Saturday, September 24
Being a Saturday there are always markets on in every French town. We set off for the Nantes market and spent some time exploring the many aisles of clothes, shoes, nick backs, fruit, vegetables, meats and condiments - even some beds and sofas! There were a lot of people from northern African which added to the colour and culture of this market.
After lunch we headed for the Dukes of Brittany' Castle, which was originally built in the 15th century by the grandfather and then father of Queen Anne. There are a lot of monuments to her and we've followed her legacy around Nantes as we've walked around. The Castle is a really good one, and we walked all around the ramparts which gave us some great views over Nantes.
Nearby is the former LU Biscuit factory, which is now a cultural centre, with the highlight being one of the towers that is still standing. This tower was designed and decorated in the Belle Époque style. The building is situated on the banks of a canal so is also accessible by boat.
From here we continued on to the Botanical Gardens, and with it being such a warm Saturday afternoon there were lots of families enjoying the beautiful setting while having picnics and just relaxing in the autumn sunshine. The gardens were beautiful and laid out really well, and there were some very quirky sculptures! It also has some amazing trees in it from all over the world. One of them was a Wollemi Pine tree from Australia, which was only discovered there in 1997! There are fewer than 100 specimens in the wild, and this one was planted here in 2009 as part of the conservation plan for this species.
On our way back to our hotel we had to cut through a protest march (a French hobby)! Back in the old part of town where we are staying we also wandered through the Passage Pommeraye, a multi story covered shopping arcade which was built in the 19th century and contained some beautiful and unique shops. It reminded us of similar shopping arcades that we have in Melbourne and Sydney.
Another very enjoyable day in Nantes!
Being a Saturday there are always markets on in every French town. We set off for the Nantes market and spent some time exploring the many aisles of clothes, shoes, nick backs, fruit, vegetables, meats and condiments - even some beds and sofas! There were a lot of people from northern African which added to the colour and culture of this market.
After lunch we headed for the Dukes of Brittany' Castle, which was originally built in the 15th century by the grandfather and then father of Queen Anne. There are a lot of monuments to her and we've followed her legacy around Nantes as we've walked around. The Castle is a really good one, and we walked all around the ramparts which gave us some great views over Nantes.
Nearby is the former LU Biscuit factory, which is now a cultural centre, with the highlight being one of the towers that is still standing. This tower was designed and decorated in the Belle Époque style. The building is situated on the banks of a canal so is also accessible by boat.
From here we continued on to the Botanical Gardens, and with it being such a warm Saturday afternoon there were lots of families enjoying the beautiful setting while having picnics and just relaxing in the autumn sunshine. The gardens were beautiful and laid out really well, and there were some very quirky sculptures! It also has some amazing trees in it from all over the world. One of them was a Wollemi Pine tree from Australia, which was only discovered there in 1997! There are fewer than 100 specimens in the wild, and this one was planted here in 2009 as part of the conservation plan for this species.
On our way back to our hotel we had to cut through a protest march (a French hobby)! Back in the old part of town where we are staying we also wandered through the Passage Pommeraye, a multi story covered shopping arcade which was built in the 19th century and contained some beautiful and unique shops. It reminded us of similar shopping arcades that we have in Melbourne and Sydney.
Another very enjoyable day in Nantes!
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