Nantes

What a beautiful little city Nantes is.  Everything is oozing history and it is all within walking distance (although my Fitbit was ready to explode today I think… I walked all day and clocked up 21,274 steps).

I started the morning by visiting the Cathedral Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul… another impressive house of worship; however, in my haste to see as much as I could today, I missed seeing the tomb of François II, the last duke of Brittany and his wife Margeurite de Foix, so will pop back again tomorrow.

Next I visited  the Château des Ducs de Bretagne.  François II  began construction of this impressive building in the late 15th Century with the work being completed by his daughter, Anne de Bretagne.   François fought hard for Brittany to maintain its independence from France, but the Duchy became part of France when Anne married King Charles VIII of France in 1491.

The museum inside the château detailed the history of Nantes right up to present day.  Of course, it is where the Edict of Nantes was signed in 1598 by Henri IV.  The Edict promised religious rights to Protestants and put an end to the religious wars.  Nantes is an important port town and as such it was heavily involved in the slave trade that would provide African slaves to Europe and the Americas.  Following the abolition of slavery, whaling became an important source of income.

Following a yummy ham baguette at a café, I followed the magical green line which points tourists in the direction of important tourist sites.  The line lead me past Le Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage.  In the footpath leading up to the monument were (for as far as the eye could see) plaques with the names of ships that left Nantes bound for Africa to collect slaves.

I then followed the line across the Loire and onto the Île de Nantes.  Here I walked along the river and past the old warehouse that was once used to ripen bananas.  In the distance, was the quaint fishing village of Trentemoult.

I then visited “Machines de l’Ile”.  The hour long tour showed off some very Jules Vernes type contraptions.  Currently, there is a giant carousel and elephant in operation.  By 2019, there will be another structure which will take the form of a tree with all sorts of futuristic rides on it.  While this was interesting, the tour could have been made a lot shorter if the presenters cut back on their lame jokes… I was a bit over it after 40 minutes.

I then headed back along the green line which brought me back to my hotel.