Le petite bretonne aux Etat-Unis....

Brittany or commonly known as Bretagne in France is a region full of history.
I'm a fanatic of history, learning about it all! I think I take this trait from my grandfather, thank you :)

Let's start off with a little bit of a history lesson.

I'm far from being the greatest teacher but I'll try my best to keep you entertained!

First, Brittany is the north-west coast of France, it's considered one of the regions where it rains all the time. That is not entirely true so stop believing it and just go it's a beautiful region that has plenty charm.
The history is quite entertaining and there's always something new to learn about this region like the Celtic side of it. You may think of Ireland when you hear Celtic and it does have similar aspects like the stones... The enchanting tales...  To be honest, there's a plenty of legends like Lancelot or Merlin, druids. There's even a forest called Broceliande based on all these tales. It's a must go visit the place.
Besides, the Celtic side, there's a Roman side with Ceasar wanted to conquer the Gaul (France at the time), and you can still see the Roman remains in some cities like Dinan. The conquest that Ceasar tried to gain for his empire was an inspiration for the legendary Asterix and the magic potion that would be used to fight off the Romans. Sadly, it wasn't at all true, no one had potions, no one was invincible, history was a little different.
After the Roman fall, Irish people immigrated (it's what it's written in history, there might have been others before), the British/ Anglo-Saxon came to the land. They had a strong impact, building the first cathedrals. In many little Breton churches, you can see the tales of fighters, and Saints that came in the region.
To summarize a little the history of Brittany, after the Romans, Anglo-Saxon came and till this day, we can recognize that there's a lot more traces of Celts around the whole region. It's a little Britain but in France.

Brittany has traditions, it's own language that you may learn at school, grand-grandparents would still speak Breton which is similar to Welsh and Cornish. Castles are still standing looking more magnificent and full of mysteries. The rural part of the region still holds lots of the origins, and the rural part still manage to have a strong character, nothing like Los Angeles. It's a must-see region!
Part of traditions, there's festivals where people can dress up as their elders, the costumes they would wear in a daily life.
I love symbols and know a lot about them. They have quite a lot, but here's a few:
- The Gwenn ha du (black and white in Breton) is referring to the stripy Breton flag. It's everywhere!
- Towering lighthouses are everywhere as well. Brittany holds a lot more than any other regions. If you visit, you cannot leave the place without a postcard represent a lighthouse!

- Coiffes, or lace bonnets... Worn by women in France in the past, but in the southwest Brittany, the tradition of wearing them grew to exceptional proportions and sadly died after generations of wearing them. From experience, it hurts, you will get headaches after you take the coiffe down! You will see them during festivals, the most common one is in Quimper. Beautiful city and beautiful festivals!
- B is butter... The salted butter, Santa Cleopatra, it's the best in the world! But B can also be for Bécassine... She is a fictional character from books that I used to read when I was younger. It's a reflection of the peasant that lived in Brittany.                                      
- Hortensia or commonly known as Hydrangea,  you will find them everywhere!
- Megaliths, those stones like in Ireland, we have a few of them in circles...
- The Triskel! Very Celtic symbol that is beyond what you may imagine. People get them tattooed on them, especially on the ankle. It represents three major Celtic Gods (Lugh, Dagda, and Ogma), the three elements (Fire, Earth and Water), time (Past, Present and Future) and the three worlds (World of the Living, World of the Dead and the world of the Spirits).  It has been the emblem of the Breton National Party since 1940!

Since I was talking about tradition and symbols, I believe that I can also talk about the food!
Being close to the ocean, you cannot deny that obviously means seafood! I cannot begin to describe the food, it would take an entire post to detail you everything... So until next time... But... I can talk about crêpes (sweet featherlight) and galettes( savoury buckwheat) ! You call them pancakes, honestly, I don't see much resemblance! Crêpes are the sweet ones, the one you spread Nutella on, or jam, sugar, butter, lemon, fruits... I always tend to turn for the Nutella one, not surprising! :)
Then you have the more complex one where you may put cheese, eggs, and ham, it's called
 "La Complète". You may have anything you want in them from spinach to seafood. The choice is endless!

Many of you may have never tried any galettes nor crêpes, but let me tell you, it's the best dish ever! It may look different from what you may be used to see and eat, but honestly, you can't just not try them at least once. I have heard that the galette is the one that most people have a hard time eating, don't get me wrong, it's a very different taste, not in a bad way, on the contrary! You won't and can't not love it. I'm a huge fan! You'll definitely have to have it before you die!

Just a little note, I'm half Bretonne (Breton), so the Celtic and Roman side of me are present! I'm proud of whoI amm and being Bretonne. People say that we are cold people, but we ar the ones that once friends we are there for you through tough times. We are big travelers (that doesn't stop me from being sea sick), and we love our festivals and dances! Our drinks like Cider (no, not the sparkling apple cider, the real one with the alcohol in)! I have indeed learned the language at school, still sing happy birthday in the language, it's actually hilarious to hear, it sounds very Welsh. We are proud of our origins and our crêpes... Oh and we have our own Coca-Cola!

" A l'Aise Breizh..."

~Bella