.  This shrine apparently stood exactly where the church of Saint-Sauveur stands today.

So next time you are visiting Saint-Sauveur, or indeed, enjoying a crèpe at Crèperie Ahna, give a thought to the ancient tribes that peopled our most historical town.

Droit de Bouchon
According to the website TV5, (see my earlier blog on this subject), French restaurants have begun a program they call Droit de Bouchon. Basically, this allows the customer to bring his or her own bottle of wine with them for dinner, subject to a 5 euro corkage fee. You are allowed one bottle of wine per two persons. It is seen as a way of saving money on the meal, as well as getting a much better quality of wine for your money. Not all restaurants buy into this plan. When booking a meal (in Dinan, for example), you might want to ask, “est-ce que vous utilizez le Droit de Bouchon?” If the answer is “oui,” simply head down to your favourite cave (wine merchant) and pick up your favourite bottle before heading out for your meal. Bon appétit!