Wrap It Up

Truly Global

Returning from Paris on the train...doesn't that sound great?  We hopped on at Gare Montparnasse and soon were speeding away, back to our home away from home.  It was Friday and before we knew it, the River Loire was in view, welcoming us back.  I do love towns with rivers, being a resident of one of the best.  We rolled off our bullet train, crossed the street and right away our city tram arrived to whisk us up to our stop where we parked the Peugeot.  Miraculously, it was still where we parked it, no tickets or dents. 

It was already the weekend, our last in Nantes.  I remembered to call Christine and let her know we survived Paris.  We agreed to meet at midday Saturday for lunch and a last champagne toast to our new friendship.  We wanted to take them out for a meal and repay them a bit.  We had a lovely lunch at an old inn along the highway just out of town and were introduced to beurre blanc sauce.  Heavenly! 

Colorful Harbour

This photo is one of the most colorful ones I took this trip.  Last year we took so many amazing brightly colored pictures, being in a tropical land.  This year our voyage took us to another country with much more subdued colors, but what history!  The people and sights overwhelm and surprise you with their warmth - who would have thought I'd spend so much time shooting a metallic structure painted brown...but France captures your imagination and awakens your heart to the beauty of everyday life.

A marvelous structure!

I come away from our adventure with the impressions of old and new...France is a very modern country with highways that whisk you along and deposit you quickly into towns that are aging gracefully but with streets that take you on a wild ride.  No matter how many times you think you've got an area figured out, another road sign will trick you.  There is a brilliant feature to all the newness and that is traffic circles - if you don't see the right sign the first time around...keep going!

Red awning = relaxation

Another fabulous feature of towns big or small, are the red awnings which are cafes, brasseries, bistros - you name it, there's always a waiter to greet you and set you down and then bring you a taste of France.  Food or drink, hot or cold.  All there to refresh your spirit.  Yes, there are a ton of people who smoke here...you just have to adjust and sit inside.  Even with all the smoke and quick walking, you'll always come away with the olfactory memory of a great fragrance...the French do use it wonderfully and both of us would apply ours faithfully. 

Red or White

We barely had time to visit the famous wine region of the Loire nor did we visit a ton of fancy Chateaux...but we did enjoy the simple, everyday wine we were served and our city tram in Nantes would take us by a beautiful Chateau each day we journeyed into town.  The French do have public transportation down...what an easy system once you master it.  We felt we had just scratched the surface of Nantes, and the french way of life.  We must return to walk past the Elephant again and to  visit the Lu Biscuit factory.  Take an electric boat out to explore the Erdre River and eat crepes at a local creperie on the water.  So much to do, but we'll just have to come back.  Au Revoir, Nantes!