A Castle in Nantes

 Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Wednesday, April 27 2022

We woke early, excited about traveling to Nantes and then on to the Atlantic coast. I started a pot of coffee while Desmond ran out to a bakery and came back with Kouign Amann (in honor of us traveling to Brittany) and a couple of pain au lait. Thus fortified, we rode the tram to the train station and were soon on our way. I spent most of the 3 1/2 hour journey gazing out the windows as we traveled the familiar route past Blois, Amboise, and Tours and on through new sights toward Nantes. The countryside was beautiful with lush, greening fields and flowering trees. The Loire was often in view as we traveled along past cliffs dotted with troglodyte caves. Through rolling hills and forests we occasionally caught a glimpse of a castle. Just the usual scenery in France.

We arrived in Nantes at lunchtime, walking out of the station into bright sunshine. After a short walk, the three of us were soon seated at L'Alsacien, a restaurant serving flammekueche, also known as tarte flambée, which is actually from the Alsace region of France. We chose to dine outside where we were protected from the sidewalk traffic by a vine-covered screen. We studied the menu and then each of us chose a different “pizza”.  Our server was very friendly and told us that the proper way to eat flammekueche was to share each one. He explained that because the crust is so thin and crisp, he would serve one at a time so that they wouldn’t become soggy. We began our delicious lunch with la traditionnelle. The cracker-like crust was nearly as thin as card stock and was spread with crème fraîche and sprinkled with onion, smoked lardons, and emmental. It was love at first bite! Next up was la forestière which was much like the first one but with mushrooms added. Our third choice was commissaire magret, an incredible combination of caramelized onions, smoked duck breast, tomatoes, and emmental over the base of crème fraîche. It was a wonderful meal and a great start to our little getaway.

A delightful flammekueche

Bricks at a toy shop repaired with Legos

A beautiful half-timbered building in Nantes

Exploring Nantes, France

Desmond suggested that Craig and I visit the nearby jardin des plantes while he went to pick up the key to our Airbnb. We enjoyed walking around in the beautiful gardens, admiring rare trees, gorgeous blooming plants, and the whimsical art of Nantes-born artist Jean Jullien.

Art by Jean Jullien will make you smile.

Desmond returned in about half an hour. We walked for about 15 minutes and arrived at the very old stone building which housed our apartment. Upon entering the structure, we zigzagged across a courtyard and up several small flights of stairs to find our lodging. We were pleasantly surprised with the apartment. It was very clean and modern, and had everything we needed, with full-sized appliances in the gleaming kitchen. We soon left to go exploring.

Nantes is a lovely city of about 300,000 inhabitants. Des had been there a few times, but it was all new to me and Craig. We wandered toward the oldest part of town, admiring the architecture and peeking into shops as we passed by. Suddenly, our son stopped in his tracks. There was a donut shop! Not just a boulangerie or patisserie that sold donuts in addition to their usual fare, but an actual donut shop! Coming from America, this wasn’t something my husband and I would get excited about. Donuts shops are a dime a dozen there. But for Desmond, a donut was a rare, nostalgic treat! Of course, we had to go in. We were amazed at the many flavors offered. They were artfully decorated, too. And they tasted as good as they looked. I chose a pretty lemon meringue donut, which was scrumptious. We had carried them down the street until we found a shaded bench across from the Château des ducs de Bretagne. That was to be our next stop.

 

The Château des ducs de Bretagne was built in the 15th century by François II and later by his daughter Anne of Brittany, who would twice become Queen of France. Visitors are allowed to walk the ramparts, which we did. We looked down upon the moat and learned that the grassy areas around it are kept short and lush by some very eco-friendly lawnmowers - sheep! From up there, we were treated to a beautiful view across the city. We toured many of the 32 rooms and marveled at the artifacts and history of the chateau. 

We finally began meandering back toward our Airbnb, but not before stopping for hot chocolate at a cute little place Desmond had discovered on a previous visit. Our drinks were delicious and I was glad of the short rest. Continuing on, we went into a small market where we purchased ham, Cantal cheese, chips, olives, and chocolate raspberry cookies for our evening meal. It had been a fun day and we settled into our beds, looking forward to another great day on Thursday.