NANTES part 2

Naomi has made a quick recovery. Her face is only a little tender with most of the scabs now gone. Her confidence has returned and she is happily playing with the cousins here at the reunion.

We finished our time in Nantes with a few tough days of school work. Lissa has done a lot of the grind. Some days are an uphill battle but we are getting through the work. Lois and Arthur head off to school at 9am and return at midday for lunch. The afternoon classes are from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. There is no school on Wednesdays.

Tuesday’s excursion into Nantes centre was very memorable. We joined Lissa’s cousin Quentin at his workplace for lunch. This is no ordinary workplace. His creative ability has found a home in a team working on some giant moving sculptures “Les Machines de LÍle Nantes”. The main attraction is a giant mechanical elephant about 16m high. It moves around the foreshore of the island a few times each day. There is space to climb aboard for the ride but the best view is from the ground as the giant plods along. Children squeal as the trunk lifts in their direction waiting for a squirt of water. The size is impressive but the detail is mind blowing. Carvings of wood make the head, body and limbs covering a mechanical frame. Photos and video won’t do justice to the spectacle but it may save me 1000 words. Work is continuing on a giant multi-level carousel with plans for an enormous tree big enough for crowds to explore. Kael was chosen to demonstrate the caterpillar which will move along one of it’s limbs. It’s a kids world.

 

For our final dinner with Marion and Thomas we took the tram into the centre of Nantes. After a walk around the Chateau Des Ducs de Bretagne we enjoyed a meal at a real French Brasserie. La Cigale (the Cicada) was covered in a mix of art deco tapestry and tiled walls featuring little cicada people (of course).

We were on best behaviour. There were plenty of attentive wait staff on hand which was important as we were outnumbered by the children, again. Food was great. For the kids marinated raw tuna or goat’s cheese entrée, fish or chicken and icecream. Adults enjoyed cold corgette soup, fillet steak and crème brule. It was a treat to cap off our time with our friends. Marion and Lissa get on like sisters. Thomas is great company.

In convoy, we made our way south to Oulmes. The “fete” had been planned for Thursday to Sunday. Family members had already begun to descend on Anne and Jacques’ home, the main festivities scheduled for Friday night. The annual family get together is a crazy mix of food, drink, singing, games, walks, plenty of talking and a few more drinks. It is the place to catch up with cousins, aunties and uncles and the source of much family folklore. Let’s hope for clear skies.