Fort La Latte in Brittany – French Story & Translation

Author: Suzanne

Take a virtual visit of Fort La Latte Castle in Brittany, and practice your French with this easy French English bilingual story, full of pictures, and featuring fun and lively dialogues.

1 – Fort La Latte in Brittany – a Great Day Trip

Use the floating blue icon in the bottom right to hide/reveal the English translations below or just click here.

Je vais trĂšs souvent au Fort la Latte – j’y vais chaque fois que mes apprenants en immersion de français veulent voir la cĂŽte bretonne en visite accompagnĂ©e. Cette forteresse figure dans notre itinĂ©raire. Nous suivons une partie de la cĂŽte d’Emeraude puis de la cĂŽte de PenthiĂšvre. Mais en gĂ©nĂ©ral, faute de temps, nous n’entrons pas dans le chĂąteau.

I go to Fort la Latte very often – I go there every time my French immersion students want to see the Brittany coast on an accompanied visit. This fortress is on our itinerary. We go along part of the Emerald Coast and the Penthiùvre coast. But in general, through lack of time, we do not go into the castle.

learn french fort la latte brittany

2 – Visiting Fort La Latte With My French Student Eunike

Pendant le sĂ©jour de mon Ă©tudiante Eunike, par contre, elle me dit qu’elle aimerait beaucoup visiter le Fort la Latte. Elle en a vu des photos sur internet et elle et en a lu une description. Oui, elle veut vraiment y aller faire une visite guidĂ©e.

During the stay of my student Eunike, however, she tells me that she would like to visit Fort la Latte. She has seen pictures of it on the internet and she read a description of it. Yes, she really wants to go on a guided tour.

Donc nous y allons un bel aprĂšs-midi d’étĂ©. On gare la voiture au parking, et on s’approche de l’entrĂ©e du parc. Eunike me pose beaucoup de questions. Je laisse certaines rĂ©ponses pour les guides, mais je connais dĂ©jĂ  la rĂ©ponse Ă  d’autres.

So we go there on a nice summer afternoon. We park the car in the car park, and we approach the entrance to the grounds. Eunike asks me a lot of questions. I leave some for the guides to answer, but I already know the reply to others.

  • « A qui appartient ce chĂąteau ? Â» elle me demande.
  • « C’est un chĂąteau privĂ©. Et c’est sur la liste des monuments historiques nationaux, Â» je lui rĂ©ponds.
  • “Who owns this castle?” she asks me.
  • “It’s a private castle. And it’s on the list of national historic monuments,” I answer her.
learn french fort la latte brittany

3 – Fort La Latte – A Live In Castle

C’est la famille Jouon de Longrais, passionnĂ©e d’histoire, qui a achetĂ© le chĂąteau pendant les annĂ©es 30 du siĂšcle dernier. Ils ont fait beaucoup de travail de restauration, et ce programme de travaux continue.   Et il y a des membres de la famille qui habitent sur place.

It is the family Jouon de Longrais, passionate about history, who bought the castle during the 1930s. They did a lot of restoration work, and this program of work is continuing. And there are family members living there.

  • « Ah bon – mĂȘme en hiver ? Â» me demande Eunike.
  • « Oui, il paraĂźt. MĂȘme si c’est trĂšs exposĂ© ici et qu’il ne fait pas toujours beau en hiver, c’est un choix personnel.   Tu peux l’imaginer ici pendant une tempĂȘte? Il y a souvent beaucoup beaucoup de vent en hiver. On est vraiment seul, et trĂšs isolĂ© – mais il faut admettre que ce serait terrifiant et inoubliable ! Â»
  • Oh really – even in winter? Eunike asks me.
  • “Yes, it seems. Even if it is very exposed here and it is not always nice in winter, it is a personal choice. Can you imagine it here during a storm? It is often extremely windy in winter. They are really alone, and very isolated – but I must admit that it would be dramatic and unforgettable“
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4 – “Le Doigt de Gargantua” in Fort La Latte

Nous passons devant une pierre levĂ©e, haute et fine, Ă  cĂŽtĂ© du sentier. J’anticipe la prochaine question:

We pass in front of a raised stone, tall and thin, next to the path. I anticipate the next question.

  • “Ça, c’est le ‘Doigt de Gargantua’.   Selon la lĂ©gende, le gĂ©ant Gargantua aurait perdu son doigt quand il voulait sauter dans la direction de Saint Malo
 ou peut-ĂȘtre quand il traversait la Manche pour aller en Angleterre. C’est un Ă©crivain de la Renaissance, Rabelais, qui a dĂ©crit ce personnage au seiziĂšme siĂšcle”. 
  • “That’s Gargantua’s Finger’.  According to legend, the giant Gargantua lost his finger when he wanted to jump in the direction of Saint Malo 
 or perhaps when he crossed the Channel to go to England. It is a Renaissance writer, Rabelais, who described this character in the sixteenth century.”
fort la latte brittany french english bilingual story

5 – Approaching Fort La Latte

Le sentier tourne vers le gauche et descend. Soudain, on aperçoit le fort.

The trail turns to the left and goes downhill. Suddenly, we see the fort.

