What Happened to the Elephant ?

Today was the second last day we would be riding the Loire. After starting our journey so many weeks ago at Joigny, it is a little hard to accept that it will soon be coming to an end. Our destination today was Nantes, the last big city we will encounter on our ride to the Atlantic. On the following day we will reach the mouth of the Loire at St Brevin Les Pins, where we will be able to see the Loire emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The following day will take us away from the Loire as we ride across the Pays de La Loire to Le Croisic. That is where we will finally climb off the bikes for the last time.
There is an old saying that "what goes up, must come down", and that is certainly true of the ride out of Champtoceaux. Yesterday our riders had triumphantly climbed to the hilltop township without raising either a sweat or a heartbeat. Now, as we rode back down to the river, we could retrieve some of that stored energy. Of course I was conscious that fast descents can sometimes bring horrible disasters (eg the Great China Catastrophe of 2007), however we all managed to get to the bottom without any mishaps.
Today Catriona had offered to take the lead, and we got a chance to see what a little pocket rocket she really is. Once she started pedaling, she reminded me of those wonderful giant red firecrackers we used to have so much fun with as children. They certainly used to go off with a bang, and that is exactly what Catriona did. Soon we were hurtling along at the ebike max speed, bouncing over potholes, skidding around corners and even riding through farmer's irrigation sprinklers. For a while it looked like we would arrive in Nantes about 10.30 am, although a lengthy stop for morning tea helped slow the progress.
When I look back on my last time in Nantes, my most vivid memory was of the huge animatronic amusement park known as Les Machines. This place was built as an homage to the famous Science Fiction writer Jules Verne, best known for his fictional novel "20 Leagues Under the Sea". There is no doubt that Verne was the most famous person to come from Nantes, and his memory and legacy is all over the city. The most well-known of the fantastical constructions at Les Machines is the giant mechanised elephant. This huge beast moves around the city, carrying 40 or so passengers and spraying water from its trunk (and something else from its other end).
I could not wait to show the rest of the team just how amazing the machines were. Instead of going to the hotel, we first rode to the site of the machines. "You will want to spend hours here", I explained. "It really is incredible". Well it turned out to be incredible, but for all the wrong reasons. The whole area was in the middle of some sort of major reconstruction. There were no crowds. No ticket lines. And the giant elephant? It was just standing there, doing nothing. What a disappointment.
We wandered about trying to make sense of the lack of action, but it just didn't make sense. The ticket office was closed. Nothing was happening. I had no alternative other than to call the whole visit off and head to the hotel instead.
Our home for the next two nights is the stately Hotel de France, right next to the impressive Opera House in the middle of the city. We are actually so close to the Opera House, that when I looked out of my window, I looked straight into the costume department, where male tailors were busily sewing elaborate costumes. Well, it might not be as exciting as a giant elephant, but it was a sight I had not witnessed before.
Our dinner was at the incredible Le Cigale (The Grasshopper) restaurant, which was just a few metres from our hotel. The most impressive feature of the restaurant is the incredible interior decoration, almost certainly making it the most famous restaurant in Nantes. We were also delighted to find that the service and food was also excellent, especially when we discovered that the drinks were included at no charge.
It really was a memorable evening. Tomorrow is our final rest day for this ride and we have a full day to further explore the place, and maybe see what the elephant is doing.Read more