If you haven't heard the news, Europe is having a heat wave. I'm a northerner, and I don't really take to the thirty-some degree temperature we've been experiencing. In a "normal" year we might have a couple of weeks of heat, but this year is decidedly different. The heat just goes on and on, so I decided to bug out and seek cooler weather. In all of France, only the Breton peninsula seems to be out of the oven, so that's where I'm headed. Besides, I really like Brittany, the people, the food, and the scenery are all fantastic.

As usual, I began the trip by cycling to the main railway station in Dijon, a short fourteen  kilometers from home. From Dijon it is possible, but just, to get to the west by train without having to go through Paris. I first got a train for Nevers, where I had a quick lunch while waiting for a connexion to Tours. In Tours, I got a hotel near the gare for the night. The heat had followed me and walking around the city was like being in a more tropical country than France. A light supper was called for, and I only drank one glass of wine to limit the effects of alcohol on the system. 

In the morning, I got the first train allowed by my senior-fare card (rush hours are not allowed) and made my way to Nantes via a connection in Angers. The ticket taker lady was puzzled about why I didn't get a direct train, but I was able to explain to her that the direct route is the same as the route with a break in Angers. She was probably very new to the job and maybe just a little weak in railroad geography. No harm done, though.

About the title of this journal: 

In France the is a saying "en Bretagne il ne pleut que sur les cons" which I have translated rather loosely. Brittany is by far the rainiest province in France, so the statement is ironic, especially when uttered by a Breton.