France Pt. 1--Rennes

October has been a very busy and exciting month!  First, we welcomed several special visitors: Mom, Dad, Tim, and Christine all gathered in Rehoboth and we had a great time hiking, playing games, and visiting together.  Benji was thoroughly spoiled by all of the love and attention!

These visitors were especially generous, as they stayed at home with Benji while I spent a  wonderful week in France visiting my friend Genavee, who is a doctoral student in psychology at the University of Rennes.  So many special experiences were packed into those five days, I've decided to blog about the trip in three segments.  First, here are a few words that I would use to describe the city of Rennes:

1.  Beautiful!  With winding, cobblestone streets, medieval timber-framed houses, and canals criss-crossing the city, Rennes is truly a beautiful place.

One of my favorite parts of the town was the Jardin Thabor, a public park which included a wooded English garden, a manicured French garden, an aviary full of exotic birds, and a botanical/flower garden full of gorgeous blooms.  I think I could have spent the entire week in this park and been perfectly content!

2.  Delicious!  Genavee and I enjoyed several special dinners out in Rennes.

"Assiette fermiere"--filet mignon, andouille sausage, and pork over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables

Raclette--melty cheese with charcuterie and baked potato

My very favorite meal was galettes and crepes, a specialty of the Brittany region.  My galette (a savory crepe) included ham, egg, cheese, and mushrooms; and my dessert crepe was topped with apples, salted caramel, gingerbread crumble, and ice cream!  Add a bottle of cider and it was a meal to remember for sure!

3.  Friendly!  One of my favorite parts of this trip was getting to experience "everyday life"--meeting Genavee's friends, visiting her university, going to church with her on Sunday, practicing speaking French...I found the people of Rennes to be very friendly and overall the town felt like a place that would be easy to call home.

Genavee's beautiful apartment

Rue d'Echange--the street where Genavee lives

Genavee goes to a Protestant church that meets in a lovely 19th century building (c. 1882).  Although the church building is old and sparsely decorated, it houses an amazingly young, warm, and living body of believers.  It was so encouraging to be part of the Sunday worship there, which included the baptism of a young boy and a communion service.

 I also got to meet several of Genavee's friends from the university; we had two dinners together (the second was an "American dinner" which included chicken poppyseed casserole and banana pudding for dessert: strange dishes for the French palate, but Genavee's friends were great sports!)  These evenings were great for my French speaking and comprehension skills, but more importantly they were a wonderful opportunity to make some new friends!

In addition to exploring Rennes, Genavee and I took two day trips to spectacular locations.  I'll share more about those in blog posts to come!