Tro Breizh part 3

Okay, and now for the meaning of the title of this series: Tro Breizh. I have been reading other people's blogs about Paris to get ideas for "off the tourist's path" adventuring. I found an article about Breizh Cafe, a creperie that specializes in buckwheat crepes. Following the traditions of Breton creperies, buckwheat is used in galettes (the savory crepes, rather than the sweet ones). This is the traditionally associated with the Brittany region of France. Breizh is Breton for Brittany. AND, they are gluten free. AND it's in my neighborhood. Let's recap before we carry on: Gluten-free crepes. In my neighborhood. At a restaurant named Brittany.



I had a Crepe Galette with ham, gruyere, artichoke, and a sunny side up egg. And for lack of greens lately, I also had a side salad. The restaurant was very cute (I mean, with a name like Brittany, is has to be, right?) and the entire street smelled delicious. From a block away you can smell bananas, caramel, and Nutella. While they are better known for their savory crepes, the sweet ones win in the "ohmygodthisplacesmellsamazingweshouldeathere" contest. The breeze was nice, too. I didn't take any pictures of or around this restaurant, but, I'll most definitely go back. It was too good not to! Here are some of the pictures of the website, and as a matter of fact, the table at which I enjoyed this delicious break from rice!




After lunch, I decided I would walk to Avenue Montaigne by way of Champs Elysees to pay my respects to the Chanel flagship store. Even with Champs Elysees in the picture, Avenue Montaigne is one of the most expensive streets in the city. With Chanel and Hermes kickin' it in Paris, it's no wonder. On my way, I noticed I had a hole in my dress (merde!) and knew that there was no way I could go to Chanel like that. Back to the apartment to change. At this point, it was 5:00 p.m. and I had plans to meet Elizabeth and Katie at 6. Chanel can wait.

Rambling on.. I'm rambling on (although, I feel like I'm making up for lost time). When I got home, I did some research on the Brittany region of France. Of course, since I'm not actually here to study Brittany and for the sake of time, I opted for the wikipedia version of it's history. I found the following history the most interesting:

"There is a very old pilgrimage called the Tro Breizh (tour of Brittany), where the pilgrims walk around Brittany from the grave of one of the seven founder saints to another. Historically, the pilgrimage was made in one trip (a total distance of around 600 km) for all seven saints. Nowadays, however, pilgrims complete the circuit over the course of several years. In 2002, the Tro Breizh included a special pilgrimage to Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Sant Paol, Sant Brieg, and Sant Samzun. Whoever does not make the pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime will be condemned to make it after his death, advancing only by the length of his coffin each seven years."

With that in mind, I've since decided to steal the name of the tour and use it to my benefit. The last two weeks have been fascinating. I've learned a lot, walked a lot, seen a lot, heard a lot. It has been my very own Tro Breizh!


a bientôt!


View Larger Map