Paris1972-Versailles2003

My town ,my loving Pluvigner. Most write about far away lands we visit but seldom about the one we live in, I have lived in 5 countries and citizen of 4, having visited 81 so far and all have an impact on my life, Needless, to say the meaning of Pluvigner is big on my family. I had written several post on our lives here but realise these were repeated on individual posts; therefore, crazy me decided to erase them all. Not to lose the memories and sights of my loving Pluvigner ,will do several posts updating these older posts. This one is my Pluvigner ,part II. Of course, these posts will be on my black and white series,no pictures ,Hope you enjoy the post as I.

And we arrived at  Christmas 2016,  the magical day is starting, we all home, the we are me my wife, my father and my 3 boys; my dear mother Gladys passed away on December 27 2007 in Versailles. We had what I think is our first Christmas market or marché de Noël day today from 10h to 18h. We were there of course right from 16h30 onwards. all started by the Place du Marché where the traditional market is held every Saturday. All was nicely decorated, and plenty of kids games and several chalets with chichis (like churros) to hot wine stands, galette bretonne, and cider. We got our sweaters for winter here too !!! In the festivities ,there was a display of old Ducati’s motorcycles and cars including Ferrari, Porsches, Alpines and others quite nice as well as karting vehicles. Superbe, the boys love it and Dad was right behind them !

I rolled forward the memories to Sunday April 23rd 2017. This is the first round of the  French presidential elections pitting 11 candidates from all sorts of thinking. I did my civic duty and voted, my first voting experience in town and it was great ! There is a second round with the two top winners from today, and the 2nd round will be Sunday May 7th. Just before another great 3 day weekend on May 8 is Victory 1945 Day here.

My place of voting is on the other side of town about 18 minutes walking from our house which we enjoy doing and did walk over to vote. The place is the Salle Marie-Josèphe LE BORGNE, a big complex for events and sports as well, We passed by our city/town hall or Mairie which is a nice modern building with Breton decoration.  Right across is the Maison de la Presse or news stand where my father plays the euro million lotto religiously and we sometimes….

We took a look at the gare routiére or bus terminal space where the boys took their bus no 5 TIM to move into the bigger towns around us ,now they are keolis network. Right across the street, is our Poste or post office building; very good for us that mail a lot abroad. Passing this, you see the Proxi supermarket where we get our last minute needs for convenience only 300 meters from the house. And just before it, the traffic circle on the road D768 corner with road D16 going home you see  Annie Coiffures , my Dad and boys gets their haircuts! I do my own boldie !!! The owner sold and now new owners and name Odyssée but same friendly service so we stay with them.

Finally, we reach the voting place salle  Marie J Le Borgne where I voted on the second tour. Doing the duty, we came back walking again, and past the Gendarmerie or national police with a far shot of the belltower of the Church St Guigner again.  The Gendarmerie is a plain white building, good when going on long periods they have the tranquility service that makes passes by your house. Coming back on rue St Michel, we passed our optician eyeglass maker Optic 2000 in town , for the whole family! You will see La Croix Blanche a fine restaurant/bar with hotel rooms great for an emergency in town.  Moving along, we passed by the Stadium bar, the center of sports watching karaoke in summer, and good cheers right across from the place St Michel and our market or marché square.

Another nice local business we patronise a couple times is the La Barcarella, brasserie, pizzeria and créperie all into one behind the Church St Guigner. All decorated with pirates and corsairs portraits trinkets and memorabilia that the owner has collected over time and purchase in flea markets! You have a dining room with the bar area and kitchen and then to the right as you entered another dining room. We had chorizo pizza and ham and cabbage, then galettes of chorizo, cheese and egg all wash down with La Goudale  local Breton draft beer, and desserts from banana splits to peach melba to coconuts shell etc. all for less than 16€! Great!

We patronise for our garden a lot and still do the Pluvigner motoculture shop for parts of lawn mowers garden equipment supplies that we use at home almost acre of land. Just across is the Jardinerie de Porh Mirabeau , route de Auray D768;  where we gathered some growing dirt and 3 plants for our front garden. And always a good advice on gardening that now we are nulle ! My dear late wife Martine was the expert, and unfortunately she left us on April 30 2018.

And here we are on Christmas Eve 2017 amazing how times flies while having fun doing the blog lol! Today is cloudy cool at about 10C or 50F ,some light rain at times not now We had our Christmas Eve meal, Nochebuena, or Reveillon de Noël last night, and just got up at 10h on Christmas Day , December 25th 2017. Clouds are gray a bit dark, temp of 12C or about 53F ; it calls for rain tonight and tomorrow with temps from 5C/10C or 40-50F.  I have the double whammy of wedding anniversary tomorrow 26 December !!! And ,then , after all this ups I fall into a sad day on the 27th as it is the 10th anniversary of the passing of my loving Mother, always in my thoughts (she was and continue to be golden). It has been 14 yrs now Mom Gladys passed away, always will be remembered RIP. I had to go by another dreadful moment in my life when my dear late wife Martine of 28 years passed away from cancer on April 30 2018 19h (7pm) at Chubert hospital in Vannes, Sad as we are without our dear late wife/mom Martine in our first Summer 2018 !!

