Welcome back to my monthly gazette, my dear friends!
Every month, I share a little roundup of life here in France: the places I’ve explored, the meals we’ve enjoyed, the recipes inspiring me, and the little moments that made the month memorable. I hope it gives you a glimpse into everyday French life. If you enjoy these monthly updates, I’d love to hear from you in the comments - and let me know what you’d like me to write about next.
Every year, the arrival of July fills me with anticipation. Summer in Brittany usually means warm afternoons at Toulhars beach, long lingering evenings, enjoying our favorite ice cream at Les Loups Givrés by the Port-maria marina, and backyard apéritifs while my nephew runs barefoot through the garden.
This year feels different.
We’re entering July with a strange sense of unease. Last week’s record-breaking heatwave in France left many of us exhausted, bewildered, and, if I’m honest, a little shaken. Like so many people here, I’ve developed an almost compulsive habit of checking my weather app, refreshing it throughout the day, hoping the forecast won’t reveal another stretch of unbearable temperatures.
It’s amazing how quickly weather can become something you don’t simply experience, but something you quietly dread.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’m preparing a more personal essay about what living through this heatwave felt like. It was such an intense experience that I suspect many of you - whether in France or elsewhere - will relate to it. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, I’m trying to remind myself that worrying won’t stop the next heatwave from coming. Some things simply aren’t within our control.
Instead, I’ve been choosing to remember the beginning of June, before the oppressive heat settled in, when the month was filled with sunshine, sea breezes, and wonderful outings.
One of the highlights was spending a day aboard a catamaran sailing to Île d’ Houat, a tiny island just off the coast of Brittany. We spent the day following the coastal path, wandering from one breathtaking beach to the next before strolling through the island’s little village, where blue shutters framed typical white Brittany cottages and flowers spilled over every garden wall. It felt like stepping into a postcard.
Another unforgettable experience was stepping aboard the majestic three-masted Belem, for a photoshoot. If you’ve never heard of her, the Belem is one of France’s most iconic historic sailing ships. She enjoyed an international moment in the spotlight two years ago when she carried the Olympic flame from Greece to Marseille ahead of the Paris Olympics. This June, she was docked in my hometown of Lorient for the Lorient Océans festival, which celebrates the city’s rich maritime heritage. Seeing her up close was incredibly special.
As for cooking... I have to admit, there wasn’t much of it.
The heat completely drained my motivation, and turning on either the oven or even the stovetop felt unthinkable. We lived almost entirely on crisp summer salads: cucumber salad, juicy tomato salad, grated carrot salad, and anything else that could be prepared without adding more warmth to the house.
One meal, however, deserves a special mention.
Last Saturday, as temperatures finally began to ease, we celebrated the end of the heatwave with what felt like the most Breton meal imaginable. We visited our local fish market and came home with a beautiful spread of langoustines, shrimp, bulots (sea snails), and bigorneaux (periwinkles). One of the greatest privileges of living on the Breton coast is having such extraordinary seafood just minutes from home.
For the first time in weeks, we were finally able to set the table outside. We lingered over lunch in the fresh air, enjoying every bite and appreciating something as simple as a pleasant afternoon outdoors.
Sometimes the ordinary moments become the ones you’re most grateful for.
Here’s hoping that July brings gentler temperatures, salty sea breezes, and many more days spent outside.
Happy July!
12 recipes to cook in July
In case you missed it…
Here are the recipes and posts that were shared in June on the blog and here on Substack.
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