  • « Ouaouh ! Il est vraiment impressionnant, ce chĂąteau – encore plus que dans les photos !   Rappelle-moi, j’ai oubliĂ© : quand est-ce qu’on l’a construit ? Â»
  • « Il date du quatorziĂšme siĂšcle. C’était la demeure d’une vieille famille bretonne. Puis plus tard, il est devenu une base militaire. D’ici, les soldats pouvaient surveiller la Manche, et protĂ©ger la ville de St Malo Ă  l’est. Regarde lĂ , dans le lointain : on peut juste distinguer la tour d’une Ă©glise – eh bien ça, c’est Saint Malo.»
  • “Wow! It is really impressive, this castle – even more than in the photos! Remind me, I have forgotten: when was it built?”
  • “It dates from the fourteenth century. It was the home of an old Breton family. Then later, it became a military base. From here, the soldiers could survey the Channel, and protect the town of St Malo to the east. Look there, in the distance, we can just distinguish the tower of a church – that’s Saint Malo.”
learn french fort la latte brittany

 6 – Entering the Fort La Latte Castle in Brittany

Nous arrivons au guichet, et nous entrons dans l’enceinte.   Il y a des objets historiques placĂ©s ici et lĂ  : un bĂ©lier, un catapulte, et 
 oh, tiens ! un pilori


We arrive at the ticket office, and we enter the enclosure. There are historical objects placed here and there: a battering ram, a catapult, and 
 oh, look!  A pillory


  • « HĂ©, Eunike, regarde !   Tu sais ce que c’est, ça ?   Ça s’appelle un pilori. On l’utilisait au Moyen Age et mĂȘme aprĂšs pour punir quelqu’un qui avait commis un petit crime, pas trop sĂ©rieux.   La personne Ă©tait attachĂ©e dans le pilori un certain temps, selon le crime, exposĂ©e Ă  la vue du peuple, ce qui Ă©tait supposĂ© l’inciter Ă  ne pas rĂ©pĂ©ter son crime. Tiens, il s’ouvre, le pilori ! Je te prends en photo ? Â»
  • “Hey, Eunike, look! Do you know what this is? It’s called a pillory, or stocks. It was used in the Middle Ages and even after then, to punish someone who had committed a small crime, not too serious. The person was held in the pillory for a certain time, depending on the crime, exposed to public view, and this was supposed to persuade them not to repeat their crime. Hey, the pillory opens! Shall I take your photo?”
learn french fort la latte brittany 4

7 – A Guided Tour of Fort La Latte – A Great French Practice

Puis nous avançons vers le point de dĂ©part de la visite guidĂ©e.   Nous allons ĂȘtre une bonne quarantaine dans un groupe de plusieurs nationalitĂ©s.   On propose aussi des visites commentĂ©es en anglais, mais nous choisissons la visite en français, bien sĂ»r – nous sommes lĂ  pour ça !

Then we advance to the starting point of the guided tour. We will be more than forty in a group of several nationalities. They also offer guided tours in English, but we choose the visit in French, of course – that’s what we are here for!

Notre guide est costumĂ©e, et elle connaĂźt trĂšs bien son sujet.   Elle nous donne beaucoup d’informations, mais pas trop.   Elle nous pose des questions aussi. Elle nous fait rĂ©flĂ©chir, ce qui rend ses explications encore plus intĂ©ressantes.

Our guide is in costume, and she knows her subject very well. She gives us a lot of information, but not too much. She asks us questions too. She makes us think, which makes her explanations even more interesting.

learn french fort la latte brittany

Puis aprĂšs 30 ou 40 minutes, elle nous laisse continuer en visite libre. C’est plus facile comme ça. Les trois Ă©tages de la tour sont trop resserrĂ©s pour recevoir un grand groupe.

Then after 30 or 40 minutes, she lets us continue alone. It’s easier like that. The three floors of the tower are too constricted to accommodate a large group.

learn french fort la latte brittany

Nous dĂ©couvrons quelques beaux meubles, des panneaux explicatifs et des grandes banderoles qui listent les moments-clĂ©s de l’histoire relative au chĂąteau.

We discover some beautiful furniture, explanatory panels and large banners that list the key moments in the history of the castle.

learn french fort la latte brittany

Mais nous commençons Ă  saturer. Nous ne regardons pas trĂšs longtemps toute cette information, mĂȘme si c’est intĂ©ressant. On prĂ©fĂšre la prendre en photo, pour tout lire plus tard.

But we are starting to go into information overload. We do not look at all this information for very long, although it is interesting. We prefer to take pictures in order to read everything later.

learn french fort la latte brittany

Donc quelques derniĂšres photos, un dernier regard autour des salles, l’ascension vers le sommet de la tour (Eunike, mais pas moi), puis une promenade dans le jardin mĂ©diĂ©val amĂ©nagĂ©, et puis nous partons, trĂšs satisfaites de notre visite.

 So, a few last photos, a last look around the rooms, a climb to the top of the tower (Eunike, but not me), then a walk in the landscaped medieval garden, and then we leave, very pleased with our visit.

8 – A Virtual Visit of Fort La Latte video

Regardez le chat blanc et noir qui monte sur les murs pendant la vidĂ©o : c’est une coĂŻncidence, mais c’est tellement mignon !

Look at the white and black cat which climbs on the walls: it’s cute! It’s a coincidence, but it’s so cute!

https://youtu.be/XPjX1I2MLTU

If you liked this article, why not consider a stay at Susan’s home in Brittany to better your French? Here is more info about the French Immersion Residential courses recommended by French Today.

Author: Suzanne

Suzanne

Bonjour ! My name is Suzanne. I am British born, and have dual British and French nationality. I have been teaching French for the past 40 years, internationally. My husband Peter & I moved to Jugon-Les-Lacs, a charming village of Northern Brittany over 20 years ago where I now offer French immersion stays at the teacher's home. I hope you will come visit me one day!

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