Nantes, France
by Céleste | April 26 — April 28, 2015
After Rennes, we went to Nantes, France! Nantes is located next to the Loire River, one of the big rivers in France. It’s in the region of the Loire-Atlantique, and was formerly part of historic Bretagne (remember, Rennes is in Bretagne). We had an excellent time there, though we preferred Rennes.
April 26th
Our Apartment
Our apartment was in a good location, near several of the squares. We were located on the fourth floor, with a frankly TINY elevator (maybe 2 feet by 4 feet?) which I know my claustrophobic mother would have loved. The apartment was pretty much the only one on that floor and it was located next to two abandoned apartments that were so creepy. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures, but those of you who follow us on Facebook can see a video of the place on Vincent’s page.
The apartment itself was nice, with a view of the park below and a lofted bed.
Passage Pommeraye
On the way to the apartment, we walked through an old arcade-style shopping center. It was very cute, and of course going under renovations.
Brasserie Les Arcades
We were starving, and went for lunch at the Brasseries les Arcades, which was one of the only restaurants open on Sunday. Unfortunately, they were only serving croques monsieurs at this time, and I don’t eat ham. So, Vincent had one while I watched and drank water, then we left so that I could find somewhere else to eat. We mostly went in to get out of the rain, so I didn’t mind waiting a bit to eat.
Les Machines de l’Île
We first went out to the Machines de l’Île, which is a sort of amusement park with steam-punk animals, inspired by Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes. It was strange and interesting to watch the machinery of the giant, rideable elephant move across the park. Vincent and I considered riding it, but it was too rainy and it was more fun to watch from below. The elephant even spouts water from its trunk!
Les Docks
Next I grabbed a sandwich and fries, and Vincent had fries and a beer at this hipstery bar called Les Docks. We waited until the rain subsided, enjoying the bluesy music and watching the other patrons file in and out of the restaurant. The food was good, though the fries were very greasy.
Naval Boat
Vincent showed his love for military ships by taking lots of pictures of the Loire and the naval ship-turned-museum docked in the river. We considered going into the museum, but decided against it, as they only had tours at certain times, and we didn’t want to wait around. The view was nice though!
Château des Ducs de Bretagne
Next, we went to the castle of the dukes of Bretagne, which was built by the father of Anne de Bretagne, a famous lady who rules as the duchess of the area in the 1400s. It was a nice place to walk around, and we fed the ducks in the moat and explored the ramparts. We didn’t go inside the museum, but enjoyed the outside anyway.
Église de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul
Next, off to the Church of St. Pierre (Peter) and St. Paul. This church was huge, and every time we walked by, it was impossible to look at anything else. It was massive, and the beauty of it just draws your eye to it. The windows had been destroyed by bombs during WWII, but the replacements were pretty and the walls and vaulted ceilings were a beautiful soft white. It was really imposing on both the outside and the inside.
The tomb of Francois II and his wife Margaret are in the church (the parents of Anne de Bretagne), and there are crypts underneath. The crypts are free to enter, and contain some interesting treasures from the church’s collections. They also happen to be nice and cool on a hot day.
Jardin des Plantes
Next, we were off to the Jardin des Plantes. We wanted to know if the gardens of Nantes were comparable to the gardens of Rennes, which we had loved so much. They were! Aix really needs to step up its game if it wants to compete with the north.
The park had a bird sanctuary, tons of ducks, beautiful combinations of color in the flower beds, and as we walked through, we noticed an enclosure at the back of the park…unfortunately, the park closed so we had to leave, but we vowed to return the next day to see what it was!
Shalimar
For dinner, we had Indian/Pakistani food at Shalimar. It was delicious! I had dal, which is a vegetarian lentil dish, while Vincent had a beef madras. We ate outside, though it was looking like it might rain. Our waiter spoke English and talked with Vincent about living in Pakistan (the waiter was also Pakistani). He even convinced us to have some mango lassi for dessert!
April 27th
Notre Dame de Nantes
On our way back to the Jardin des Plantes, we spotted another cathedral, Notre Dame de Nantes. It wasn’t as big or as pretty as the previous cathedral, but still interesting to see.
Jardin des Plantes
We headed back to the Jardin des Plantes, to see what was housed in the enclosure, and discovered…baby goats!
They were so adorable. They had soft fur and they actually enjoyed being petted.
Usually goats don’t like it; these were nanny goats from Africa. The only issue was that sometimes they bite your clothes! The biggest goat in the pen bit my sweater twice, and my shirt once. I had to keep shooing him away!
We fed some of them, and they all crowded around us to get food. What an excellent park!
Crêperie Heb Ken
After feeding the goats, we were getting hungry, so we headed to the Crêperie Heb Ken for some crêpes, as they had good reviews. I had one with goat cheese (haha) and bacon, while Vincent had one with potatoes and ham. They were good, and Vincent was able to get some cider. For dessert, I had a honey crepe, while Vincent had a lemon and sugar crepe. He had been searching for one with lemon and sugar to match the Swedish pancakes his grandma used to make him when he was a child. He said that these were the closest match.
Notre Dame de St. Croix
Yet another church! France does not lack for godliness, I guess.
Japanese Garden
There is a Japanese garden on an island in the Erdre River, which we headed to next. There are actually houseboats on the river as well, which was interesting. The Japanese garden was so peaceful and beautiful, it really was a little sanctuary in the heart of the city.
We even saw a crane, and fish jumping out of the river!
Petite Amazonie
Next, we tried to go to the Petite Amazonie, another garden, but apparently you can only go with a guided tour. We were exhausted, so we headed back right away. I would have liked to go in, because it’s actually a marshland that was created in the craters left by shells in WWII. We did see lots of lizards slinking around, though.
Breizh Burger
For dinner, we headed to Breizh Burger, for burgers and fries. The restaurant was completely empty. We looked it up online and it looked like a very new business, within the last two months. We felt bad for the woman working there. The burgers were not spectacular or anything, but they were good, and it seemed like the owner was nice. We hoped that business would pick up soon for her!
Opera House
To end our night, we sat outside the Nantes Opera House and just watched people pass. A woman walked around the square for about 20 minutes, looking at her phone. I think she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t lost. We bought some wine then, and went home. Nantes is famous for muscadet, a musky-tasting wine, which is what we got. I didn’t like it, but Vincent didn’t seem to mind.
April 28th
Talensac Market
Our Nantes guide had said that this market was a “must-see” according to “american tourists.” Since we knew we had some time before our train, we headed over. Even by farmer’s market standards, this market was bad. There was no diversity in what was offered, it was haphazardly laid-out, and after going through the wonderful market in Rennes, it was not worth even stopping by. I would pass on this market, it is definitely not a “must-see” unless you’ve never seen a farmer’s market in your life, I guess. On the way out, though, we picked up a to-go lunch for the train at La Fournil Bossard. I had a really delicious chicken and pasta salad, while Vincent had a pretty good sandwich.
We headed toward the train station, and on to our next adventure in Bordeaux!
