Season 5. Episode 7. Pourquoi pas? Why not?

Season 5. Episode 7. Pourquoi pas? Why not?

August 21, 2025. Saint-Malo to Rennes. 58 Miles. 

About 20 miles into our ride we discovered another magical village, Dinan.

It’s the type of place one imagines as the quintessential French village with a cathedral at the center, narrow lanes with cobblestones, and exuding medieval charm. The only problem in my eyes is everybody wants to see it, so it’s packed with tourists. 

Amazing talent and coordination to simultaneously play 3 separate instruments by mouth, hand and foot. Bet she can ride a bike and look at her phone to navigate without hitting a light pole!

We’ve adapted to lunch picnics of baguettes, cheese, avocado, and fruit in settings that have survived for centuries.

Bars have been very willing to refill us with cold water.

So safe entering city of Rennes on bike lanes.

Rennes most instagrammed pic is an illusion of slanted buildings.

We had no expectations of Rennes, so were awed by what we found. Our hotel suggested a walking tour with 18 points of interest that revealed the magic of this city in Bretagne with endless “places” (squares or open piazzas) for gathering with friends to drink or eat.

One of many public gathering spots. 

We just literally finished saying to one another that we’re out of control on eating all the bread, pastry, croissants, cheese, chocolate and brioche; and we need to really make an adjustment and start having more fruits and vegetables as is our norm at home. And then Heather saw the sign for poutine and she went crazy that she “needed” a poutine! 

(For those not familiar, poutine is a popular, traditional dish in Quebec of French fries with cheese curds and smothered in gravy.)

It even advertised itself as Canadian/Quebecois with flags and a Canadian lumberjack mascot.

With all the French culinary choices, Heather defaulted to one of her personal faves that she can never resist. A French Canadian classic!

We could have posted 20 photos of Rennes. We say better to visit. 

Today Heather and I decided to speak to each other only in French. I learned Heather is way funnier in French than in English! 

August 22, 2025. Rennes to Treilleurs (near Nantes) 67 Miles. 

To find a great bakery, we asked a local cyclist with baguettes in his panniers. Funny only in thinking now about “pain” (bread) and googling did I discover that the origin of the word panniers is as breadbasket. Makes perfect sense.

And sure enough we were not disappointed. Bread as art. And thus advertised as artisanal.

Can also use my bungee to hold our baguette.

Central market fruit run to stock up on snacks for the day ahead.

As we were getting hungry for lunch, we approached a tiny town (pop.1200) that looked deserted with no signs of commercial life to buy food. I saw a man on a ladder painting a house and stopped to ask if there were any stores or restaurants open nearby to buy something to eat. 

We started chatting and he found out we’re from New York and invited us in for coffee. We politely declined and explained we still had a far way to bike that day. We asked again about food to buy and he told us of a food truck around a few corners off the Main Street that we’d not have found on our own. He again invited us in for coffee and said “pourquoi pas?” Which means why not? Heather and I looked at each other and communicated silently as 33 years of marriage enables, and we agreed with “why not” to his coffee invite after we first go buy lunch at the truck and then come back with it to his house. He said his wife will be delighted. He had now climbed down from the ladder, said he will go get his bike to meet us at the food truck. 

The food truck staff had already cleaned and closed their grill, but honored us as visitors from far away and made us lunch to go. 

Back we rode with our new friend whose name we learned is Yvan and when following him into his backyard we were surprised. 

His wife Francelyne had set the table and prepared a beautiful salad with tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from their garden. They were warm and gracious hosts. In the tradition of Abraham, Yvan opened his tent to us traveling strangers. We had a lovely visit lasting over an hour, the salad was delicious and Yvan led me through his tomato plants sampling the 6 different varieties. 

We learned they were in their mid 70’s, married 54 years, had 4 grandchildren, and Yvan had been born in this very house. He departed for over 30 years and returned here to retire after a career in the auto industry that had him stationed in Detroit for some months. So it turns out he can speak some English, but Francelyne spoke none. 

Francelyne has a serious obsession with New York City and was eager to show us their posters of yellow taxis, and Manhattan skyline icons like the Chrysler building and Times Square. 

She also has an insuppressible maternal instinct. She plied us with pudding for dessert, and insisted on personally washing my water bottles which were dirty from the road. I only gave her one of mine, trying to not be a bother. She took my second one, raised it to her nose to smell, and insisted she wash both. 

We never did have coffee (I actually don’t drink it as don’t care for the flavor) but I did accept Yvan’s invitation to share a beer with him - though I wondered aloud how that would affect me with over 30 miles of riding remaining. But as my new wise elder Yvan has mentored me in a great French philosophy - Pourquoi pas? Why not? 

We bid farewell like old friends using the double cheek kissing French custom and we expect to see Francelyne and Yvan in NY. 

And best of all I learned a small amount of beer at lunch turns out to be a very good boost. I cycled super strong the rest of the day! Who knew? Pourquoi pas?

© Copyright Mark Segal 2025.