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Friday, June 7, 2013
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: A little boat trip to the Archipelago of les Glena...
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: A little boat trip to the Archipelago of les Glena...: We left for Benodet shortly after noon. The boat was scheduled to leave at 1:30. Got there a little before embarkation time on a good size...
A little boat trip to the Archipelago of les Glenan
We left for Benodet shortly after noon. The boat was scheduled to leave at 1:30. Got there a little before embarkation time on a good size ferry type boat with an upper deck, a lower open deck and a closed deck.
We took the comprehensive tour which involved a drop off of a few hours on a modestly sized island with a lovely beach and then a pick up with a tour of the rest of the islands which dot the archipelago.
Les Glenan is one of the high spots for tourism in Brittany. It is known for its natural resources, its pristine crystalline waters (this is where blue lobsters can be caught as well as crabs and shrimps). The spot was neglected for quite some time until the opening of a nautical center in 1940 followed by an international diving center where many people from all over the world come to learn how to become experienced divers.
The biggest surprise was how many tourists were lined up to board the boat. It's not yet the height of the tourist season here but the exceptionally warm sunny weather brought out everybody. It's been a rather cool spring here with unpredictable mostly crappy weather. It seems to have been the case all over France and many part of Europe,not sure what's going on with the weather, possibly mother nature signaling enough is enough,more harm done and I'm just going to BLOW.
The trip to the island of St. Nicolas took about 1 hour. The island is tiny you can walk around it on a special walkway built out of wooden slats just for that occasion. There are a couple of restaurant/terraces where the boat docks and a few summer houses. We stopped to take a break on a beautiful beach where the water was so turquoise pure I felt like jumping in it except for two facts preventing me: one, didn't have a bathing suit on and 2 the water temperature hovered around 14 degrees Celsius not exactly Caribbean temperatures.
The purity and clarity of the water as well as the whiteness of the sand can be explained by a special type of marine algae called "bancs de maeri" which while decomposing assumes the shape of coral but becomes white in the process. We found little bits of it not quite fully decomposed on the beach. Some people were brave enough to go mid thigh in the water, I only went mid-calf.
The boat picked us up after a couple of hours of lingering on the beach and walking around the island. We then went for an exploration of other islands some of which are just little rock outcroppings while others feature that blindingly white sand and turquoise water. See picture below for proof of that.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRS1SxCerto526gda_S5i_IMKAUz5pl84lfIns__lWzHpP_mwJYTA
If you click on the link it will take you to more fabulous pictures. These will give you a better idea than any writing could. All in all a lovely day, hopefully it will inspire some to want to visit one day.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRx2yt46M3xIIybu1q3nCTl-wMjpvx0JznGJxVc8PStBLQ4rWdH
Sorry these links don't seem to work, just google les Glenan and a lot of pics. will pop up.
We took the comprehensive tour which involved a drop off of a few hours on a modestly sized island with a lovely beach and then a pick up with a tour of the rest of the islands which dot the archipelago.
Les Glenan is one of the high spots for tourism in Brittany. It is known for its natural resources, its pristine crystalline waters (this is where blue lobsters can be caught as well as crabs and shrimps). The spot was neglected for quite some time until the opening of a nautical center in 1940 followed by an international diving center where many people from all over the world come to learn how to become experienced divers.
The biggest surprise was how many tourists were lined up to board the boat. It's not yet the height of the tourist season here but the exceptionally warm sunny weather brought out everybody. It's been a rather cool spring here with unpredictable mostly crappy weather. It seems to have been the case all over France and many part of Europe,not sure what's going on with the weather, possibly mother nature signaling enough is enough,more harm done and I'm just going to BLOW.
The trip to the island of St. Nicolas took about 1 hour. The island is tiny you can walk around it on a special walkway built out of wooden slats just for that occasion. There are a couple of restaurant/terraces where the boat docks and a few summer houses. We stopped to take a break on a beautiful beach where the water was so turquoise pure I felt like jumping in it except for two facts preventing me: one, didn't have a bathing suit on and 2 the water temperature hovered around 14 degrees Celsius not exactly Caribbean temperatures.
The purity and clarity of the water as well as the whiteness of the sand can be explained by a special type of marine algae called "bancs de maeri" which while decomposing assumes the shape of coral but becomes white in the process. We found little bits of it not quite fully decomposed on the beach. Some people were brave enough to go mid thigh in the water, I only went mid-calf.