We had a wonderful National Day , Friday July 14 2018 (for those abroad old Bastille Day) with festivities all over France. It was highlighted by the visit of President Trump of the USA on behalf of President Macron of France to commemorate the centenary (100) anniversary of American entry into WWI or the Great War as known here, on the side of France. It was remarked their friendship has endure and will last forever,indeed since 1776. The oldest continuosly alliance in the world ,I am told.

A moment of reflection, As I move about in our world, running from city to city, region to region, and country to country it was hard to have dogs, Once settled in Florida USA circa 1985, my parents brought a small female dog mix Coton,Yorkshire type which we name Maite, we love and raised since she was 2 weeks old. We got thru a friend and we did all on her, vets visits, and trips by car. Even hiding it in towels to get her into some of the hotels not allowing dogs. Well it was with us for almost 12 years before she left us at the time my first boy was born. Then, years later, we decided to have a dog again as my boys were older and wanted it too, We search all over on refuges, newspapers, dog shows etc until we saw an ad. advertising a puppy of 3 months mix border collier/labrador and something, nearby us in the town of Moustoir-AC along the road D16. We call, and there was one male remaining from the lot of 2+2 M/F. By this time he was 4 months old and mostly black. The family were dairy farmers and only wanted 30 euros for him!! We call we wanted the dog and they were very honorable folks who reserved the puppy for us just by telephone. We can only come to get him Saturdays and we made appointment to stop by on March 10 2018 at 15h (3pm), After to our amazement we call the folks again to confirm the dog was still available the couple spoked with us by telephone and confirm waiting for us , and we rush to get the puppy at the farm in Moustoir-AC, we were late and call to let them know we were on our way and hold on to the puppy ,is ours! The folks were very nice and guide us to their farm. Here you need a lot more than GPS to get to some of these villages hamlets call lieu-dits here in French. Some are and some are not on GPS. We finally made it to the farm ok . We have had the first veterinary appointment on Tuesday March 13 2018  at the cabinet that have been advising us on the purchase and steps all the way. They have been very strict and gentle to our questions and we kind of like them for that. They are right in Pluvigner not far from our local grocery shopping center, call  Clinique du Chêne. They have been our vet ever since and wonderful, We are now set for a wonderful homey feeling with our new member of the family, REX. We call him like that because my wife sees an Austrian, then Italian TV series on a dog call Rex (German Shepherd) . The series lasted until 2015 under Inspector Rex, We went to get Rex, our puppy male dog of 12,5 kg (25 lbs) Borador, mix Border Collier/Labrador Retriever.   It was time for his first grooming in our city center store Tou Beau Tou Propre ( now closed here for the memories as the first) at pl St Michel. They did a good job and he was super good. We came home to play with him and eat. Unfortunately closed early in 2021. Now we go to nearby Brec’h for Cani Couaf ,and good so far.

There you go folks, my town of Pluvigner, Another historical memorable town for us , already 9 years in the house and now more empty than ever missing our two women, Life goes on and the town has been good, hard to tell the future but I believe this will be my last town, from here to the sea at Honfleur Normandie as our family has. Hope you enjoy this kind of post, and do get to know me more and hopefully I will you too. Do read my many posts on Pluvigner in my blog !

And remember, happy travels, good health , and many cheers to all !!!

My town ,my loving Pluvigner. Most write about far away lands we visit but seldom about the one we live in, I have lived in 5 countries and citizen of 4, having visited 81 so far and all have an impact on my life, Needless, to say the meaning of Pluvigner is big on my family. I had written several post on our lives here but realise these were repeated on individual posts; therefore, crazy me decided to erase them all. Not to lose the memories and sights of my loving Pluvigner ,will do several posts updating these older posts. This one is my Pluvigner ,part I. Of course, these posts will be on my black and white series,no pictures. Hope you enjoy them as I.

It all started in September 6, 2013 ! We moved in to our new own house near the main bourg or city center, You know how moving can be stressful even if done it a hundred times , However, this one was one of the easiest one or best once all the paperwork was in place all worked well. The rants, after 12 days, I still didn’t had television because we have a forfait that includes TV, internet, telephone and cellular/mobile, all else works except the TV. Tired of calling customer service and the technical dept of Orange, we asked for a technician to come home at no charge. This is now for the 14 september, which if all goes well, we will have TV after 18 days!!! We finally have TV after a local tv repairmen blanc-brun in town took some live plug and replace those of Orange and bingo it works Vive la différence ! Just saying the only time we had this glitch happened here, In the meantime, all else goes very well, and we are all settled in with all boxes out, and all on display again.  Back to school for tries or stages to perfectioning of skills for the boys, and Dad is traveling again first to Paris for our company annual convention, and then to Indonesia, China and next month Vietnam !!!

