Today, Sophie and I followed the recommendation of my dear neighbors and drove to the south coast of Brittany to visit Auray. We booked into the Celtic Hotel which is a tiny hotel with a tiny room that allows for dogs. We arrived too early to check in, so we hit the road and walked around the charming town. It reminded me a lot of St. Ives with its winding cobblestone streets, galleries and small shops. We walked down to the quai and followed the river on a path that allowed us views of the widening harbor.

It is completely charming here and almost on cue, during our walk the sun came out and I saw blue sky for the first time in a few days. The weather is a bit milder than it has been and I ended up taking off my jacket to walk around the town. We saw two parties coming back to port from kayak excursions and it made me wish Matthew was here as I know he would love it. Sophie made some friends with the dogs we encountered and enjoyed the smells of low tide. I denied her access to the muddy river bank and told her that tomorrow she would get a chance to run the beaches in Carnac.

We saw so many charming homes and bungalows tucked in along the streets. I could easily imagine myself living in this bustling little town. There are beautiful restaurants open even in this season that offer regional cuisine and be-still-my-beating-heart-Chinese food!

I am excited to explore a new place and I’m eager to not have to build a fire tonight to keep warm. I thnk I will head down to the quai and enjoy a meal in the brasserie there which looked like a popular local hangout.