Trébry country life

Today was tagged as a rest day so we had nothing specific planned. John and Pauline needed rest for recovery from almost 48 hours of travel. Majella and I were also looking forward to a day of leisure to enjoy our beautiful environment.

We woke naturally a little before 7:00 am, dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. John and Pauline were not far behind and were feeling rested and ready for exploring the area. John and Majella spent some time poring over the local tourist information provided by our host, Debbie, before deciding that we should walk to visit the château just outside the village. It was open to visitors on Sundays from 10:00 am to 12 noon. It was about 9:00 am by that time so we sat at one of the tables outside where we had coffee and the little pastries that Majella had bought for Friday night in Paris but which had not been eaten.

Around 10:00 am we set off down the track from the cottage toward the village and then out along the road that leads to Trédaniel and Moncontour. Just beyond the village the road is bordered by farmland with occasional patches of woods and a small lake just before the château. Majella spotted some blackberries in the tangle beside the road but the few ripe ones were too sour to entice her to do more than try one. The first entrance to the château was gated with a sign indicating parking further along and the second was marked as private. We eventually reached a road with a sign pointing to the parking lot but found a foot path before we got that far.

The signage on the path to Château de la Touche described it as having been built in the late 16th century and more recently restored. It has extensive gardens. As we walked through the entrance we were greeted by the occupant who advised us that he was unable to open it today because his sore knee had made it impossible for him to clean it to the necessary standard. His wife was returning on Monday and he expected it would be open next weekend. It’s on our list for a visit on a coming weekend.

On our walk back we spotted a hare in a field and Majella found some blackberries that were more to her taste. They were a cultivated variety against the wall of a stone building near the roadside.

On our way back through the village we popped into Eglise St-Pierre et St-Paul for a few minutes. It seemed very well cared for but is used only infrequently for Mass or other purposes such as the wedding that we had seen signs of the previous evening.

Beyond the church we explored the communal sports area which offers tennis court, ping pong table, and boules facilities. We noticed that there is a boules competition next weekend and thought that might be fun to watch. Majella struck up a conversation with a woman from Lyon who was in Trébry for the wedding and had brought her grandson to ride his bicycle on the tennis court.

Back at Haut Bourg we sat at the outside table and sipped on the remnants of the wine from last night until we decided it was time to eat the remnants of dinner for lunch. The afternoon was passed watching the Wimbledon final at a more comfortable hour than that suffered by friends back in Australia. Fortunately all were Federer fans so the outcome was more than satisfactory.

We had exhausted supplies, other than breakfast food, that we bought yesterday so we decided to go out in search of dinner. It was my turn to drive so Majella was navigating. She recalled that Debbie had mentioned a bar in Saint Glen so we drove the 3 km that way but found nowhere to eat. We pressed on another 3 km to Penguily but drew a blank there too. We stopped and used the GPS POI function to look for restaurants. It suggested two in Trédaniel, 11 km in the other direction, but when we got there they were closed. Majella asked a man nearby and was advised to try Moncontour.

We parked by the side of the main road in Moncontour and walked in. The first place we tried was closed but the second, Au Coin du Feu, was open until 10:00 pm so, at 6:00 pm, we were early guests. Majella and I tried the galettes made with Breton black wheat. She had Breizh (seafood) and I had Andalouse (egg, cheese, and chorizo). We drank rosé cider, appropriate to Bretagne and a hit with Majella who enjoys cider or rosé – what could go wrong with both in one. Fortunately it was only 3.5% so the 750 ml bottle was just a bit too much because I had to go very easy for driving. John had a burger with bliny (small pancakes) in place of a bun and Pauline had pizza. They enjoyed a nice red with it.

Once home we relaxed for a bit and then sorted ourselves out for the night. Majella has an expedition planned for tomorrow and we will need to be rested for an earlier start.