Rennes: my little big city

Now I think is a good time to give you a little taste of what Rennes is like. It is referred to as a petite grande ville, or a little big city. It's true; it has all the characteristics of a big city: a metro, an effective bus system, big old buildings, a bustling downtown, etc. But it feels much more condensed than big cities in the U.S.

This morning (well, I guess it was early afternoon) I walked to the Market with my host mom. We walked around a bit, she bought a few things, and then we went to a bakery to get some little baguettes. By the way, if you don't know, people really do walk around with baguettes tucked under their arms all the time. That, for one, is not an empty stereotype. Then we ducked into a little café where we met Marc, my host dad, and one by one several of his siblings and friends joined us for wine and baguettes. Marc is one of nine and Patty, my host mom, is one of 6, so needless to say their family is enormous. And they all live in Bretagne. I really just can't do the whole drinking wine in the middle of the day thing, so I had a coffee. It was very cute, and they do this every Saturday.

Then I met with the group in front of the Cathedral Ste. Pierre to have a little guided tour of some of the old buildings in Rennes. It would have kept my attention better if the weather hadn't been so gross. It seems to be constantly damp and cold in Rennes. I think I have seen the sun once since I've been here. Oh well.

I think I might go to the movies with the girls tonight. Hooray for dubbed American films. Hehe.