Return to Nantes!
The UN had a holiday on Monday, 6 October. As soon as I figured this out back in July, I immediately set about buying a ticket to visit my old home of Nantes, France for a long weekend! My friend and former BTS student, Hélène, very kindly agreed to host me during my visit. We had a fantastic weekend catching up, exploring the city, eating and drinking all of my favorite delicious French specialities, and visiting some of my favorite places. I can't believe it had been a year and a half since I'd left; time flies! I'm so glad I was able to go back, even if just for a few days. It really did feel like going home!
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| Ma ville!! :) |
Hélène's family were the most gracious and welcoming hosts, and they really spoiled me with great company, immense hospitality, and amazing food and drink all weekend long! It was lovely to meet the whole family, and I very much hope that one day I can reciprocate and host them in the States!!
Not pictured below, but during
the weekend, I was also able to visit Lycée Carcouet, the high school
where I worked. I caught up with many of my former English professor
colleagues, which was wonderful!! It was so great so see them, hear the
updates on their lives and things at school, and even meet this year's English
Teaching Assistant. He's in for a most excellent year; I'm jealous! :)
Place Graslin
When I lived in Nantes in 2012/2013, I lived just one minute away from Place Graslin and the Opera. During my time there, the entire plaza (and much of the rest of downtown) had been under construction to spiff it up a bit and make the area more pedestrian friendly. This time, I was able to see Place Graslin all renovated. I love the classic, low, and very French architectural style in Nantes (it's extremely similar to typical architectural style of Paris).
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| Here's my old home! 12 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Hooray!! |
Passage Pommeraye
Bouffay et le Château des Ducs de Bretagne
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| These kids were having fun at the carnival in the Cours Saint-Pierre behind the Château. |
Cathedral Saint-Pierre et la Place Saint-Pierre
This treasure has been one of my very favorite parts about Nantes since I first lived there in 2009. The creatures and creations that the artists and engineers here design are magnificent and truly magical! My other friend and former student, Éricka, joined Hélène and I to check out their newest machines and say hello to l'éléphant de l'île.
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| Three cheers for the elephant!! |
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| Salut, les filles! |
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| Awesome inchworm |
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| Cute miniature ant that moved and grooved along a little treadmill. |
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| La fourmi géante! |
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| A mechanical crane that really flies and carries people around in wicker baskets :) |
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| Hiding in the jungle of the Branch |
Lieu Unique is absolutely another one of my favorite parts of town. There's a great little bookstore and gift shop inside, as well as one of the best bars in the city. Great coffee during the day, cheap beer at night, and always a good time!
Here, I was able to catch up with my friend Juan, an excellent friend since 2009! It was lovely to see him, talk about life, photography, and graduate school. I even managed to talk him into taking some silly pictures with me in the bar's photobooth. A little later on, another friend and former student, Déborah, joined us for a drink. It was so great to see her, Juan, and Éricka and be able to share good laughs and funny pictures together!
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| Lieu Unique graffiti; this also happened to be Hélène's favorite word to describe me during the weekend. ;) |
L'Entrecôte
Hands-down, this is my favorite restaurant in Nantes. They only have one thing on the menu (entrecôte, or thinly-sliced delicious beef) and it is amazing. Endless fries, medium-rare beef in a tasty sauce, and great company; what's not to like?? I wish I could eat at this place once a month (at least)!
This is a fantastic wine bar. Although I only went there three or four times in 2012/2013, it remains one of my favorite bars and is always a special treat.
Place Royale is just down the street (Rue Crébillon, that is) from Place Graslin, so I was only a couple of minutes away from here in 2012/2013 as well. Near one of the corners of the plaza is a wonderful hole-in-the-wall bar/cafe called La Provence. It is here that I made the most joyous discovery that they make the absolute best café crème I have ever had anywhere. And I mean anywhere. I HAD to come back here for a coffee. Hélène was most accommodating, so we even went here twice!! So spectacular. I was a happy, happy girl, sipping the perfect crème in my favorite French city while it rained outside and Beiruit's "Nantes" played on the cafe's sound system (true story!). It could not have been more perfectly Nantes. :)
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| The best café crème EVER!!! This is the one that I always try to replicate at home and in coffee shops in the States. Nothing compares! |
Merci Hélène, Juan, Éricka, Déborah, et toute la famille d'Hélène pour un week-end magnifique!!!! A la prochaine fois, peut-être aux Etats-Unis! :)
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