A place of calm and reflection. Evergreen Guest house in Blaru, France is the place Mark booked prior to the pandemic for my birthday. Over a year after he booked this secret trip we finally arrived.
I was blown away as soon as we stepped foot in our cottage. I knew instantly that this would be a place of calm and relaxation after what has been the most chaotic year. We needed peace and quiet.
In the days running up to our break away and preparing our suitcase, it seemed somewhat alien to be thinking about having a break, since we hadn’t been away together abroad for such a long time. I was full of all sorts of emotions.
For someone that is very outdoorsy and loves travelling, for a short period, I did feel nervous leaving the comfort of our home but the nervousness was short lived as I was packing my beret, plus the thought of going away with Mark to somewhere new made it even more exciting.
I cannot explain the overwhelming feeling of relief I had when I stepped in to Evergreen with Mark. Just us, the picturesque surroundings, no dramas, no government briefings, no work, no day to day grind. Silence.
Our hosts Suran & Jonathan, two friendly guys enjoying their home and garden, allowing us to have an insight in their lives was just so fulfilling.
Suran is THE best cook. We had breakfast every morning at 9am in the garden surrounded by stone walls with herbs growing up the length of the wall, rosemary, parsley, thyme all grown for Suran to add to his delicious meals. Fresh crossaints for breakfast, of course, pain au chocolat, of course those too and artisan bread with aubergine soup. I had never had aubergine soup before, it was the tastiest soup I have ever had. We even had nettle omlette and let me tell you that was a very pleasant surprise. We didn’t get stung.
Suran has so much knowledge about food and cooking and shared tips and tricks with us. It was so lovely walking around their grounds where they grow all kinds of fruit and veg. I ate a lot of the figs for breakfast and they were really tasty in Suran’s homemade muffins too. They had pumpkins growing in the garden and they were looking pretty big, I am sure there will be plenty of pumpkin soup to go around come October.
The cottage was so chic and so cosy. I spent some time when we arrived admiring the french furniture (there was a wardrobe that if we had a lorry I would have asked to bring home with me it was so French and fabulous) my favourite was the encylopedia of fromages. I am a HUGE cheese lover so my god, it was good to flick through the pages and think about cheese and wine.
Dotted around the grounds were wooden chairs and even a hammock that Mark and I tried out. It was just peaceful nothing to hear but the birds. A well deserved rest and a wonderful find by Mark.
Only a ten minute drive to the local town Vernon and a stones throw away from walking along the River Seine, we ventured out to be tourists. I always knew the baguette was a thing but, I lost count how many people we saw walking the streets with a baguette. It made me smile and I just couldn’t help but point out “Baguette” every time I saw one.
We didn’t have to go far to find a bakery, in fact, most shops we passed had baguettes in their shopfronts. Mark choose a Baguette and I walked out with Pain au chocolat or should I say 3 Pain au chocolat’s. I didn’t say Trois, I am sure I didn’t. Ooops.
Once back in the car armed with treats, I noticed something had happened to the baguette. Mark claimed it was caught in the door. Clearly he had eaten some. The thought of the French baguettes for such a long time, it’s no surprise he couldn’t help himself to a mouthful.
The best break for a very long time
In the region that we spent our mini break, the people are just so lovely and friendly. It was very apparent that many businesses are so happy to see tourists gradually coming back, it’s what they desperately need to survive but not only that we ALL have been separated from normality and this was a welcomed change. People were just so kind and thoughtful.
I remember our first day touring. We parked the car in a car park and of course the parking meter text was all in French. A French woman was struggling to buy a ticket. For some reason it would time out and not accept payments. Mark stepped in to help with the guidance of me and my knowledge of the French language (I spent some time swatting up using my Oxford French dictionary) after some time we realised it wouldn’t work for us too, another meter later and the lady managed to get a ticket for her car and we cheered in unity.
Not the most riveting story but this woman was our first proper interaction with the locals and it made us feel welcome, her laugh and politeness made me so at ease.
Mark and I both wore our French striped tops. We so looked the part. Mark carrying his baguette and me fluently speaking French to nobody. We explored everyday! I am completing a round up piece to share with you of some of the places we visited in Normandy, you will have a better insight of things to do if you are thinking of going. We crammed in a lot.
I was pretty sad to come back home as I had the most wonderful birthday, with the most thoughtful and caring person, in an amazing country that I adore even more than I had before. We travelled on the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais. Only a 35 minute journey. Although it took 3 hours to get to Blaru from Calais the journey was super smooth and thoroughly enjoyable.
We had a great time.
I can’t wait to see more of our neighbours and our back garden. I hope you get the opportunity to go too.
Keep an eye out for my Normandy guide update. Until then Au revoir and Merci.
