Rennes
Full of Memories
Several years ago, I used to live in Rennes for an extended period to do an internship. After more than ten years, I had chance to return to this small, beautiful, quiet city with my wife and remember of the old days…
Standing hesitantly in front of a building, pointing to the second story, I told my wife that I used to live there. However, at that time, it could no longer be entered. To enter, you must need a code to open the door; the two large black doors are always tightly closed. They altered the coding since.
Standing in front of the skyscraper in Rennes’s center reminded me of the time I spent here, which was previously voted as France’s most livable city by the French weekly L’Express.
The Old Town in the Heart of Rennes
What makes Rennes, the capital of the Brittany region in western France, so beautiful? There is an old area in the center, approximately a five-minute walk from where I am staying, along the path beside Galeries Lafayette, a well-known shopping complex.
I occasionally went there with my housemate on Saturdays and Sundays. To stretch my muscles while admiring the old, leaning houses; sometimes till dusk.
These are centuries-old Breton-style houses from western France, rich in history. The front of the home normally has wooden columns and beams, but no balconies. And the ground level walls are often built of stone, while the higher floors are composed of wood glued together; the roof tiles are gray-black slate. Inside, there may be large restaurants, medium-sized, small, or medium-to-small shops.
People are only allowed to go around the historic quarter, which is as picturesque as a painting. Of course, the residents are free to drive their cars in and out. The stainless steel stakes in the middle of the road were always raised, preventing unfamiliar cars from entering. Residents have a remote; by pressing a button, they can lower.
Back then, it was unusual to see individuals in Rennes wearing light shirts sitting at cafes in front of ancient houses. Some folks went shirtless, letting the golden beams of the sun shine directly on them. Typically, these were the days following winter, when spring arrived and the sun shined brightly.
Later, I realized why they valued sunlight so much. Cold countries are almost like that all year long! They travel to Vietnam or another tropical nation for a summer vacation, possibly to enjoy the heat.
Walking around Rennes’ historic area, I found that French women appreciate slightly browned skin. Meanwhile, our women love fair skin, particularly those from Saigon, where the climate has only two seasons: hot and very hot. So it’s not uncommon to see girls wearing long-sleeved outerwear when they go out, even in the heat!
Two horizons, two distinct conceptions of beauty…
In the old area, there was a street less than 90 meters long that has the most variety of French cafes: every seven meters, there was a cafe with tables and chairs spilling onto the pavement. That was St. Michel Street. Sometimes I went there with a buddy and got a cup of coffee while watching the men walking by and the women wandered.
Actually, Saint Michel Street is only busy at night. During the day, cafés often serve “mild” drinks, but at night, they frequently sell alcohol. That is why it is also known as “
