Julie and I left the boys at home for a while and discovered the delightful hidden beauty in the back streets of Nantes this morning. Jardin de la Psalette is tucked away far from the main streets, it seems a well kept secret, a place where locals come to sit in solitude under the shady trees with a side view of the aging stonework on the Cathedrale Saint Pierre.
The discovery of Eglise Saint Nicholas was an unexpected surprise. Candles offered their warm glow inside, flooding the cold stone walls with warmth. I like it here, I like the big rust coloured doors left ajar welcoming us inside.
We met JR and AJ on the tram, JR was very careful not to get our meeting arrangements mixed up today after yesterday’s debacle. The tram let us off at Motte-Rouge which was a short amble along L’Erdre to Ile de Versailles. We picked wild cherries and ate them, their blood-red juice staining everything it touched. We had come to hire a boat to putt along the river, but they were booked out as it was a lovely sunny Sunday and all of Nantes had had the same brilliant idea. Never mind, we assured AJ we would do it again another day, after all it was his idea and he was a little disappointed, the down side is that Auntie Julie will not be there to share in the fun. The Ile de Versailles was a great people watching spot, that whiled away some time.
Julie’s mission was to enjoy an authentic French eclair before her return to Oz. We found two beauties in La Boulangerie d’ Antan, mine filled with a rich caramel pastry cream and hers filled with chocolat, both were decorated with swirls of piped icing on a smooth bed of the same. We ate them together in the shade of an anonymous little park lined with wooden benches seemingly just made for times like this.
The discovery of Eglise Saint Nicholas was an unexpected surprise. Candles offered their warm glow inside, flooding the cold stone walls with warmth. I like it here, I like the big rust coloured doors left ajar welcoming us inside.
Lunch was a mixed bag today at Les Pieds dans le Plat. Everything was lovely except the decomposing salad leaves that accompanied our entrees, it was disguisting. The lovely waiter agreed and apologised graciously. My smoked duck was lovely as was my pave of boeuf sprinkled with the much loved local sea-salt.
We met JR and AJ on the tram, JR was very careful not to get our meeting arrangements mixed up today after yesterday’s debacle. The tram let us off at Motte-Rouge which was a short amble along L’Erdre to Ile de Versailles. We picked wild cherries and ate them, their blood-red juice staining everything it touched. We had come to hire a boat to putt along the river, but they were booked out as it was a lovely sunny Sunday and all of Nantes had had the same brilliant idea. Never mind, we assured AJ we would do it again another day, after all it was his idea and he was a little disappointed, the down side is that Auntie Julie will not be there to share in the fun. The Ile de Versailles was a great people watching spot, that whiled away some time.
Back on the tram and off again soon after, as we spotted a band playing on the banks of the river. Wierd was an understatement as they experimented with an eclectic range of musical styles to a very mixed crowd... interesting!
Back on another tram to Ile de Nantes where we walked along La Loire for what seemed and eternity to have dinner in the area of Hangar 32 and Hangar a Bananes, taking its name from when the hangar was used to ripen masses of bananas ready for eating. It was about 8ish when we got there, and to our amazement, all of the places were closing for the night or were only bars with snacks. The precinct was great, very arty attracting a young and interesting crowd, but we wanted to eat and there were no options. Back to pounding the pavement and along the way we discovered the coolest playground. We all had turns on the flying-fox which I gotta say was pretty scary! AJ loved it, what fun we all had. We decided not to scour the city for a suitable restaurant tonight and headed home for a hearty plate of tagliatelle carbonara, it was delicious and well worth the wait by the time we ate at 11pm!
Back on another tram to Ile de Nantes where we walked along La Loire for what seemed and eternity to have dinner in the area of Hangar 32 and Hangar a Bananes, taking its name from when the hangar was used to ripen masses of bananas ready for eating. It was about 8ish when we got there, and to our amazement, all of the places were closing for the night or were only bars with snacks. The precinct was great, very arty attracting a young and interesting crowd, but we wanted to eat and there were no options. Back to pounding the pavement and along the way we discovered the coolest playground. We all had turns on the flying-fox which I gotta say was pretty scary! AJ loved it, what fun we all had. We decided not to scour the city for a suitable restaurant tonight and headed home for a hearty plate of tagliatelle carbonara, it was delicious and well worth the wait by the time we ate at 11pm!
AJ disappeared from the dining table after dinner, he returned saying, “Madames, your foot soak awaits you in the bathroom”. He had run an ankle deep bath of cold water with a dash of sweet smelling bath soak. Julie and I sat on the edge of the bath and soaked our aching feet until we felt better again. Alex delivered to us our drink of choice, mine a Bailey’s and Julie’s a vin rouge. Love ya AJ! JR and AJ cleaned up the kitchen and there was not a thing left for us girls to do, thanks guys. X
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