The ecological fair Bio Respire at Rennes Brittany France


You want to know if the notions of sustainable development, organic food or ecological houses mean something in France. You should go to this fair.

It gathers biological farmers and organic wine producers, representatives of natural health products or cosmetics and bio fibres exhibitors …



Ecological houses, solar energy or water filters are also represented during this week end.

It takes place in the Parc expo (Parc des Expositions de Rennes Saint Jacques) from Februar 27th to March 1st. Open from 10 am to 7 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it is open till 10 pm on Friday night. 4 euros (for those who are more than 12 years old).

Rennes with children : toboggans and skateboards in the parc de Maurepas

You’re visiting Rennes with your children. And you want to rest after your cultural visit of the old town of Rennes… Leave the historical monuments and go up North. The park of Maurepas (Parc de Maurepas) is located on the North side of Rennes and is open from 8.15 am to 6.15 pm.

park or garden ?


It is a nice garden for young kids to young teenagers…

With your young kids :



they can play on/in the sand … or enjoy the toboggan





or the swings…



You can also try the carrousel on sundays afternoon.



If you came with their bicycles, you can let them go round the playground, on a track that imitates real traffic conditions (lights, stops…).



Your young teeny needs a break. He can use his skate board on the opposite side of the garden, on a street park for skateboarders.



And parents can have a picnic or rest on the grass

You can... on THIS grass


(in France you need to be allowed to walk on the grass... in public gardens? And here yes you can !!!) while your baby savours sand, your little girl jumps from the toboggan and your teenager learns to speak French with other skateboarders…

And you can also observe and compare the customs of Mister and Missis Duck.



And your artist side ??? Well admire the statue !!!



Some more informations : the park has been created beetween 1936 and 1939 thanks to the landlord of Maurepas that gave his land. It was already a garden with playgrounds for children : a track for tricycles… It is the fourth bigger garden of Rennes, it covers 5,5 hectares (the bigger is the parc des Gayeulles - 100 hectares-, Bréquigny – 17 - et le Thabor 10).

You can also discover the two unique umbrella pines of Rennes ? Where are they ???



Read it in French : Le parc de Maurepas à Rennes (bretagne) pour les enfants de 7 mois à 77 ans

The Gillian Bradshaw historical novel : the wolf hunt

I ‘ve read the novel THE WOLF HUNT from Gillian Bradshaw. She wrote this historical novel in 2001.



The book takes place in France and specially in Brittany in 1098. The heroin Marie de Chalandrey, 19 years old, is waiting for the return of his father and brother from the Crusade. But soon with no family (her father and brother died), she is taken to the Duchy of Brittany. She learns the life of the breton court and meets a strange man Tiarnan de Talensac who has a double life at night…

Gillian Bradshaw is an American writter (1956 Virginia) and has lived in different countries : youth in Chile, America of course, France, United kingdom and Chile. She is quite famous, as she wrote plenty of historical novels, books for children or science fiction books.

The novel is interesting because it takes place in Brittany, beetween Rennes, Fougères, Talensac… during the Middle Age. And you feel what were the superstitions of the time… Gillian Bradshaw always tries to be informed about the historical period she writes about and it is quite nice…
Some of her books are translated in French, German or Spanish.

Recipe of a butternut squash soup with chestnuts

You can make this soup with pumpkin or butternut squash.

Ingredients :
1 kg of butternut squash
250g chesnuts
Salt and pepper
One clove garlic
Ginger
10 minutes in a pressure cooker

Pumpkin or butternut squash ???


Cook garlic in a pressure cooker while you cut the butternut squash in large sized cubes. Pour your cubes into a pressure cooker and add water to almost cover. Add ginger powder or slices of ginger. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the squash is very tender. Flavor with salt and pepper. Mix the soup and add the chestnuts. Mash them just a bit and enjoy the soup with some pieces of chestnuts.

Read it in French : Recette de soupe à la courge musquée et aux châtaignes