Nantes – wow!

 Mrs B had suggested we stop by in Nantes for a mini ‘city-break’, as she’d read about the fascinating ‘Machines de L’île’, a sort of steam punk centre of engineering creativity, and in particular, its enormous mechanical elephant. It turned out that Nantes is a city that has so much more to offer, and although we managed to get round a fair bit in one day, we’d certainly return given half an excuse, especially as there is also so much to see at night, including some fabulous artistic light installations!

We chose to stay at an ACSI campsite on the outskirts, Nantes Camping, as it was close to public transport and we always feel more comfortable leaving the camper on a site if we can when we have a city day out. We’d completely underestimated the popularity of the site so early in the season though, and we arrived to find no ACSI pitches left. When we were offered (with an additional fee!) a choice of ‘comfort’ pitches we were immediately sceptical that we were just being up-sold, as can happen. So we opted for a non-electric pitch as we have plenty of capacity, expecting a ‘normal’ ACSI one to become suddenly vacant – but it turned out that there really were no ACSI pitches left, no doubt due to the site’s very generous policy of allowing a 3.00pm departure!

And a very happy two nights we spent off grid in Nantes, discovering (amongst many other things!) that it used to be the ancient capital of Brittany, before being absorbed in the Loire-Atlantique region.

After pitching up and successfully shucking and scoffing our Oysters (with no ill effects or injuries!) we spent the evening planning our day in the city. With cheap go-anywhere (including a boat ride on the west of the city) 24-hour tram ticket that left from just outside the site, it looked to be a doddle.

And so it turned out, with a 20 minute tram ride delivering us right into the heart of the city, we quickly came across a French naval three-masted training ship that we had been told was due to sail that very day. We missed the impressive cannonade as it made its way to the sea, but did get sight of it just before it headed off.

Heading to the area that the Machines are based in, we were reminded of the city (and this part in particular)’s role as a major industrial port and shipbuilding centre. Dotted around the area were reminders of the once proud workforce, their work, and their many struggles for fair treatment. With the docks closed down in the 80s, we were sure that a city that still boasted a ‘Boulevard Stalingrad’ had an interesting legacy in such a highly skilled and politicised workforce of tens of thousands.

And that is what apparently led to the creation of the ‘Machine de L’île’ concept where the city’s skilled and industrialised past could be given a new lease of life. Other than the giant elephant, we weren’t that sure of what else we would see, until we rounded a corner and were faced with an enormous take on a Victorian style carousel, celebrating the sea and the marine world. We didn’t get a chance to go on it this visit, but it’s certainly impressive!

In the background, you can see the one remaining yellow dock crane, preserved as a reminder of the shipbuilding industry.

It was as we headed over to the ‘gallery’ of machines that we came across the giant elephant, only just loaded with its next batch of passengers. And it’s a credit to the designers and operating company that although you pay to ride on it, all the local citizens and visitors get to see and admire it for free as it trumpets its way around the former dockyard, liberally wetting anyone daring to get close!

Our steam-punk appetites whetted, we spent some time in the large warehouse and workshop/creative hub of the île, displaying both past projects and those yet to come, including the next major construction, an enormous (35m high) steel tree; the ‘Heron Tree’, topped by two herons, due to be completed in 2022, with aerial walkways and ride under the herons’ wings. We were able to walk on a prototype branch as part of the warehouse tour, and we will most definitely be back in the future to see the finished project!

Buoyed up from our visit to the gallery and its creative energy, we decided to cross the river and step back into a murkier side of the city; its role as the largest port and hub for the French slave trade. The city has tackled this in a sobering underground gallery with a haunting combination of facts and figures on the global slave trade, and the slow journey to emancipation, told as a linear display. Accompanied along the gallery by audio extracts from both slaves and emancipators, we were both shocked to see how recently slavery was banned in some countries late in the 20^th century, particularly in the Gulf. Finishing with a reminder that slavery is still with us in Europe in a pernicious and modern way, we surfaced ready for something to re-charge our faith in humanity…

…and what better way than to amble down the river to admire the amazing and iconic tower of the ‘Lulu’ biscuit factory (we have eaten a good few of theirs over the years on our travels through France!)…

and to visit the Château des Ducs de Bretagne (again free to visitors to walk the impressive ramparts) …

and finally a visit to the quirky Jardins des Plantes, and a sit down to rest our aching feet …

With plenty of space to chill out, admire the well-labelled trees and plants, we had to chuckle at the sense of humour that pervades parts of the park, especially the children’s play area!

We couldn’t finish our blog on Nantes without a quick shout for Hazel and Mick from Bedford who introduced us to the ‘Pass’Étapes’ network of Aires which, in spite of our extensive travels across France in over 30 years, was new to us. We’ll update on our views once we’ve tried one, but they look very good value and are in some interesting places. If you’d like to know more, here’s a picture of the card with website details!

S&J