The town we are now is call Pluvigner, same department of Morbihan 56, in fact only about 11 kms from where we were in Brec’h (renting apart) , but a much bigger home. 255 sq meters of home and 1000 m2 of land!!! The house is great, we will do some adjustment to our convenience but no major works needed. Oh yes for those over the pond, the 255 M2 is about 2745 sq feet, and a land space of 1000 M2 is about 10 760 sq feet, a nice patio !! It has 4 brms, 2 baths, office space (which also serves as the entertainment center or game room) , attic complete, covered garage for 3 cars; and an enclosed veranda as well as an open air terrace. Also, full tiled finished basement. All the land is fence in and wonderful quiet neighbors, too quiet for me we talk once in a long while.  The house is 300 meters from the bus stop, and about 400 meters from downtown or city center, on the crossroad of a road took me to my job in 35 minutes by car. We have huge supermarkets at 800 meters, and smaller grocery stores, and all amenities including the post office in 400 meters. All our neighbors are single home with big houses and land. Also, a huge sports complex with all the trimming out and in spaces, Goh Lanno.

Pluvigner is a town of about 7500 people crisscross by many departamental roads such as the D16, D102,D133 ,D102 and the dept wide D768 going to the beaches of Carnac and Quiberon. About 40 kms (25 mi) from Quiberon and 14 km from Auray. It is about 35 km from the Atlantic coast in the Gulf of Morbihan ,and near the bigger cities of Vannes (27 km), Pontivy (37 km), Lorient (34 km) and Auray (14 km).  Walking and bike rides are very popular here and great forests around us such as those of Camors and Floranges. Pluvigner has a total of 8 283 hectares (20467 acres) of territory with several villages around it and part of it such as Bieuzy-Lanvaux and Malachappe, and many more smaller. I was told by the brother of our mayor that is about the same land area as Marseille !!

We had our first walk in town today and we just came back in 20 minutes to see all of city center, very compact.  Quiet Sunday of course, all closed ! But we even have a tourist office attached to the mayor’s office !!! A very historical town with 8 castles, and 19 chapels 2 churches, amongst other goodies all around the area encomprising Pluvigner. I have written plenty already on them.  Its a country living ,totally change of pace for me, and just training ground for the retirement still years away, (it got me  !!!). Today is really when everything works and we can call it our real first day in our new home. So ,this weekend will be ,also, our first free of worries about administrative crap. My sons will begin a new job next week ,and so we are on for the last part of the year. I just past another milestone as it was my birthday and my sons gave me a refrigerated wine cellar as gift,nicely neat to keep those bottles cool !!!

We went out for getting to know what’s in town and of course eating out is one of our hobbies, at least when the family was intact, The highlight was to try Poull Houard restaurant, (which has since closed but here for the memories),   It was right in city center, at 23 Place Chazelles , this is just diagonally to the town’s main Church of Saint Guigner, and just after the main Place du Marché. We had the Italian dinner menu on Sundays, st jacques in penne and pasta sauce, pissaladière, tiramisu ,and plenty of Duck’Ale home brew beer by the bottle.there was, also, pizzas, escalopes de veau jambon avec figues or ham veal with stuffed figs, and scoops of ice cream, etc. All good ,and all about 20 euros per person. Nice.

Later in the afternoon, I went out with the wife to search for the Chapelle de la Miséricorde ; it is a chapel from 1600; as there are many around here and I am just beginning to know my new area; slow by the business travels and house work. See post, We pick our wonderful in town castle of Rimaison who we had walk and peek on it but never inside as it is private. However, we ate there lunch at the Créperie de Rimaison; the place is a castle in ruins that was transfer all here in about 1960, and now its own by a family from Vannes for the last 17 years and the créperie restaurant is open for 10 years. Very friendly ,nice, good food and good country pleasant folks, plus you eat in a castle !!!  This has ,also been sold and créperie closed. On the front facing rue de la gare you could had walk in, but we come by car on rue de Landaul, (road D16) parking was inside the castle.

