Images of Nantes

Today had some special significance. It was the last scheduled free day in our ride along the Loire a Velo. That meant I was faced with a decision. How was I going to spend it?
The answer is actually quite simple. The first task I had to do was to find the closest Lavarie (laundromat). Although I had been relatively diligent in washing my clothes in the hotel room each day, it is really a poor substitute for a genuine washing machine and hot water. Fortunately I found that there was a modern laundry, just about 5 minutes' walk from the hotel. The walk was quick, but the wait watching the clothes go round and round, first in the washing machine and then in the dryer, seemed to take an eternity.
When the washing was finally complete, I walked back to my room, dropped it off and then went in search of lunch. yesterday I had noticed a lovely little cafe in the Pommeraye Passage, so that is where I headed. Unfortunately, the food was not as good as the decor, and it left me feeling rather disappointed. Oh well, that happens sometimes. At least the owner was friendly and seemed happy to serve me.
I then wandered the city in the region of the hotel for some time. It is worth noting that, although Nantes does have some medieval sections, the region of the city where we are staying is not one of them. The buildings here are modern and cosmopolitan. There are a plethora of high priced clothing stores selling stuff at prices only the rich and famous could afford. The other aspect of Nantes that is worth mentioning is that it has numerous items of a whimsical nature that have been incorporated into its architecture. You can clearly see that the spirit of Jules Verne is evident everywhere.
During my wanderings I did come across something of interest. A large number of police vehicles and heavily armed national police were gathered at an intersection. Although the display of force was impressive, it also seemed to be quite unnecessary. There did not appear to be any major crime in progress, and the police seemed to be happily chatting and laughing together. I got bored waiting for some action to happen and continued my wandering, eventually finishing up at the famous Scottish restaurant, known the world over as MacDonald's. At least their food was plain and easy to eat.
Tomorrow morning we get back on the bikes for the final leg of the Loire a Velo route. It will also be the longest ride of this section of the ride. By the end of the day we will have reached the mouth of the Loire and the end of the Loire a Velo bike ride. We will however still have one more day to ride, but that will take us away from the Loire as we ride through the Pays de La Loire from St Brevin Les Pines to Le Croisic.Read more