Rennes is such a lively city that I miss so much. Here’s some random aspects of the culture of Rennes I experienced while living there.

La Place Saint-Anne

• Right by the metro station at Saint Anne there always seems to be travelers sitting around outside. They always have dogs with them as well. The dogs usually aren’t on leashes and most of the time the travelers entertain them by playing fetch. Sometimes they play music loudly. I’m surprised that the police do not tell them to stop loitering, but it’s probably become more of a norm for them to be there.

Manifestations

• One time when there was a large manifestation at La République. I wasn’t there to see it go down, but I saw the aftermath. There were clean-up crews cleaning up the broken glass from the advertisement panels connected to the bench’s of the bus stops. There was also white spray paint all over other advertisements. Strikes and manifestations are a big part of France’s culture. They definitely got me out of class a few times. It’s better to avoid getting involved at a strike because tear gas could get involved.

Shopping

• Do not forget to greet the store clerks as you walk in. “Bonjour” or “bonsoir” (good evening) will suffice. It’s pretty similar to the way you would act in an American store. Sometimes they’ll ask you if you need help, but if you just want to browse, you just have to say “non, merci” (no thank you). And don’t forget to say thank you and goodbye as you leave with “Merci. Au revoir.”

• It’s like Black Friday every weekend during the four week winter sales. The best time to go is during the week when most people are at work or school. Almost all of the stores in the city had “SOLDES” (Sales) signs in their windows. It might be a good idea to bring your passport with you when you make purchases with a debit/credit card. When my friend wanted to buy something at Pull & Bear the cashier said she needed a form of I.D., but her driver’s license wasn’t enough proof. I’m not entirely sure why this happened. I never experienced that while purchasing with my card at other places.

• On the other side of the shopping mall where you can see the church at Parc du Thabor, there is a little book market. My friends bought a couple books there. It’s not really watched over that much and the man selling the books is laid back. You just have to go up to him, say “bonjour”, and pay for the books. This is an open area right by one of the grocery stores I would go to and Université Rennes 1. In this same area you can find people sitting and enjoying each other’s company as well as skate boarders riding around and attempting tricks.

Clothes

• To me, the French dress very chic. You won’t really come across someone just wearing sweats or leggings. I definitely wore jeans almost every day. Also, when it is colder, you’re going to notice almost everyone wearing a scarf. I never really wear scarves in the U.S., but I definitely feel like I wore one everyday while I was in Rennes.

Food

• Galettes and Crêpes are probably some of the most important foods in the Rennais culture. This is the region where crêpes were invented. The most popular are the galettes complètes (wheat crêpe with ham and cheese, with a sunny side up egg on top) and the galette saucisse (whole sausage wrapped in a wheat crêpe). For dessert, a crêpe with butter and sugar, or jam.

• You can find a Brioche Doré or a normal boulangerie all around the city as well as cafés. I feel like Rennes’ form of fast food places are Kebab joints. There are quite a few by la Rue de la Soif (Thirsty Street). They are definitely there to feed the people who like to party hard. My favorite was the Royal Kebab not far from the little shopping mall by Saint Anne. I always got a panini-kabab and fries with mayo and curry sauce on the side. They also have tacos with fries inside of them.

A Perspective on Americans

• Most cafés are opened late and usually have an outdoor seating area. One time when I was sitting with my friend in the outside area of a café, a random older man came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy jewelry. He ended up talking to my friend for a while making conversation. He complemented my friend’s french and asked where he came from, which was Syria and then found out I was American. Right away he said thank you to me. I remembered hearing how some of the French are so grateful because of the Americans helping out in the World Wars. I just smiled and laughed accepting the thank you even though I wasn’t even alive during those times.

Strange Occurrences

These aren’t really aspects of the culture, but I just thought I would share these experiences.

• There is a Franco-American Institute that you can volunteer at. I only visited it once for a tour. They have American books in different genres and they also have a section for those at different reading levels (A1-C2). Something weird that happened was while a couple of my friends and I were leaving the tour a random guy started yelling in our faces. We turned around and walked back towards the institute ignoring him. This was the first time this happened to me, but supposedly it happened to my friends another time before.

• One time when I was waiting at my bus stop at La République. A woman started saying something like a prayer and walked up into people’s personal space. When she came near me, I just stayed focused on my phone and just let her do her thing until she moved along to other people.

Just be wary of your surroundings, but don’t be surprised if this stuff happens. You are in a city.

Football

• The Rennais are very proud of their football (soccer) team. The buses change their destination signs to have a football player on them. There are also buses that will take you directly to the stadium from La République. They won’t care how full the buses are after the game. I was pretty much standing next to the bus driver on the way home. The doors opened by accident while we were turning. It’s a good thing my friend was leaning against them.

Smoking

• It’s very normal to be asked or to ask someone on the street if they have a lighter. Smoking is a very prominent pass time in France. I experienced my friend who smokes, ask someone for a light while walking by the river and they kindly gave it to him. Another time he was able to give a light while we were walking around the city. Also, when we were in another city, Nantes, a couple asked him for a light and he gladly gave it.

Celtic History

• The region that Rennes resides in was not a part of France until 1532. The Celts came down from Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period. There is a lot of Celtic influence and the Breton language can be seen on some of the signs in the city.

• There is also a Breton dance that is offered as a club you can join.

There are definitely other aspects I didn’t list, but I hope this can be used as small window into the everyday life of Rennes.

À bientôt

– Nicole