Guilvinec, Bretagne, France 2014-201

This trip started on November 26th.  We spent only one night in Paris close to Gare Montparnasse so as not to have to take a cab from hotel to the Gare.  The hotel I booked had a weirdly sounding Canadian name: Tim Hotel, no relationship to Tim Horton which in any case has now passed again into the grubby fat hands of Burger King who is now using this recent acquisition as a tactic to claim Canadian ownership and defer paying taxes in the U.S.  That's what happens when you're rich and powerful and have a bevy of overpaid lawyers ready to do your illegal bidding.  Things that ordinary citizens would have to pay dearly for and would never attempt to do in terms of circumventing the law and not paying income taxes suddenly become fair and reasonable for corporations.  OK. enough of the rant which has nothing to do with travel in France.   Paris is still vibrantly beautiful as long as you avoid the outlying areas and stick to the main touristy sections.  Tim Hotel which is actually a little French chain was surprisingly pleasant with rooms a little bigger than the standard we have gotten used to in Paris.  A bonus was the big bathroom, you're not able to pee in the bowl and shower at the same time, not unusual for French hotels.  Luckily neither of us are very big we can manoeuvre in fairly small spaces.

We didn't do any real visiting except some walking around which was very pleasant after the plane ride from Montreal.  This isn't our first time in Paris and although the magic hasn't warn off it's not as potent as it used to be.  The next day we took the TGV to Quimper/Bretagne which is a pleasant four hours much better than by car which would take you 6 hours at least and through numerous paying slices of highway.  The highways are privately owned and beautifully maintained but they do cost a pretty penny.  Everything has gone up here.  With the Canadian dollar's rather precipitous decline it's very costly buying Euros.  Three hundred euros will cost me around $438.00 sometimes more depending on the current exchange rate+there are bank fees at both ends.  I don't understand why currencies have to be speculated on every second of every day.  This kind of reckless speculation only benefits the odd few and is punishing for countries not just for travelers.  At this rate I don't think we will be able to afford travel in Europe much longer.  We're luckier than most since we get to spend time at our daughter's house otherwise it would be impossible.

Guilvinec where she now lives is known as the biggest "artisanal fishing port" in France.  The boats here are rather small in comparison to the huge factory ships which plow the oceans relentlessly and without remorse.  The bigger vessels still use nets even if on a smaller scale it's still pretty impressive and scary when they all come in to unload their catch.  It's hard not to imagine an endless emptying of the oceans till there's nothing left at all except garbage fish and jelly fish.  Her husband fishes for lobster and crabs and his is truly a boat of Lilliputian proportions,you can't get more artisanal than that but he's one of the few.  I hope the fishing lasts long enough to provide for him and his family.  I'm not too hopeful for the future.

This was our first Christmas in France in forever.  I was born in France but the last time I spent a Christmas in Marseille I was much younger.  Predictably the dinner was very very long and tasty.  We had to take breaks in between.  We sat down around 7:00 and we're still edging towards the cheese platter around midnight.  We left before dessert (the traditional French buches) because we couldn't eat any more.  We did have our own individual buches the next day.  There is a list and you order the one you want from the Patissier.  The deserts are as exquisite as ever even if there is some grumbling that the taste has gone down.  Baking/Cooking are still arts here, the French value their eating time.  Kids eat everything there is no complaining or whining about the food.  I love that.  I know kids in Canada who never eat proper meals with their families and only care for fast food.  It's creeping in here too especially in the bigger cities but for now the French are holding fast.  It's the last bastion of civility and it won't be easily given up which is a great thing.

Days have been lazy with daily walks into town and some walks to the beach.  There are kms. of endless beaches here, too bad the outside temperature does not allow for swimming.  I could be tempted on a dare but nobody wants to give me $500.00, that's my minimum dare. LOL  It probably won't happen any time soon if ever.

We were going to take a trip to Morocco but the weather has not been good there.  Our travel agent suggested the Canary Islands as an alternative.  We're delighted, I've been to Morocco and although it would have been cool the Canaries will be totally different not a place we would have ever expected to visit.  We usually travel on the cheap, never in all inclusives especially not 4 stars but it was the deal which was available, we decided to splurge.  We wanted to give the family a break from our presence and bask in the sun a little as well.  Temperatures there should hover around the 19 to 23 mark, perfect.
I will be updating my travel blog from there.  Love it when I have something new to report and comment upon on my travel blog even if it's not widely read.  I enjoy the writing regardless.