Thaaaat's right, folks! This weekend Juliette and I embarked on a city-wide, bus-hopping adventure to see some of Nantes' most impressive landmarks. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, I'll start with Friday.
Friday was characterized by Juliette's biology class trip for a "geologique" tour. I got permission to tag along, and we sent the day on and off a coach bus looking at different rock formations throughout the countryside. (You'd think there'd be an abundance of rocks to look at in Nantes, but apparently they weren't as special as the ones two hours away.) We used our bus time appropriately, by playing "President" and "Kems" in our seats and jamming out to French/English music. One guy even brought a reaction-time shock game, which got the whole bus hopping.
Some of the rocky areas we visited were an open gravel-mining pit, an overhanging cliff, and an orchard with a watch tower off to the side. They all proved to be a bit dangerous with 100 km/h winds (Exaggerating? Pft, no) and on/off showers all day. I slept on the bus ride home, looking at rocks can really tire a girl out!
Saturday was a whirlwind of sightseeing. I had originally thought that the whole family would be heading out, but I guess in France everything is in such close proximity they'd seen everything before. Juliette, however, was happy to take me on a one-on-one tour, which turned out fantastic! (Despite the bitter rain and umbrella-murdering winds)
Our first stop was the majestic elephant on the L'Ile de Bretagne. Lucky for us, just as we arrived on the island, the elephant was emerging from its shelter! It was way different than I had expected, and so much better! The elephant had so many little details, from feet that "walked" to blinking eyelashes. It trumpeted occasionally and made for a great sprinkler to boot! However, the employees were diligently shooing away tourists (like me) who got too close. I'd have to say the elephant is my favourite landmark so far! (But I haven't been to Paris yet ;) )
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Bonjour, l'elephant! |
We trotted alongside the elephant for awhile (taking numerous selfies) before moving along to a giant carousel ride. Juliette asked a lady to take our picture, and we posed adorably. We didn't get to riding it, though I didn't mind. It wouldn't have been a very fun experience with the wind and rain! After that we boogied our way back to the train station, hoping that our 1-hour time limit hadn't expired. It's a long way to walk to the Chateau de Bretagne!
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I'd say Madame Stranger did a pretty good job. |
The chateau was really cool, with the high stone walls and parapets (okay, I don't know if there were parapets. It just sounds like a castle must-have) There was even had a drawbridge for an entrance! There was a children's festival happening in a small building in the middle, but I didn't get to look inside. We stood up on the main walls, and obviously I took many pictures (while juggling my hood, umbrella and camera.) You can check them out on the post beneath this one! (And I think I may have reached my total Flickr limit, why can't good things be free?)
After the chateau, we walked on further to "La Galerie", which was hosting a free art event and several touristy gift shops. It was an... eccentric collection, to say the least. Not a lot of words to describe it, but this picture comes pretty close.
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What happened to the book worm?! |
No day out is complete without a chance for shopping! After having our minds tickled by the pleasures of art in the form of a dead pig (no hyperbole here! We weren't sure if it was real or not, but too afraid to find out) we braved Hell and high water and found ourselves inside a very fancy department-looking store. I was immediately reprimanded by Juliette for touching a scarf (so it was
that kind of store), so I wandered around, trying not to look at anything the wrong way, and acting like I could afford 400 Euro shoes.
All in all, Saturday was a great day for bonding, sightseeing and some good rain fun! But the excitement didn't stop there, oh no. Sunday brought just as many "firsts" for my list of French experiences. For example, a garden picnic lunch and a French orchestra!
You think it would be natural for me now, but Sunday mornings somehow always surprise me, especially the 10km runs they always bring! Fortunately I haven't graduated to running yet, so I inched along on Juliette's bicycle instead. Go figure, that was the same day as a 10km marathon, plus the weather was the best it's been in weeks, leaving the trails unusually packed. It had also poured rain the day before, so it was muddier and more treacherous than ever. The joggers found this out the hard way, half of them were caked in mud!
Afterwards came time to prep for an outdoor lunch with some of Juliette's extended family: her grandparents, her aunt, and her little cousin Zoe. We set and prepped and cooked awaiting their arrival, only to become worried that her grandparents had gotten lost! We needn't have worried, however. They arrived sporting presents, a beautiful potted orchid and a bag of Celebrations chocolate! (Bless their souls!!) We spent the rest of the day mainly outside, playing with Gudule (who'd been set free in the garden) and playing Hide n Seek with Zoe. I also enjoyed an Ile de Flotante, and we all suffered trying to scrape the caramel from the bottoms of our glasses!
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Our beautifully set table - complete with Juliette's homemade "gorgetes"! (At least, I think that's what they're called!) |
At the end of the afternoon, I had to say good-bye to our company. I was heading off to see my Canadian friend Natalka play in a French orchestra! First things first, however, I joined Marie, Caroline and Zoe for a quick game of croquet.
Natalka's partner Adelie arrived and we set off for the "Conservatoire" to see Natalka play her violin in a concert. It was pretty cool, I don't usually go to concerts in Canada! There seemed to be an upsetting lack of saxophonists, though...
So that's been my weekend. I also did some homework, but only a few of you want to hear that ;) I'm still missing everyone bunches - I swear I'm on the lookout for presents! I can't believe it's less than a month until I'm back home, miming O Canada on the saxophone to myself during announcements. (You know you all miss that.) Hopefully I'll be bringing over some springtime to share, from the sounds of it, you guys could use it! Another sidenote: Did you know this is my last week of French school? Mixed feelings, agh!
Thanks for reading! Look for the pictures down below!
Bisous, Lia