Welcome to this tiny French village of character that likely won’t be on your list: Jugon Les Lacs (JLL) and the new mini-series I invite you to join.
If you crave slow and low, off the radar, then join me on this journey into a favorite treasure tucked into a corner of Bretagne, Cotes d’Armor.
Only about a thirty-minute drive from some of the most famous beaches in Brittany, this town can hold rank with any other “petite Venice” of France. Unlike others, she’s perched on the edge of a vast lake with an extensive system of biking, camping, fishing, and water sports year-round.
JLL does not seem to be hurt or have profited from the pandemic. All the usuals are in place, yet there is nothing new. I suppose this is a sign of a village well supported by locals, but also one that we all worry about for the future. As many studies claim, younger generations, and rightly so, moved to the major cities as their infrastructure can sustain digital work. Trapped in time and waiting for fiber internet, villages like this need younger generations to desire a return to slow-living for their families while supporting travailler à distance.
This is the France I love – the village that doesn’t know tourists but welcomes them. They are authentic to the fabric of France, and you lose so many hours walking and talking to the locals.
In the video montage, you’ll note the chef is playing with the girls. He’s talented, kind, and jovial, like a young Santa-in-training. He sits in his chair in the front room, next to an enormous, historic Breton chiminée, and holds court there.
“Do you know Steve?” He barks as if he were half across the kitchen instead of touching shoulders.
No, I say, and raise my eyebrows.
“He’s American. There are not many of you here…” and he giggles. The British are plenty but moi? I stand apart, and the locals like that. “You should come to the jazz concert here. It is next weekend, but I am lazy and forget to put up posters.”