The boat picked us up after a couple of hours of lingering on the beach and walking around the island. We then went for an exploration of other islands some of which are just little rock outcroppings while others feature that blindingly white sand and turquoise water. See picture below for proof of that.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRS1SxCerto526gda_S5i_IMKAUz5pl84lfIns__lWzHpP_mwJYTA
If you click on the link it will take you to more fabulous pictures. These will give you a better idea than any writing could. All in all a lovely day, hopefully it will inspire some to want to visit one day.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRx2yt46M3xIIybu1q3nCTl-wMjpvx0JznGJxVc8PStBLQ4rWdH
Sorry these links don't seem to work, just google les Glenan and a lot of pics. will pop up.
Monday, June 3, 2013
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: France and the welfare state
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: France and the welfare state: Tomorrow we're off to a beautiful spot called Les Glenans, you have to go there by boat. I'll be blogging my impressions of the plac...
France and the welfare state
Tomorrow we're off to a beautiful spot called Les Glenans, you have to go there by boat. I'll be blogging my impressions of the place shortly thereafter but in the meantime I thought I would write a little bit about what the French government offers its citizens in return for the taxes that they pay. I'm not really sure what percentage of their income French people pay in return for the services that they get, easy enough to look it up but this blog is not a treatise, I would just like to go on first impressions and what I've found out from people who live here, not dry statistical analysis.
First of all with respect to child care, it would be hard to fault the government and the systems they have put in place. Not all of it is "free", you pay with your taxes and often there's an additional, usually modest sum attached. If you're pregnant here you only get a maximum of 5 months leave unless you have another child then it can be longer. You have a choice of "creche" (nursery) where there can be 25+ babies with one person, more or less, per every 5 baby. Nobody's ever complained about there being not enough bodies on the ground to take care of the babies. If that's not what you want, you can have a "nourrice" (the old wet nurse term although they no longer breastfeed your child) come to your house, pick up the baby and keep him/her for the day at their own house. A nourrice can only have 2 babies at any one time, 3 if the children are older than 2. The nourrice gets paid 500 euros by the parents who are then reimbursed by the government according to how much income they make. In general the average paid by parents is around 200 euros (a pittance compared to child caring costs) in North America. Even Quebec doesn't favorably compare since a lot of the day cares subsidized by the government are few and far between. A couple we know is paying $900.00 a month in Montreal right now.
Around the age of 2 and a half a child can go to a proper school with trained child care professionals, it's public and free. The parents are responsible for purchasing meal time tickets (around 2.80 euro per meal). The meals would be considered gourmet by North American standards and consist of 3 courses,not one day in the month is the same. I've seen the menus and they are impressive.
When it comes to health care everybody is covered for what is considered basic health and dental care. Most people buy an additional insurance called la Mutuelle which covers all those extras and costs for a family of 4 around 200 euros a month. This seems like a lot but it's for 4 people. I was paying $150.00 a month for both my husband and I in B.C. and am probably paying the same amount, maybe a bit more, in Quebec. It's taken out of your taxes at the end of the year in Quebec so I'm not sure what the exact amount is. That amount is simply for basic coverage. There is no reimbursement for glasses or anything considered out of the "healthcare ordinary". Furthermore we have lived in Quebec for one year now and still can't find a doctor in the community where we live. That's not unusual with a lot of people having the same difficulty. In comparison one has access to a doctor the same day here. You could phone your obstetrician on a Saturday with concerns about your child and have the appointment that same day! Unheard of in Canada, one must secure appointments with so-called specialists a long time in advance. It's not unusual for a French doctor to visit a patient at home if the person is too ill, with something as mundane as a bad cold or a migraine, to make it to the office.
In general French people seem happy with the extent of the government's involvement in their lives except for the bureaucracy which can be daunting and a pain in the derriere royal or otherwise.
Just a little something to chew on while you contemplate the level of involvement of your own government whether that might be a positive or a negative thing. In France I feel it's mostly a positive but I might be way off base.
