I got into Nantes Aeroport fairly late in the evening of the 10th, having only had time to get into town and look for the Hotel I was booked at, which was located right in front of the Church of Saint Clément.
The evening was quite cold and the moment I went to bed I knew I would most probably be sick the following day as I felt a sore throat and could hardly speak.
The evening was quite cold and the moment I went to bed I knew I would most probably be sick the following day as I felt a sore throat and could hardly speak.
I was not going to let the cold affect my two day trip to Nantes, so having taken some aspirin I walked out of the hotel in the direction of Place Marc Elder where the statue of Anne of Brittany, twice Queen of France welcomed visitors to the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, known to have been their residence between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The outside fortress-like walls and the castle moat gardens in no way made me envisage the beauty of the local tufa limestone residential palace with its carved façades, which I just caught a glimpse of as I walked into the courtyard from the stone bridge.
It comprised several buildings amongst which were le Grand Gouvernment or Palais Ducal, which served as the residence of the governors of Brittany, le Petit Gouvernement, former home of the King of France on his visits to Nantes, le Harnachement, once used as an artillery store, now turned into an exhibition centre and la Conciergerie, which was the former lodge of the lieutenant of the Duke.
A crown-shaped well caught my attention and so did a few details of the Petit Gouvernement and the Gothic and Renaissance Loggias decorative elements as I thoroughly listened to the audio guide.
The moment I started my visit I had no idea I would be spending the next three hours in its Museum and on a temporary exhibition held at the Harnachement building.
(To be continued)
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