Thursday, September 22
We had to change rooms this morning so we got a later start than planned, and after some shopping and sightseeing we stopped for a light lunch. On the tourist map for Nantes there is a green line, which is also painted on the footpath so you can follow it around town. We set out to follow the line around the area where our hotel is, but as usual we got distracted!
The first distraction, and a good one it was, looked like an old church building but it turned out to be a wealthy businessman's home (Thomas Dobree) who followed in his fathers footsteps as a serious collector. The collection he inherited as well as built up in his lifetime was left to the state when he died, and his home became a museum to hold it all. In addition the State gave the museum many items from this area, and other friends and colleagues of Mr. Dobrees also donated items to the museum. It was a fascinating mix of items including Egyptian, books, manuscripts, signatures and letters, art works, numismatics, native items from all continents, military items and numerous other categories. These ranged from thousands of years BC up to the early 20th century, but the most incredible item was a gold heart, built to hold the heart of Queen Anne of Brittany from the 16th century. She was buried in Paris but wanted her heart to be buried in Nantes with her parents bodies, so this gold heart was built to fulfill her wish!
After this dose of culture we continued following the green line, which led us through a lovely park dedicated to General Cambronne. We continued on, enjoying the sights and sounds of a delightful Thursday afternoon. Our walk meandered around the little streets until we came to Saint Nicholas Bascilica, which again was badly damaged during WW2 but has since been restored. There is a lot more of the green line to follow so more discoveries will be made in the coming days!
We had to change rooms this morning so we got a later start than planned, and after some shopping and sightseeing we stopped for a light lunch. On the tourist map for Nantes there is a green line, which is also painted on the footpath so you can follow it around town. We set out to follow the line around the area where our hotel is, but as usual we got distracted!
The first distraction, and a good one it was, looked like an old church building but it turned out to be a wealthy businessman's home (Thomas Dobree) who followed in his fathers footsteps as a serious collector. The collection he inherited as well as built up in his lifetime was left to the state when he died, and his home became a museum to hold it all. In addition the State gave the museum many items from this area, and other friends and colleagues of Mr. Dobrees also donated items to the museum. It was a fascinating mix of items including Egyptian, books, manuscripts, signatures and letters, art works, numismatics, native items from all continents, military items and numerous other categories. These ranged from thousands of years BC up to the early 20th century, but the most incredible item was a gold heart, built to hold the heart of Queen Anne of Brittany from the 16th century. She was buried in Paris but wanted her heart to be buried in Nantes with her parents bodies, so this gold heart was built to fulfill her wish!
After this dose of culture we continued following the green line, which led us through a lovely park dedicated to General Cambronne. We continued on, enjoying the sights and sounds of a delightful Thursday afternoon. Our walk meandered around the little streets until we came to Saint Nicholas Bascilica, which again was badly damaged during WW2 but has since been restored. There is a lot more of the green line to follow so more discoveries will be made in the coming days!
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