First of all with respect to child care, it would be hard to fault the government and the systems they have put in place. Not all of it is "free", you pay with your taxes and often there's an additional, usually modest sum attached. If you're pregnant here you only get a maximum of 5 months leave unless you have another child then it can be longer. You have a choice of "creche" (nursery) where there can be 25+ babies with one person, more or less, per every 5 baby. Nobody's ever complained about there being not enough bodies on the ground to take care of the babies. If that's not what you want, you can have a "nourrice" (the old wet nurse term although they no longer breastfeed your child) come to your house, pick up the baby and keep him/her for the day at their own house. A nourrice can only have 2 babies at any one time, 3 if the children are older than 2. The nourrice gets paid 500 euros by the parents who are then reimbursed by the government according to how much income they make. In general the average paid by parents is around 200 euros (a pittance compared to child caring costs) in North America. Even Quebec doesn't favorably compare since a lot of the day cares subsidized by the government are few and far between. A couple we know is paying $900.00 a month in Montreal right now.
Around the age of 2 and a half a child can go to a proper school with trained child care professionals, it's public and free. The parents are responsible for purchasing meal time tickets (around 2.80 euro per meal). The meals would be considered gourmet by North American standards and consist of 3 courses,not one day in the month is the same. I've seen the menus and they are impressive.
When it comes to health care everybody is covered for what is considered basic health and dental care. Most people buy an additional insurance called la Mutuelle which covers all those extras and costs for a family of 4 around 200 euros a month. This seems like a lot but it's for 4 people. I was paying $150.00 a month for both my husband and I in B.C. and am probably paying the same amount, maybe a bit more, in Quebec. It's taken out of your taxes at the end of the year in Quebec so I'm not sure what the exact amount is. That amount is simply for basic coverage. There is no reimbursement for glasses or anything considered out of the "healthcare ordinary". Furthermore we have lived in Quebec for one year now and still can't find a doctor in the community where we live. That's not unusual with a lot of people having the same difficulty. In comparison one has access to a doctor the same day here. You could phone your obstetrician on a Saturday with concerns about your child and have the appointment that same day! Unheard of in Canada, one must secure appointments with so-called specialists a long time in advance. It's not unusual for a French doctor to visit a patient at home if the person is too ill, with something as mundane as a bad cold or a migraine, to make it to the office.
In general French people seem happy with the extent of the government's involvement in their lives except for the bureaucracy which can be daunting and a pain in the derriere royal or otherwise.
Just a little something to chew on while you contemplate the level of involvement of your own government whether that might be a positive or a negative thing. In France I feel it's mostly a positive but I might be way off base.
Monday, May 27, 2013
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Benodet and The Great Gatsby
My Travels And A Little Bit of This And That: Benodet and The Great Gatsby: It's very difficult to find movies in their original version in this part of Bretagne many of the films are dubbed in French which repre...
Benodet and The Great Gatsby
It's very difficult to find movies in their original version in this part of Bretagne many of the films are dubbed in French which represents a serious handicap for a bona fide cinephile. We were lucky enough to find The Great Gatsby playing in English at the resort town of Benodet. It's a lovely little resort town right on the water and the theater itself is situated in the Casino which is one of the major attractions here. Benodet is also known for its spa retreats. I intend to avail myself of one of these sometime soon, a little massage would do me the world of good. The theatre only has 2 screens but the space is fairly big and up to the minute in terms of comfort,plush red seats with strangely enough one lone washroom at the left of the screen, a little weird, could be a problem when there are more than 10 people in the audience.
The showing in English was not well attended, hardly a surprise, we had our choice of seats. The main reason I wanted to go see this film was for the art direction which seemed sumptuous when I first saw the previews and, on that count, it certainly did not disappoint. However one of the main problems is the 3D format. I simply don't understand why 3D was used for this particular film. In fact I'm tired of 3D being used to not so great effect on far too many movies. Don't like wearing the 3D glasses they pinch my nose and usually give me a roaring headache accompanied by weeping eyes. Maybe I'm just allergic to this entire process.
First the good points: art direction was top notch each detail, and there were many, lovingly rendered. The soft billowing of the white curtains, a languorous arm draped over a stunning couch as Daisy Buchanan is slowly revealed to the awe filled gaze of her cousin Nick Carraway who hasn't seen her in 5 years. Props to the costume department as well, Daisy's dress, in that first scene, is a couture work of art. In fact all the costumes from the women to the men and I'm including the jewelry here are worthy of the highest praise. Both houses, Buchanan's and Gatsby's are simply spectacular. If it's eye candy you want and this is satisfaction enough then you're sure to get it in this film.
