Bags and Bins

Another week here, and I'm beginning to get used to things. I no longer have to chant "drive on the right" repeatedly to myself every time I'm in the car. Ploermel, the local town, is twinned with Cobh in Ireland. The Marie flies the Irish flag beside the French flag - very welcoming of them! The church has a war memorial monument outside, and standing proudly at the top is the Gallic Rooster that Johnny told us about.

We didn't go to a market this week, but I'm noticing nice differences about the supermarkets. They have compostable bags for the loose fruit and veg, and they have tubes full of different things - nuts, muesli, dried fruit. You measure out what you want into a paper bag, and weigh it to get a price/barcode. Nice ideas, both, for cutting down on packaging.

The bins are different here too. There are communal recycling spots - at the side of the road, like our smaller bottle banks - and you bring your glass, paper, card and plastics there for recycling, free of charge. There are other roadside containers which you put your general rubbish/black bins into, so no-one has the black/brown/green wheelie bins like we have in Ireland. I guess this makes it easier to collect rubbish and recycling, the truck doesn't need to go to every house, but wonder how it is paid for.

We had a nice dinner in the hotel in Ploermel during the week. They girls were on their best behaviour, excited to be in a 'fancy' restaurant. We all had a great evening, and the plan is go to further afield next time - Vannes, a nearby city on the coast - has three Michelin 1-star restaurants. We must try one!