A Night in the Trees: An Unusual Weekend in Brittany!

I have so many dreams in my head. Exotic, unusual, romantic... I collect them, in all sizes and colors. I don't categorize them: they all orbit around me like snowflakes in a state of perpetual weightlessness. Then, from time to time, a fresh breeze nudges a snowflake into the palm of my hand: this will be that dream!

Sometimes that snowflake takes me to the other side of the world... and sometimes to Dol de Bretagne! I'll take you with me for an unusual weekend in Brittany: hold on tight!

Would you prefer to sleep in a cabin on the ground, in the trees, or on the water?

This tricky choice is how our adventure begins. Until the phrase "There's a zip line to get to the cabins in the trees" comes up. Let's go for the trees! Let's play Tarzan and unleash the wild spirit within us!

The detail being that it was not "one" zip line that awaited us... but we would discover that later!

I've always loved perching in trees. I never had a treehouse in my garden, but the many trees provided ideal hiding spots to snuggle between branches and quietly read my current book. With my legs dangling in the void, I devoured the pages, too happy with this feeling of freedom that reading provides, amplified by the height of my perch.

And sleeping in nature is a revitalizing experience that I enjoy practicing from time to time. To reconnect. And disconnect. To get back to what truly matters. The "wild" side in us. The connection to nature, from the roots of the trees to their tops striving towards a starry sky.

So off we go with other blogging friends, including Clo and Clem (from Un tour sur terre), to discover the unusual accommodations of Logis in the Domaine des Ormes. An astonishing estate by its size: a real village, almost a town... But we will come to realize that later...

We have arrived, after a journey on the TGV, in Dol de Bretagne. It's dark, it's getting late: 10 PM and we start our (delicious) meal at the estate's restaurant. Smiling, confident, happy to be at our destination, we have no idea what's in store for us.

Yes, the moment of revelations and discoveries is coming... very soon!

At our leisure, we rise to join our respective cabins.

Ah? Authoritatively, we witness the demonstration for using the facilities and safety rules for reaching our lodgings. Smiles fade, nervous laughter erupts... What have we gotten ourselves into?

François looks at me suspiciously, as if he suspects I orchestrated this trap without his knowledge...

We hop into the golf carts and arrive at the foot of our cabins... or almost.

Finally, the big reveal: there is indeed a zip line to access our cabin...

But this is preceded by many others!

A first course, only a few meters off the ground, allows us to train under the watchful eye of a member of the estate, checking that we're fit to head to our cabins. After a successful test (and some screams, I won't say from whom), we can finally begin the course that separates us from our bed.

It's 2 AM.

Courage, I'm leading the way. The zip lines follow in succession. Equipped with a helmet and a small headlamp, a beam of light illuminates the twisted branches surrounding me. I see images of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (when Snow White discovers the forest and it seems to close in on her, the branches curling up like witch's hands). I hear laughter, screams, and curses behind me (again, I won't say who they belong to): it's a good sign, I'm being followed. I arrive at an intermediate platform, like all the others, detach from the zip line securing myself on the platform, ready to circle the tree to discover the next challenge. But nothing! I circle the trunk twice without understanding where the path continues.

I'm lost! I shouted to François

I hear him burst out laughing, incredulous, as if to say: "What has she gotten herself into now?"

Calm down Amandine, calm down, I whisper to myself. Let's be rational. No Snow White. No witch. No threatening forest. And no dead end. There's surely a path. Think, think, think...

My gaze then ceases to scan the darkness around me, leaving the 360-degree view to consider another approach angle: vertical. Bingo! Attached to the tree trunk, a small branch with narrow notches connects my platform to another one meter above my head.

I found it!

As if I had just solved a riddle worthy of Sherlock Holmes (look up, elementary my dear Watson!), I begin the ascent wondering what awaits me on the rest of the course. But it is (almost) with disappointment that I find that no other obstacles stand before me. Even better: I finally see my cabin. Just two more zip line rides and I'll be there.

Fjjjjjjjj

Silently, I glide through the darkness like a ninja along the cable to my terrace. Ground! Home!

I'm here!

I open the door to our cabin, and a picturesque decor opens up to me... once the two candles are lit. Picturesque and charming. But cold! Happy to have a warm body to share my blanket, we spent a cozy night snuggled together, like children defying the fear of the night and stepping out of the family home for the first time. Not scared at all, not cold. Or almost... The floor creaks under our feet, the branches outside quiver in the wind, the rain slams against the roof of our cabin. I feel sheltered within these four walls of light wood. At the top of the forest, at the top of the world...