Now on to the bad points which are numerous. The use of 3D does nothing to enhance the "special effects" during the crazy,over the top party scenes. Instead of popping out the many details just get submerged with just too much going on, the eyes go crazy trying to focus on so many details. Of course the scale for the party is huge and that's one of the problems, it's just too huge, two firework displays might have been great but three, or maybe four, (I stopped counting) is one too many. There's craziness here but it's all too staged and managed to elicit anything else in this viewer but discomfort at the excesses of the ultra rich. It wasn't envy I felt it was more akin to revulsion and I'm not sure that's what the director was aiming for. Another central problem, too much Tobey Maguire, as Nick Carraway the narrator he's more of a central character than Gatsby himself. The constant narration frames tableaux or set pieces and robs the film of any forward movement, it's not dynamic. It just lies there static on the screen with extremely mannered performances from Di Caprio and Maguire especially who spends the entire film with a more or less bemused expression on his face as though he can't quite believe he's been cast in this picture. Gatsby took too long to make an entrance and although Di Caprio looks fittingly gorgeous as a character he remains a caricature, a pastiche, the constant use of the expression "old sport" translated very poorly in French as "vieux frere" is enough to have you running for the exit. .We understand that Gatsby has had a colorful past but his life narrated through Nick never seems real , Gatsby remains opaque. The love story between Gatsby and Daisy which should have been the beating heart of the film ignites no sparks, hard to believe there was ever any semblance of passion between them. I fault the casting here. Carey Mulligan can be a fine actress but she left me totally indifferent in this role. For the roaring twenties filled with every imaginable excesses the picture was fundamentally chaste, it wasn't sexy or warm at all. Visually stunning but viscerally empty.
Baz Lurhmann is well known for mixing up musical pieces and incorporating modern music in period films. He does the same thing here with rap punctuating some scenes, with little echoes of U2 and other modern songs which I didn't recognize. The effect is jarring. It takes one out of the period instead of immersing you more deeply into it. Action punctuated here and there by the mournful sound of a jazz trumpet is not enough to bring you back. It's a shame considering that there would have been a great wealth of wonderful music from the era to choose from. It's a deliberate choice which might work for some viewers but mainly served as an additional irritant for me. Obviously a lovingly crafted film which needed less craft and a whole lot more passion.
The showing in English was not well attended, hardly a surprise, we had our choice of seats. The main reason I wanted to go see this film was for the art direction which seemed sumptuous when I first saw the previews and, on that count, it certainly did not disappoint. However one of the main problems is the 3D format. I simply don't understand why 3D was used for this particular film. In fact I'm tired of 3D being used to not so great effect on far too many movies. Don't like wearing the 3D glasses they pinch my nose and usually give me a roaring headache accompanied by weeping eyes. Maybe I'm just allergic to this entire process.
First the good points: art direction was top notch each detail, and there were many, lovingly rendered. The soft billowing of the white curtains, a languorous arm draped over a stunning couch as Daisy Buchanan is slowly revealed to the awe filled gaze of her cousin Nick Carraway who hasn't seen her in 5 years. Props to the costume department as well, Daisy's dress, in that first scene, is a couture work of art. In fact all the costumes from the women to the men and I'm including the jewelry here are worthy of the highest praise. Both houses, Buchanan's and Gatsby's are simply spectacular. If it's eye candy you want and this is satisfaction enough then you're sure to get it in this film.
Now on to the bad points which are numerous. The use of 3D does nothing to enhance the "special effects" during the crazy,over the top party scenes. Instead of popping out the many details just get submerged with just too much going on, the eyes go crazy trying to focus on so many details. Of course the scale for the party is huge and that's one of the problems, it's just too huge, two firework displays might have been great but three, or maybe four, (I stopped counting) is one too many. There's craziness here but it's all too staged and managed to elicit anything else in this viewer but discomfort at the excesses of the ultra rich. It wasn't envy I felt it was more akin to revulsion and I'm not sure that's what the director was aiming for. Another central problem, too much Tobey Maguire, as Nick Carraway the narrator he's more of a central character than Gatsby himself. The constant narration frames tableaux or set pieces and robs the film of any forward movement, it's not dynamic. It just lies there static on the screen with extremely mannered performances from Di Caprio and Maguire especially who spends the entire film with a more or less bemused expression on his face as though he can't quite believe he's been cast in this picture. Gatsby took too long to make an entrance and although Di Caprio looks fittingly gorgeous as a character he remains a caricature, a pastiche, the constant use of the expression "old sport" translated very poorly in French as "vieux frere" is enough to have you running for the exit. .We understand that Gatsby has had a colorful past but his life narrated through Nick never seems real , Gatsby remains opaque. The love story between Gatsby and Daisy which should have been the beating heart of the film ignites no sparks, hard to believe there was ever any semblance of passion between them. I fault the casting here. Carey Mulligan can be a fine actress but she left me totally indifferent in this role. For the roaring twenties filled with every imaginable excesses the picture was fundamentally chaste, it wasn't sexy or warm at all. Visually stunning but viscerally empty.
