25
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
no edit summary
Bretagne (English: ''Brittany'', Breton: ''Breizh'', Gallo: ''Bertègn'') is a region of in the north-west of [[France]]. It's the only region where the motorways are free as a result there are no toll station in Bretagne (even in the region of [[Nantes]], the historic Brittany). It is one of the best regions of France for hitchhiking - you'll probably wait less on average than in the rest of France, even in the very remote areas in the centre of Brittany.
Bretagne is still very attached to its celtic culture, as you'll no doubt notice on road signs, which are bilingual in French and Breton (''Brezhoneg''). To wait even less, it can be a good idea, if you're using a sign, to write the city name in Breton instead of French (''Roazhon'' instead of ''Rennes'', ''Naoned'' instead of ''Nantes'', ''Kemper'' instead of ''Quimper'', etc.).
Most Bretons do not feel French but Breton, they are very attatched to their culture and most dislike Paris and the Parisians because many come to Brittany to buy second homes, thus contributing to gentrification and empty littorals in the winter. AirBnb is also very disliked, so if you are in one, do not mention it.
If you come to Brittany, please if you need to remember one thing is "don't mock the culture", especially the dances, making fun of it is considered very disrespectful, but especially the dances. However, if you wish to learn it people will be eager to teach you are very welcomed, the . The best way to do so learn Breton dances is if you are in Lorient during the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_Interceltique_de_Lorient Festival Interceltique de Lorient].
Maybe due to the celtic culture, the Bretons also have a very strong relationship with legends. Please make sure you do not make fun of those legends or disrespect them (for example climbing a menhir or dolmen, as we can often see the tourists often do, is very disrespectful) even if you don't understand them.
The Bretons are very proud people, but also very welcoming. you will find that people (with maybe the exception of big cities but even then) will eagerly talk to you, and if you are walking on quite deserted paths it is custom to say hello and smile to the people you meet.
Brittany is constituted of four official parts we call called "départements" in France (often refered to as the historical "pays" in Brittany) : Côtes d'Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan. However, there was a fifth historical one, the Loire-Atlantique, but is since the 1940s not officially in Brittany anymore, even if it stays in historical Brittany. The point of view of whether it should be added back to Brittany or not changes from person to person.
<map lat="48.071932177581" lng="-2.8" zoom="8" view="0" width="800" height="500" />
