Destination France 2017: Nantes

"The best-laid plans of mice and men..."

We came back to Nantes with three things on our to-do list. We managed one. It's not that we were lost or too slow to get everything done. Rather, we just got distracted easily and poked into stores, browsed little back streets, and wandered quite aimlessly with our eyes looking up at all the grandeur that is Nantes.

The "Passage Pommeraye" is one of the most beautiful shopping malls I've ever seen, a masterpiece of XIXth century architecture. It spans three levels with a monumental staircase at its centre. This is where the concept of "lèche-vitrine" came about, and window shopping became a stylish thing to do. Those dark and dreary enclosed stores opened their wares to the public eye with grand windows that allowed the passers-by to look inside - and dream.

We finally found an electric crêpière which Karl has been wanting for years. It's made of cast iron and once you spread your crêpe batter, you smooth it out with a little wooden paddle and it cooks very evenly. The one we saw was professional grade and cost only 240 euros, about $360! It weighed a ton. Well, at least too heavy to pack in our suitcase. I think we'll continue using our griddle pan.

When you look up on the street lining the "Île Feydeau", you see magnificent examples of the city's architecture. The old shipbuilders' houses are built in tufa stone, decorated with ornamental faces and wrought-iron balconies.

Basilica St. Nicolas.

Having lunch at "La Cigale" is the only thing we accomplished on our to-do list!

The restaurant is a little gem of Art Nouveau décor. People come here for the ambiance, the gold, the mirrors and the ceramics. You look around and feel transported to another era.