I feel as though I had seen Angers' old town ages ago, though it was only this morning that I was walking through it. It was a delight, like a scaled-down version of Rouen, and, while I had to rush through it in order to make my train, it ended very successfully. Before leaving Angers, I stopped off at a sandwich shop that I had noticed the previous day and ordered an enormous sandwich full of chicken, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and creamy sauce (in fresh bread) that only cost 4.70 Euros. I also found that it would only cost 19 Euros, including my reservation, to get from Angers to Nantes. Everything is better and cheaper as soon as one leaves Paris, though it is necessary to visit the capital in order to understand the country's culture.
The train ride to Nantes was a joy, and I was awake for it, for once. While I enjoyed the vineyards, wooded hills, and little towns centered around stone churches, what really impressed me were the castles and castle ruins that were scattered to the left and right like coins in a fountain. I expect to see many more of these tomorrow when I leave Brittany, of which Nantes is the cultural center (along with Rennes), and reenter the Loire Valley, which is well-known for its castles; while the ones that I saw today impressed me, they should not compare to the ones that I should see tomorrow.
I learned, when I arrived in Nantes, that, while my hotel was dead easy to find, I had booked it for the wrong day, as I had done in Paris and probably have done for several other cities. I could not get a refund of my money, and I had to spend a great deal to stay in a different, nearby hotel. This hotel is quite nice, and, while I was upset at my mistake, I have accepted that such mistakes inevitably arise on a trip of this length and complexity that was planned by only one person. (On that note, I invite people to join me in future years. I am principally going to see southern Europe over the next few years.)
The historic center of Nantes was quite small and was less impressive than that of Angers, although Nantes is the much larger city of the two. I did learn, to my interest, that Brittany only joined the rest of France roughly five hundred years ago, where its ruler signed an agreement (I suppose that he thought it to be in Brittany's best interests to do so) about their union in Nancy's castle. Besides that, I did not see much special about the region, though I did see a bunch of Frenchmen exercising. Over the past few days, I have seen them, in addition, throw away their garbage in trash cans and pick up after their dogs. I am losing prejudices faster than I can keep track of them, and I do not like it one bit!
A final point is that French people continue to be friendly and helpful. They do not smile much, but when they do, they are good at it. I have had some interesting realizations about French (E.g., "bouger" is an old word for "beef," hence the word "bougerie" for "butcher"; "raisin" means "grape" (I cannot blame the French for our having stolen their word.).). And I might have a free day on my rail pass left over when I get to Lille, as a result of which I might try to make it to Chartres after all, as I will be unlikely to return to France henceforth. I am quite tired and am looking forward to another comfortable night of sleep in a hotel. I sure hope that the British Isles turn out interesting, as I am planning to spend around a quarter of my trip in them!
The train ride to Nantes was a joy, and I was awake for it, for once. While I enjoyed the vineyards, wooded hills, and little towns centered around stone churches, what really impressed me were the castles and castle ruins that were scattered to the left and right like coins in a fountain. I expect to see many more of these tomorrow when I leave Brittany, of which Nantes is the cultural center (along with Rennes), and reenter the Loire Valley, which is well-known for its castles; while the ones that I saw today impressed me, they should not compare to the ones that I should see tomorrow.
I learned, when I arrived in Nantes, that, while my hotel was dead easy to find, I had booked it for the wrong day, as I had done in Paris and probably have done for several other cities. I could not get a refund of my money, and I had to spend a great deal to stay in a different, nearby hotel. This hotel is quite nice, and, while I was upset at my mistake, I have accepted that such mistakes inevitably arise on a trip of this length and complexity that was planned by only one person. (On that note, I invite people to join me in future years. I am principally going to see southern Europe over the next few years.)
The historic center of Nantes was quite small and was less impressive than that of Angers, although Nantes is the much larger city of the two. I did learn, to my interest, that Brittany only joined the rest of France roughly five hundred years ago, where its ruler signed an agreement (I suppose that he thought it to be in Brittany's best interests to do so) about their union in Nancy's castle. Besides that, I did not see much special about the region, though I did see a bunch of Frenchmen exercising. Over the past few days, I have seen them, in addition, throw away their garbage in trash cans and pick up after their dogs. I am losing prejudices faster than I can keep track of them, and I do not like it one bit!
A final point is that French people continue to be friendly and helpful. They do not smile much, but when they do, they are good at it. I have had some interesting realizations about French (E.g., "bouger" is an old word for "beef," hence the word "bougerie" for "butcher"; "raisin" means "grape" (I cannot blame the French for our having stolen their word.).). And I might have a free day on my rail pass left over when I get to Lille, as a result of which I might try to make it to Chartres after all, as I will be unlikely to return to France henceforth. I am quite tired and am looking forward to another comfortable night of sleep in a hotel. I sure hope that the British Isles turn out interesting, as I am planning to spend around a quarter of my trip in them!
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| It was in this castle that Brittany's ruler made Brittany a part of France. |
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