my landlords, very generously had me out to their second home in st. brevin - a little seaside community about 50 minutes from Nantes by car. We had a really nice day - they took me to a number of places in the department to which i had never been and Mme Delanoe was even so kind as to have me to lunch *and* dinner at their house. she even remembered from the last time i had lunch with them what i liked to eat and so, made a veal roast w/ special, local, baby potatoes that are in season right now. the pear tart that followed was extra tasty and so simple. (i can't wait to start making some of this stuff back home.) and of course there was wine, salad, bread, four different kinds of cheese, coffee and chocolate to round things out. i could hardly get myself together for dinner, (which was quiche lorraine), a few hours later! but i did.
here's some pics.
the lovely harbor at low tide (la maree basse) and chateau at Pornic. Our first stop.
i thought a boat called the pimpante was funny, but too complicated to explain to M. Delanoe.
i thought a boat called the pimpante was funny, but too complicated to explain to M. Delanoe.
random views on the drive - we also went by Point de St Gildas, which was cool but the weather was too hazy to see the islands off the coast....
bunkers, bunkers everywhere - this part of the country is absolutely LITTERED with them! you see them everywhere you turn. i asked how come they haven't been removed and apparently there are too many and they're too tough to destroy to even bother. not being much of a history student - i asked how long france was occupied by the germans and it turns out it was 6 years. crazy, eh? guess they had time to put in as many bunkers as they wanted....
bunkers, bunkers everywhere - this part of the country is absolutely LITTERED with them! you see them everywhere you turn. i asked how come they haven't been removed and apparently there are too many and they're too tough to destroy to even bother. not being much of a history student - i asked how long france was occupied by the germans and it turns out it was 6 years. crazy, eh? guess they had time to put in as many bunkers as they wanted....
the delanoe's place in st. brevin and the beach just 5 minutes, by foot, from their house.
the bridge between st. brevin and st. nazaire.
the chateau and walled city of guerande. the surrounding marshes are famous for their seasalts.
this was prolly one of the most interesting things i saw - i now know how salt is harvested!
this was prolly one of the most interesting things i saw - i now know how salt is harvested!
fishing port of le croisic - gorgeous. the waters here were soooo blue. wish the pics did it justice...
back in st. nazaire - which is, among other things, a ship-building port. the scale of these massive boats being constructed was mind-blowing. you can see them from miles around. i was told that they are just assembled on the coast (the parts are manufactured elsewhere) and that it only takes about a year for these monsters to be finished.
the delanoe's sorting some lilac from the garden back in nantes, some of which they shared with me! i took that pic on the sly and will try to get a better photo of them before i leave...which is just several weeks away now, amazingly enough.
the strand at la baule - one of france's most famous beaches and resort towns.
apparently during the summer it is a playground for the rich and famous.
back in st. nazaire - which is, among other things, a ship-building port. the scale of these massive boats being constructed was mind-blowing. you can see them from miles around. i was told that they are just assembled on the coast (the parts are manufactured elsewhere) and that it only takes about a year for these monsters to be finished.
also amazing was the old submarine station, built by the germans, in the port of st. nazaire. again, i wish the photos could convey the scale of this thing. (we climbed all the way up on top to get a view of the harbor). m. delanoe explained that the allies bombed the shit out of it, all throughout the war, but the reinforced concrete of which it's made is so strong, they never even made a dent. it has since been converted into a cultural arts space inside and they've planted the top with trees!
the delanoe's sorting some lilac from the garden back in nantes, some of which they shared with me! i took that pic on the sly and will try to get a better photo of them before i leave...which is just several weeks away now, amazingly enough.
