Yet another week gone.

I know...it's frightening, isn't it?

As it's one of our goals to travel during this our 40th anniversary year, we began modestly on Friday with a visit to Nantes...a city we've never visited.

Oops! This isn't Nantes...it's one of Dave and Annie's trees that blew down in the storm on Tuesday. The big oak on the corner of the lane leading to Yvon's woods also came down. 

Here we go! Through the woodlands, through the valleys tilting at the wind farms passing...

This was one of an avenue of trees to greet us two hours later.

There's a good atmosphere in this square. The next photo is of the interior of that church in the background.

Impressive, or what?  I love the way the French have music playing in their churches as people visit. It's an unspoken but powerfully audible and heartfelt sermon.

Bumped into Charles again. Over the past sixty years he's had a habit of dipping into my life. I never met him (until now), but he's on my list of people I'd most like to drop by and have a chat in the flesh. Told him he's scrubbed up well.

I was impressed with the exterior which was in sharp contrast to the dull and unfeeling interior. It was the warmest though! Strange...it can, and was, warm and cold at the same time.

We ate just around the corner...still in the old quarter.

We didn't eggspect this!

Love the abundance of wrought ironwork in France...even in rural areas.

Heading towards that tower...

...and this is it from another angle.  It was approaching 1pm and we waited with anticipation of those trumpeters sounding off in abject glory on the hour.  it'll surely be a statement!

And another angle from the window of the room below...definitely more impressive than the pathetic weak 'Gong' which sounded the hour mark.  No trumpeting whatsoever! No proud fanfare!

A very peaceful place over a glass-covered courtyard.

We stood for a while trying to imagine the life that once existed in these rooms. If this was the UK the wall would have had the life flattened out of it by render leaving no trace of it's former glory.

Feeling boxed-in :)

What better way to hide those ugly electricity boxes.

No self-respecting city is without it's street artists, musicians and beggars.  We saw all three.

That clock is chocolate!

Climbing the stairs to an experience.

It's lovely! Reminds me of our visit to the Wayfarers Arcade in Southport a couple of years ago.

You can't accuse the French of being bland.

Nantes had key tourist magnets which were closed for winter, but we still enjoyed the visit.  It didn't have an abundance of all things ancient (which is what we love), but we didn't expect Venice today.  It was Nante's day.  It made us feel at home, too...it has C&A and Burtons.

On the way here and on the journey back home, we learned ten new French verbs...and a lot more about Nantes sandwiched in between.