 Nantes, Madrid and ChicagoBack to main page
As we got closer to Nantes we started to look for a service station where we could fill the tank before turning in the car. We followed what we thought were signs for a service station and as came off the expressway and we approached what looked like a roundabout. Jan came to a stop to check for traffic, but as she got on the roundabout, YIKES!, a truck roared up from behind with his horn blasting. We still don't know what was wrong, but we managed to get out of harm's way. To top it off we never found the gas station! We got back on the périphérique (beltway) and a few miles before our exit we found a rest stop with a Total station. We also managed to pick up a sandwich which we shared. The rest of the drive into Nantes went very smoothly. We dropped off the car and walked the block to The Brit, our hotel. Once again the people there were very friendly and helpful. After a change of clothes to reflect the fact it was once again warm, we went for a walk in the center of the city. We knew from the first time we were there that the road that ran between the hotel and auto rental company was the best way to get into the city. The bridge went over the railroad tracks and it was easy to walk across the tram tracks. On the other side of the bridge was the Château of the Dukes of Brittany. At the time it was sunny so we decided to walk around the inside courtyard of the château.
After a walk around the restaurant district of the old town, we decided to eat at a Crêperie, "La Blanche Hermine". We both had the Crêpe Savoyarde (potatoes, ham, crème fraiche). It was served with with a salad on top, which was an interesting touch. For desert we both had a crêpe with ice cream. On the walk back we passed the Cité Internationale des Congrès which is a convention center and large office complex. The reflections of the building in its pool made an interesting design. Second Day in NantesWe had purchased a pain au raisin for each of us at the local artisan pâtisserie near our hotel. We had them for breakfast and they were some of the best we have ever had and only a little over €1 each. After coffee we were off to the cathedral. It is not the most spectacular cathedral we've seen, but has some points of interest. Just as on our trip to Aix last year we managed to get to the cathedral while the organist was practicing for the weekend services.
Just across the parking area from the cathedral is the Chapelle de l'Oratoire which is a branch of the fine art museum that features special shows. The show at the time was retrospective of the photography of Brassaï. I have seen many articles about Brassaï's photography over the years, and even though I was familiar with many of the things he had done, this show had sections I had never seen before. It was a very interesting show. By the time we left the museum it was almost noon. We decided to walk to the public garden which was near by.
The garden had many varieties of garden plants and anyone could compare how well varieties grew in that area. There was also an herb garden that displayed varieties of herbs. The main attractions were a long pond with lots of Moorhens. They look just like coots with red bills. Before deciding on which restaurant to try for lunch we walked through the whole restaurant area again and finally decided to have lunch at the Bar de Pilori. Jan had an omlette and salad and I had quiche and salad. After lunch we walked around the shopping area. Nantes, even though it once was the capital of Britanny is now in the region of the Loire. After our little expedition we were pretty tired so took a few minutes rest back in our hotel room. We had planned to walk over to the island in the Loire, but a really strong rain storm kept us in the hotel room. An hour later we went out to get a sandwich and some of those great pain au raisin for our 4 a.m. breakfast. After eating we walked around Nantes once more. This time we saw a rainbow over Le Lieu Unique and I wasn't the only one taking a photo of that. A woman with a cellphone was sending it somewhere. It was about four hours since the traffic jam started on the road leading out of Nantes and the cars were still backed up there. It was also time for bed. Except for my dream of coyotes howling, which turned out to be a large group of drunken young people on the street, we slept very well.
Our 5:30 a.m. taxi ride out to the airport followed the same route that had been jammed with cars the evening before, but whatever problem there had been was resolved and we reached the airport in a few minutes. The woman who was scanning our luggage must of had a bad night. She almost threw my camera off the conveyor belt and then complained that we had over three ounces of body powder in our carry-on. First it's not a liquid and second the bottle said 3 ounces. A little later she was chasing a woman around the waiting area and was putting on black gloves when the chase came to an end. The woman she was pursuing was with a variation of doctors without borders, so unlikely to be much of a problem! We took off from Nantes in the dark, but after a few minutes we were South far enough that the clouds disappeared and once again we saw the familiar shoreline near Bordeaux. The rest of the flight was very smooth and we easily got to the gate for our flight back to Chicago. In fact we were there long for me to take the photo of a plane taking off from the Madrid airport. I must have looked particularly femine since one of the flight attendants on our plane welcomed Jan and me as ladies and volunteered to put our carry-on case in the overhead bin. She was surprised when I got it in with ease! During the trip we were sitting next to a roughly 12-year-old boy from Madrid whose father was asking him questions about geology for an exam he had to take in Spain five days later. They were going to Chicago with his cousin for four days. Father and son both spoke English well since they had lived in Ireland for a while. With his parka he was better prepared for the temperatures in Chicago than we were. It was 29 and snowing when we started home the next morning at 5. The dogs were very happy to see us and except for the weather the trip had many memorable moments and sights.  Plane leaving Madrid. Back to main page |
Marie-José stopped by to wish us a good trip home and we left Landéla at 8:45 a.m., just after sunrise. It rained most of the way down to Vannes. From there on the weather brightened and by the time we approached Nantes it was sunny. 
For much of the trip even the wind generators were only a misty ghost along the road. It reminded us of the funny postcard we had seen that showed a dark gray bar of color with two dark gray lighthouse shapes and a light gray bar of sky. The wording on the card translated to "What we saw from our hotel room window in Brittany". 
After leaving the château, we decided to go the the Galeries Lafayette check out what the French were selling this year. We hit one of their three-day sales, so it was very busy. There were men looking at designer underwear and women lined up at every register. As always, even on sale the items were two to three times more expensive then similar items at home. When we came out of the store it was pouring! We had one umbrella and no rain coats, so we came back to the hotel very wet after walking in the wrong direction for a few blocks. 
After changing to dry clothes we went down to the hotel bar for coffee. It is a brand new hotel (opening in July) with a modern bar. They have a sliding window wall. It was open since the temperatures were in the high 60s and low 70s. The rain must have caught the people on duty by surprise since the area adjacent to the windows was very wet. The rest of the bar was fine and a café crème really hit the spot.
