Our stay in Pays de la Loire (France): Part 3/3
Always accompanied by Rosalie <3 (the cat), we’re taking it easy in our airbnb at Trans sur Erdre, enjoying the garden and watching the series on Netflix. Rosalie likes to eat herbs a lot. I find the cat’s ability to recognize edible herbs (as well as their ability to identify a litter box) fascinating. It brings us a lot of purring and joy
As for the garden, I take care of it superbly, and enjoy the tomatoes and raspberries in the garden. It pleases me to have a garden like this from time to time, but I don’t see myself taking care of it all year round, it’s a lot, a lot of work
Nantes
But after 3 weeks, we are already bored in our countryside and often go back and forth to Nantes, which is only 35 minutes away by car
We went there to work a little at Lieu Unique, the former LU factory, converted into an exhibition, hammam and a huge bar. The negative point is that there are very few electrical outlets and everyone struggles to sit next to one
In Nantes, there is Radisson Blu, a hotel built on the former courthouse. JB spent a night there during a training he gave in Nantes a few years ago. The restaurant (which is in the old courtyard), according to his memories, is worth it. But today, we’ll only have a Coke at the bar. The interior is very pretty but it was well renovated, the rooms of this hotel aren’t 4m high either 😀
We also visit the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. I think it was the view of this castle and the chapel behind it that made me fall in love with Nantes. But these days, having a lot of trouble parking our car (end of July all the same), Nantes loses a few points in my heart and it doesn’t make me want to settle there anymore 😀
The castle is super nice, there is even a slide to go down the ramparts (we didn’t do it), but nobody shouted so it must be easy. For lack of time, we couldn’t see the Vikings exhibition, but we took 1h30 just to go around the museum and the exhibition inside the castle. It’s huge! There is a mini movie about Anne of Brittany, slavery..
Not being a big fan of museums, I preferred the ramparts, from where you can see the city of Nantes… I sincerely think that this is the neighborhood that I like the most in Nantes (as long as you have a parking lot). Just in front of the castle, JB comes across a store “Mont Blanc expeditions” which amuses him a lot because he will try to climb the Mont Blanc in two weeks time
We take the car back to go to the Machines of the island. Once again, we do not visit the dedicated museum but everyone says that it is good. We are more busy running behind the elephant
His legs move slowly (except for one that is broken), which gives the impression that he can walk on his own, but this isn’t really the case, it is the tractor that pushes him. It even throws water, its trunk can move (and its eyes too I think), it looks quite realistic if we disregard the tourists who are on it. I think it’s 1000 times nice to be on this elephant than a real elephant in Thailand. The rides next to it are also extraordinary, it makes you want to, even for adults. Everything is mechanical, it’s very very nice, I recommend you!
Pornic
We have lunch in Pornic, at the restaurant La Villa Noë. If the seafood platters (on the picture: this huge platter is sold for 1 person) and the dishes are delicious, we were a bit disappointed by the fish soup
Pornic’s port is cute as anything, I recommend an ice cream at the Strawberry Grove, where you can also buy strawberries (it’s basically a strawberry grower)
Gulf of Morbihan
While waiting for the boat taking us to the Gulf, we offer ourselves a good meal at the Brasserie just in front of the quay. The oysters from the gulf are delicious, I’m glad I ordered 12 😀 I take advantage of my passage in the area to recharge my oyster batteries. It’s so difficult to find some at the other end of the world
We have chosen the Compagnie du Golf, which offers a 3-hour non-stop boat ride for 23€/person
I found the time a bit long but fortunately the comments are excellent. Just when I say to myself “it would be nice to get my boating license in New Caledonia”, the sailor explains a lot of maritime rules, and the difficulty to sail in a place like the gulf (many currents, shallow water, high tides etc.). He shows us the small islands on which even the greatest sailors have been stranded in the gulf. He also teaches us some Breton words and we realize that the “ic” or “ique”, meaning “small”, is found in many words and names. He teaches us for example the technique used by whelks to open and eat oysters. In short, I learned a lot of things
Apart from these great comments, I found the walk a little long because the landscapes are finally very similar. We should have stopped on one of the islands (ÃŽle d’Artz, less frequented) and resume the boat (and the comments) later
This is how our stay in the Pays de la Loire ends. On Saturday, we will take Rosalie back to Paris, say goodbye, return the car, and continue our way to Chamonix
Budget
- Unique location: 4€/virgin mojito, 6€/mojito
- La Villa Noë (Pornic) : 52€ the seafood platter for one person (but enough for 2)
- La Fraiseraie (Pornic) : 3€/ice cream
- Brasserie in front of the quay: 22,5€ for 12 oysters
- Compagnie du Golfe : 23€/person for a 3H boat ride
- Parking in Nantes : about 1,1€/30mn
- Castle of the Dukes of Brittany: 10€/person. If you just want to visit the ramparts and the mini-garden, the entrance is free.
