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2017 10 10 - day 24 - Driving to Nantes.
Today we are driving to Nantes. Karen Mk 2 took us to the correct address but it was one way in the wrong direction! Peak hour traffic trying to manoeuvre around roundabouts in a motorhome was not fun for Don! Finally got there! The office was closed for two and a half hours. An elderly couple told us how to get in. We did but ended up in the wrong part of the park. We ended up in a camping Aires - no facilities! No showers, no toilets and no electricity. We should have waited and gone into the proper camping park!
Oh well, there was a tram into the city so we caught it. But about five stops from the city, the tram was terminated unexpectedly. We had to walk the rest of the way.
We noticed two helicopters hovering overhead, saw lots of police and armed army personnel. My first thought was oh no!
We found a restaurant for lunch and asked about all the action outside. It was a day of protest by government workers about pay conditions. They were being closely monitored.
We had the same thing three years ago when we were at the Louvre!
We found our way to Chateau des Ducs de Breanne. (A large castle that served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1941. It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries, subsequently becoming the Breton residence of the French Monarchy. Today the castle houses the Nantes History Museum).
Amazingly the castle is in the city centre. It is an old moated castle. The moat even had water in it! Entry was free which also impressed us.
We were both a bit disappointed that a children's slippery dip has been attached to the rear wall of the Chateau. Very ugly!
From the Chateau we could see a large Church. Of course we had to go and have a look! It was the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. (Nantes Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church. The cathedral is in the Gothic architectural tradition. Construction of the church began in 1434, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral, and took 457 years to finish, finally reaching completion in 1891). Stunning! To add to the beauty of this sacred place, the organist was practising so we had ecclesiastical music to accompany our visit!
Time to find our way back to the tram. The tram passes through the university and a large school. Of course we chose to be travelling just as school finished at 5.00 pm. Thousands of kids everywhere! We are sure they all got on our tram! Our stop came and none of them were getting off or even attempting to let anyone off. Wayne got a bag caught around his feet and brought it off the tram. Not sure if it got retrieved in time!
In for the night and planning tomorrow's road adventure. Spain is getting closer!
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