Baz Lurhmann is well known for mixing up musical pieces and incorporating modern music in period films. He does the same thing here with rap punctuating some scenes, with little echoes of U2 and other modern songs which I didn't recognize. The effect is jarring. It takes one out of the period instead of immersing you more deeply into it. Action punctuated here and there by the mournful sound of a jazz trumpet is not enough to bring you back. It's a shame considering that there would have been a great wealth of wonderful music from the era to choose from. It's a deliberate choice which might work for some viewers but mainly served as an additional irritant for me. Obviously a lovingly crafted film which needed less craft and a whole lot more passion.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Clam digging in Ile Tudy
Today was an exceptionally beautiful day,lots of sun and just a tiny little breeze. It's the first great day we've had here although there hasn't been much rain,still lots of grey weather and wind. The wind is more or less a constant fixture here since we're so close to the ocean. The part of Bretagne (Brittany) where we are is called le Pays Bigoudin, it encompasses a tiny area of Finistere Sud. The houses are typical of the area. Slate peaked roofs, white on the ouside, palm trees grow here but they're not too abundant. It's quite lush and green because of the heavy rainfall and generally mild year round. A long time ago women wore a very traditional costume with the high lace hat. Click on the pictures below to enlarge and it will show you how elaborate the costumes were. There are pictures of row of Bigoudennes working in the fish factories all dressed in identical costumes, startling images and a testament to how devoted to their traditions they were. There are only 10 Bigoudennes left,the old traditions are dying just like everywhere else.
We are staying in a town called Guilvinec which is the biggest fishing port for what is known as peche artisanale, fishing which doesn't involve huge boats but much smaller vessels which go out for crab, blue lobster, shrimps and all types of other fish. Regardless of the scale on which it is done there is still a concern due to global warming of the oceans and the air temperature. Some species of fish are harder to catch, blue lobsters are not as plentiful as they once were furthermore there is competition from the British Isles for cheaper lobster. It's the same problem plaguing countries everywhere, either try to buy local and pay more money or buy cheaper and buy from elsewhere. Welcome to our globalized world which was theoretically supposed to make things better.
This is a typical house of the Finistere Sud
Driving to Ile Tudy is very picturesque. There were many people who had had the same idea. It's a full moon and the tide is very low allowing for great clam digging. The three and a half of us (HAHA_) got to work, boots absolutely necessary or barefoot is another option Either way you're going to get wet. We got a fair bit of clams, not the huge ones that you can bake on the half shell but good size ones nevertheless along with other clams called "coques" which sounds like a pretty juicy word in English. Back home soak them thoroughly to get rid of all the sand and tomorrow huge clam chowder for our efforts. Bon appetit.
We are staying in a town called Guilvinec which is the biggest fishing port for what is known as peche artisanale, fishing which doesn't involve huge boats but much smaller vessels which go out for crab, blue lobster, shrimps and all types of other fish. Regardless of the scale on which it is done there is still a concern due to global warming of the oceans and the air temperature. Some species of fish are harder to catch, blue lobsters are not as plentiful as they once were furthermore there is competition from the British Isles for cheaper lobster. It's the same problem plaguing countries everywhere, either try to buy local and pay more money or buy cheaper and buy from elsewhere. Welcome to our globalized world which was theoretically supposed to make things better.
This is a typical house of the Finistere Sud
Driving to Ile Tudy is very picturesque. There were many people who had had the same idea. It's a full moon and the tide is very low allowing for great clam digging. The three and a half of us (HAHA_) got to work, boots absolutely necessary or barefoot is another option Either way you're going to get wet. We got a fair bit of clams, not the huge ones that you can bake on the half shell but good size ones nevertheless along with other clams called "coques" which sounds like a pretty juicy word in English. Back home soak them thoroughly to get rid of all the sand and tomorrow huge clam chowder for our efforts. Bon appetit.
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