Awaken to Saint Suliac, France

Bonjour mes amis,

Before you get back on your treadmill for another hurly burly crack at life with all its expectations and drama of business (or is that the business of drama?) this year, I’m going to show you where you could be, wish to be or dream about being, once you finally realise that you might do things differently (dare I suggest better?) when you may find yourself as the year progresses, yearning for some authenticity for life in general.

You know, seeking authenticity is a GOOD thing. According to Existentialist Philosophy, it is really us coming to terms with the pressures of our material world and becoming true to ones self and ones spirit in the face of all our pressures. My french awakening grew from seeking authenticity quite a long time ago.

So, it IS possible to take yourself off to France, in particular Brittany and head for the quiet, the rustic, the authentic. For this reason, Saint Suliac instantly springs to my mind. It is here in this quaint little village which gently slopes onto the banks of the pristeen Rance river, that you’ll discover a different way of life and of seeing things in general.

Saint Suliac is classed as one of France’s most beautiful villages…

and it is unmistakingly that, but it is not for its beauty that I entice you to go. It’s for its authenticity!

With plenty of holiday rentals in this area- hotels, self catering cottages, campsites and even Moroccan tents (yes, I did say Moroccan tents!), you will be conjuring your favourite food from the local produce (perhaps some mussels or paella) or painting the solitude in no time. Christophe and Eleonore have fabulously furnished tents all fully equipped with Moroccan tableware and all. What an alternative way of experiencing things and great fun along the way! Do check out: http://www.aireduverger.com/

Saint Suliac is located north of the Ille et Viliane department of Brittany and very close (about a 10km drive) from St Malo. It’s within very easy reach from four airports (Dinard, Rennes, Nantes or St Brieuc) west of Paris.

Looking around the town, its locals look content. Who wouldn’t be with magnificent panoramic views in an amazing location? The local sign in the centre of town paints a picture of tranquil living…

and any chance to walk its sandy beaches with the water lapping your toes has got to be therapeutic! No wonder there are so many hiking trails around Saint Suliac which transform the local surrounds into a real life ‘Snakes and Ladders’ board game!

The Mayor (Mairie) of Saint Suliac, Pascal Bianco and his team, look after their 190 or so inhabitants (per square kilometre) with great pride and attention to the smaller things. Bianco’s duties with the help of local volunteers, even include organising the preschool canteen meal tickets and bus transportation of children to and from school. Such is life in a very small community.

For the most part, Saint Suliac  is only intermittently awoken by the odd tourist..

searching for Notre Dame de Grainfollet, the tide mills of Beauchet or just a great local pub and then there’s the sound of flapping fish hurled onto the wharves along the water’s edge. A harbour regatta colours the bay once a year but generally things are very simple in Saint Suliac.

Saint Suliac is old. Paleolithic objects were discovered by archeologists in 1951 here. Granite cottages were built by hand from local rock and some have incorporated stone remnants of an old monastery. Many homes line the streets and bay foreshores as they have done since the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Today,the only difference is that some homes and lamp posts sport a new lick of enamel paint from recent activity…

while others are decorated in flowers and bring a nautical theme to their facades with old fishing nets strewn haphazardly across. Even though it was once a huge fishing village the Vikings who once inhabited the place may have had something to say about this!

Saint Suliac is real and unspoilt. The pace won’t sweep you off your feet!  Its anchored in tradition amd fastened with purity and serenity.

“Arhh the serenity”, I can hear Darryl Kerrigan whisper from the Australian Classic 1997 film, ‘The Castle’.

We could all do with a bit of that!

Saint Suliac. Lord knows you’ll need it.

Au Revoir,

Best Wishes, Therese Waddell

copyright@2011 Therese Waddell