Awake with the sun's rays after a lovely night of rain, I take a deep breath of the humid forest air. It promises to be a beautiful day... finally, in Brittany! Sun, rain, sun, rain... and a few clouds here and there.

Strangely, the path back to the starting point of the cabin course felt shorter than when we came (probably because it was no longer 2 AM!), but also higher! Thirteen in total, or so they say (but François would swear there were at least 50).

Bikes are waiting for us to explore the estate. And it's really an exploration, as we've been given a treasure hunt with challenges, questions... A> in the middle of the forest! I'm genuinely returning to my childhood this weekend!

With Clo & Clem on our team, we walk merrily from point to point, discovering with amusement the different challenges that await us. All on solid ground, and (almost) all on terra firma: archery, pedal boats... We finish our course proudly, return to the meeting point to enjoy our well-deserved lunch (even though we didn't win at archery and nearly abandoned François on a rock in the middle of a lake...)!

In the afternoon, I already felt the branches of the trees calling to me, especially since that night, we wouldn't be sleeping in our treehouse anymore, but in a floating cabin! So, we decide to try the tree climbing challenge at the estate. Four options are available to us, like ski slopes: green, blue, red, and black. The guys are showing off: "Pfff, at least red, but I would take black." They weren't so brave last night! But now it's daytime and our previous challenges have transformed us into true heroes (at least in our minds): we can do anything! Sky is the limit!

Feigning modesty, we decide to start on the red-black path which is common for the first part, and readjust as we go... Wise decision! I launch myself first (once again) and pass one obstacle after another, focused on each of my movements.

Halfway through the course, I face the fork. Like in The Matrix, I'm offered two colors. I must not make a mistake. There's no turning back. I look at the path I've traveled, recalling the effort-induced sighs it made me let out, the > that came to my mind at every obstacle... Hmmm, it'll be red for me!

I don't even have time to announce my choice to the boys following me when François shouts at me:

in a breathless voice.

I then see him on the previous challenge, legs apart, lips pursed, hands gripping the survival lines. So red it is!

The rest of the course has reserved more beautiful obstacles for me and above all the pleasure of being continuously surprised. A varied path where at each new challenge, I must take my time to think through how to jump from one tree to another. The platform in front of me becomes a New World to conquer: my target is straight ahead, I just need to leap into the void!

A beautiful representation of life, from tree to tree, from goal to goal, crossing the events of life, sometimes difficult, sometimes fun (here often both!).

Keep your eyes on the distance, move forward and be proud of the journey you've made...

I've often been asked if I suffer from vertigo, or how I manage to move so fast in the air. Tree climbing is a technical activity. It requires more concentration than physical strength. Yes, it involves some sweating, a minimum of coordination and balance (unless, like François, you have the practical sense to circumvent obstacles and avoid difficulties by sliding along!). Personally, when I go tree climbing or rock climbing, I feel perfectly calm, grounded in my body, deeply connected to myself. Every move is made with precision: one step after another, one hand after another, one obstacle after another. I don't look down. I don't look any further, not knowing what lies ahead. I am 100% in the present moment. And that's perhaps what I love most about tree climbing.... that and the exhilarating, euphoric sensation of speed combined with height! Yes, I love those feelings!

Always curious to try different unusual accommodations, we swapped the treehouse from the first night for a cabin on the water... with the advantage that this one not only doesn't require a half-hour journey through the air, but it also has two bedrooms! A lovely evening with friends Clo & Clem... and a memorable wake-up, as our cabin drifted overnight. The first phrase I heard Clem utter that day:

Oh no, we're stranded!

And yes, a house can drift! Amused by the situation, I eventually stopped laughing to help the boys who were struggling to get our house back on course. Important stakes, as today a breakfast basket is being delivered directly to the cabin for us!

Sometimes, you just want something different. To leave. Not necessarily far. To change. To see something else, to do something else. To eat differently. To sleep differently... And the weekend we spent in Brittany fully met our expectations! Moments we will remember for a long time, laughter, strong emotions, good food (oh yes, I forgot to mention, but the food at Les Logis is fantastic!) and above all, this camaraderie among friends. A perfect little weekend!

Practical Information Domaine des Ormes is part of Les Logis, a network of hotel restaurants throughout Europe, mainly in France, that brings together a beautiful variety of accommodations, including unusual lodgings: it makes you want to try them all! The site of Logis we tested: Domaine des Ormes has cabins of all kinds, but also more classic accommodations: hotels, houses, apartments... Special mention for the beauty of the setting and for the hotel restaurant, L'Oie Gourmande.

In partnership with Les Logis.

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