Excellent bilingual place where my son learned how to start painting miniature…read more Apparently a hobby. The 2 brothers? Are pretty cool and very helpful. They also have games of many kind. A nice place near sait pattern church.

AT and I were having Ticket to Ride - Europe withdrawal and before we had lunch across the street…read moreat Le Gavroche, we eyed this store and made a beeline for it to see if we could find the French equivalent of our beloved TTR game, Les Aventuriers du Rail Europe. AT's mom told us that game stores of this sort were becoming rarer and rarer in France, I suppose since lots of people turn to digital media for entertainment these days. I can't lie, I was filling my little noggin with all things Internet-related and when I started joining game nights at my good friend Ben's place last year, I felt a thrill unlike many I had felt before. It was awesome using my brain to be strategic but it was also fun playing games that were easy to learn and allowed casual chatting amongst friends while awaiting my turn. This game store is full of board games and other games too, like card games and figurines from games that I am unfamiliar with. We found Les Aventuriers du Rail Europe almost immediately, in addition to Settlers of Catan and Game of Thrones and other tabletop game favorites. We pondered getting some more, but ultimately, just grabbed our game and one for AT's niece (we were visiting around Christmas, after all). The guy at the register was super nice and rang us up with joy. He was thoroughly entertained by my excitement as I walked around the store, letting out sighs of enthusiasm and awe. What an awesome place to visit if you're in Vannes. While you're at it, grab TTR and have a fun family game night!

Au Pays de Merlin is located on the central street of the small town of Paimpont. This cute…read moreboutique has all sorts of Merlin, magic, and fairy themed items for sale. Reminds me of stuff you might get at a Renaissance Fair. Certainly worth a look if you're in the area to go on the Merlin tour and see the magical forest!