Elephants and Crêpes - Nantes (6/9)

After a late breakfast, naturally due to our late arrival, and with Gaëlle as our guide, we headed off to see the top ten sites that Nantes had to offer. Gaëlle lives on the Ile de Nantes, so our starting point was what had been the old shipyard. As with so many former maritime centres, ships are no longer built here. In fact the whole island is undergoing a renewal program with old factories and warehouses being replaced by civic buildings, offices, apartments, etc., and a tourist precinct. A new hospital is to be commenced there soon. Although maintaining some of the old features, this is an area where modern architecture can be utilised without clashing with the traditional architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. The new law courts look very impressive and modern but don't look out of place with the surroundings.

The monster elephant
I've a movie version which I'll post elsewhere

The first attraction we came to is also an acknowledgement to Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes. Like many other French cities, Nantes has a carousel, but this one is bigger with three levels, and it has mechanical animals and other contraptions that children can manipulate instead of the usual static rides. But the 'piece-de-resistance' is a huge mechanical elephant which not only "walks", it flaps it's ears, opens and closes its eyes, moves its trunk, sprays you with water, trumpets, and swings it's tail. It is at least ten metres high and you can be take a ride around the complex on this remarkable beast, albeit very slowly. The amount of work that has gone into the design is incredible, but it has obviously built the local skills in complex robotic movement. Nantes has recently exported a dragon to China built on similar principles and which “breathes” fire and smoke. There was also an exhibition (which we didn't feel we had time for) which displays a range of other much smaller mechanical beasts which presents many of the elements that have gone into the development of these larger beasts. All very impressive – Jules Verne would have been proud of them.

Efforts to abolish slavery
still need to continue.

From here we crossed the Loire to the mainland and walked through a memorial to the abolition of the slave trade. Set into the pavement are individual tiles with the names of all known ships which participated in the slave trade from Nantes and the year in which they sailed. Ships sailed from Nantes with goods to trade for slaves in Africa,and these were then traded in the Americas for sugar, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, which were brought back to Nantes for sale. Then the triangular route would start all over again. In this respect, Nantes was the France's Liverpool. In the 17th and 18th centuries, over 1.38 million Africans were traded from 18 French ports in 4220 voyages. About 20% did not survive the voyage. The memorial recorded the gradual introduction of legislation outlawing slavery by countries involved in it, and also recognises the fact that despite the legislation, slavery still exists today.

Gaëlle's favourite crêperie

On this sobering note we headed off to do some shopping. Jill has been searching for the ideal garlic press and found one which appeared to be getting close to the mark, but baulked at the 50 euro price tag. Meanwhile Allan, who had left his Italian phrasebook at home, went in search of a replacement. Several shops were tried with no luck, but one of the assistants suggested that Allan's French was good enough that he could probably use an French Italian phrasebook, so with that compliment, that is what he has ended up with. It was time for lunch (well almost past it as we had started late) so Gaëlle, as promised, took us to her favourite crêperie. We can understand why, as they were delicious. While taking a photo outside a woman passing suggested that a crêperie just up the street was better indicates that there is a lot of competition resulting in the high standards.

The well at the castle
There were pulleys everywhere on it

The LU tower -
there were once a pair

We then walked down to the castle of the Dukes of Brittany. The battlements are complete so that you can walk all the way around the forecourt and buildings flanking it on most sides. The most impressive of the buildings was built by Francis I of Chambord fame, and added to over the centuries. The Loire used to flow past it as part of its defences (the moat is still full) but the castle is now land-locked. It was then on to an old factory site which has now been turned into an art space and shops, like the Jam Factory at home, but less developed. It was the site of a famous biscuit factory LU, le Lieu Unique, with one of its two landmark towers still standing. LU is now owned by Kraft and it was interesting to see where LU had started from. Many of its biscuits are still iconic in France. Progress meant that the old factory had to be replaced elsewhere and brought up to modern food safety standards, but the building was too much part of Nantes' history to be pulled down.

Belladonna anyone?

We walked past the stations where the TGV's come in and on to the Jardin de Plantes. This is one of the top four botanical gardens in France, and it still has some of the original gardening plots in the systems garden which the founder had built. We were rather intrigued with their poisons garden. Belladonna, digitalis, hemlock were all there, and the digitalis actually had berries on the plant, at just the right height for any child to pick and eat!!! 

A chicken asleep

There was a children's play area within the gardens not too far away, so presumably it was that which was keeping them away from more dangerous activities that children are fond of. Apart from the play area, throughout the garden were other installations directed at children, in particular, a monster like Nessie, and some topiary which created a large chicken asleep, leaning against a bench, benches of different sizes to suit different size people, and a garden of chattering gnomes were some of the ones we came across. Brilliant.


Our next stop on the tour was the cathedral, started in 1434 and finished 457 years later in 1891. It was bombed during WWII, then suffered severely from a fire in the roof in 1974, so it is very light and clean, without much decoration. The cathedral contains the tomb of Francois II and Marguerite de Foix. This is quite beautiful with the effigies being carved in Carrara marble. Their daughter, Anne of Brittany, commissioned it and it was completed in the 1507. It is regarded as one of the finest pieces of French Renaissance sculpture. Originally sited in the chapel of the Carmelites, it escaped destruction during the Revolution by the actions of the architect Marthurin Crucy who had it dismantled and hidden. It was eventually restored and placed in the cathedral.

La Cigale is an experience!

It was getting into the late afternoon, so we headed off to the Graslin quarter. This area has been redesigned so that the Opera House now stands on one side of a square, and opposite is the amazing La Cigale brasserie, an art noveau cafe built in 1895. It was designed by a ceramicist architect, Émile Libaudière, and has been restored to its opulent glory. It has a wide reputation (Bev and Fritz recommended it to us when they heard we were going to Nantes) and Gaëlle had made a reservation for us (very necessary). We were agreeably surprised that its prices weren't too expensive. The meal was very good, and we came away feeling very satisfied, but it was really the ambiance of the place that we went for and that was incredible.

Our tour didn't end for the day until we rode the lift to the top of what is claimed to be the tallest building between Paris and New York, the Brittany Tower, to view Nantes by night.  What a great day!