We had patronise another one memorable place the Créperie de Vorlan , The first time there, a young lady came to serve us and then another and then the owner Jean-Noêl (because was born on Christmas day), and it turns out he is a native of the same town as my wife !!! Meaux in Seine et Marne dept77 of the brie cheese , mustard of Meaux fame, and now close to the action of Disneyland Paris as well as the new museum on WWI! yes! and not only that ,but he had lived in Auvergne ,near where my step father in law is from lol!! Welcome to the family !! (the business was sold and left new owners with similar menu now and we had try it ok). Here, we also have been several times and even celebrated my father’s 81 ! and then my sons too, They do twice a month on Sundays, a Breton dish call Rost Er Forn, Breton for roasted pig in oven. We are on for it, complete dinner of the pig 300 grams, entrée, dessert, 1/4 wine for 18€ nice. Then, we headed into the place St Michel in city center for the  US Loch Festival  showcasing American old cars, motos, and military vehicules with plenty of American flags, food,and rock concert all day long. They were given rides on the trucks, motos and cars as well which was a treat. We love it !

Well we have been here already eight years and even thus we missed Versailles (and who wouldn’t) the area has been fantastic and it has taken its roots on all of us already. The main Church St Guigner bears the name of the founder and was built in 1781 and later renovated last in 1932; Inside you will see the relics of Saint  Guigner and a statue of him. A historic feat was in January 23  1943,an American B-17 bomber plane already damaged by fire fell in town nearby Kéronic forest . Seven aviators were killed and 3 survived. Two stone monument were done in November 5 1994 in the presence of one of the survivors  Charles Roth. It is near the mayor’s office.

In remembering places we spent together as a family in Pluvigner and as we agreed we needed to know our town better, we head out for lunch to the Au Gout du Jour restaurant. This is a workers cantine open to the public as we are in an agricultural area, many come here to eat. Very French no tourists, and real chow from the country. And of course, who says France is expensive? only if you follow the travel guides written by foreigners, of course. At the Au Gout du Jour, you have very nice friendly folks where eaten is like a family and patrons know each other. The food changes every day but it is a long list of items. We had for entrée a plate of cold cuts and mussels in tomato sauce, then a turkey roll stuffed with hams and a dauphine sauce, later came a plate of cheeses from camembert to goats, to emmentale , follow by the dessert of a banana and coconut cake in an English sauce; of course all watch down with house red wine, lemonade, and water in a bottle! All for 11,50€ per person!!!

The idea of this simple morning walk in city center was to try finally , the  maître chocolatier of La Fondue de Chocolat. 3 rue de l’église, diagonally in front of the Church of Saint Guigner. This is a great shop and one we have come back often as we love chocolates. The store is smallish, but packed with all kinds and shapes of chocolate items, wines, liquors, pates, miel ;coffees, cookies, jellies and snacks from many leading producers even as far as Provence. However, the main thing is the chocolate. We purchase blocks of it dark and milk with different fruits mix in, as well as fruit bars, dry fruits, local roasted coffee, honey and jellies. The ballotin or box of mix chocolates freshly made on site by a master chocolatier is a treat to have this special weekend. And right in our little wonderful Pluvigner !

A bit of history I like on my Pluvigner,

The first traces of humans here goes back several thousand years before Christ, and some instruments such as axes in polish stones  have been found back in 1982 in the village of  Talhouët. (open to the public)  The Gaul’s and predecessors were established here too building closures of two buildings, one circular and the other paramedic, tombs and fragments of pottery. The Romans were, also ,here and some traces left at Kerguy. In the 5C, the Bretons came over the Manche to the today Brittany or Bretagne; accompanied by numerous monks and at this time Brittany is Christianize.  The parish of Pluvigner was founded in the 5C by Saint Guigner and his disciples coming from Ireland to evangelize the Armorica ,todays Brittany.  Saint Guigner born in Ireland known there under the name of Fingar, son of a king ; Saint Patrick that evangelize Ireland converts him Christian. The father upset that his son abandon paganism chase him out to the point of having to leave Ireland. Here in Armorica he takes the name of  Guigner. According to the legend he landed at Pluvigner and found the monastery of Moustoir around 445. Around the year 450 his father died, and Guigner goes there to renounce his heritage and the crown of his father; in Great Britain, he tries to evangelize the Jutes, Anglos, and Saxons that occupied a great territory and were pagans. He built up an expedition of missionaries to land at Cornouaille around 455 with 770 men. The Jutes and Anglos led by a chief named Hengist, massacre Saint Guigner and his troops. He martyred here and the town bears his name in Breton language, Plu is parish and Vigner is a contraction of Guigner so therefore Pluvigner. It is Pleuwigner in Breton!

There you go folks, my town of Pluvigner, Another historical memorable town for us , already 9 years in the house and now more empty than ever missing our two women, Life goes on and the town has been good, hard to tell the future but I believe this will be my last town, from here to the sea at Honfleur Normandie as our family has. Hope you enjoy this kind of post, and do get to know me more and hopefully I will you too. Do read my many posts on Pluvigner in my blog !

And remember, happy travels, good health , and many cheers to all !!!