Nantes then Le Pommain - 6 November 2022

As expected, it was quiet last night - no street lights. Tintin had raised my hopes, as there was a take away pizza place literally just across the road, which opened from 5.30pm. We went over before 6pm - it was closed - just for that night only! Disappointed!

Our view of the Loire from near our parking space didn’t look as good in the rain this morning.

Once again Brian Gabriel, many thanks for your suggestions. I’d researched last night about the mechanical animals near Nantes. I couldn’t book anything on line until 11th November - but we thought it worth going anyway.

Tintin driving today - only about 30 minutes to Les Machines on the Île de Nantes. We nearly gave up! The recommended parking area was either all multi story style, or where we’d set Co-pilot for was looking like a building site! There was nowhere to pull in to check where to go, so off over the bridge again until we found a place to pull over. Found a parking place right on the end of the island, and decided despite the rain, we’d just have to walk! Some reports were dubious about the safety of leaving cars in that area!

We took our umbrellas, but didn’t need them for that long - luckily!

I’d caught a glimpse of the elephant whilst we were driving, and decided we need to see this!

No doubt Tintin will put in the photos of graffiti. I like a good bit of graffiti, just like I like mosaics and frescoes!

The elephant - just wow! It’s €8.50 each for a 30 minute ride - it can take 50 passengers. It’s 12m high, 8m wide, 21m long and has 48.4 metric tons of steel and wood (tulip, poplar and basswood). The hydraulic system uses 2,500 litres of oil. It reaches speeds of 1 to 3 km/h!  It is set in motion using 62 cylinders, 46 of which are hydraulic, 6 pneumatic and 10 gas-powered.

We were both happy to just watch, rather than ride on it. Two children got blasted with water from its trunk - they weren’t happy and nearly in tears!

We then paid our €17 to go into the Machine Gallery. Sadly, it was only in French. You could use the QR scanner, which I did - but I only have data whilst in Dave, and now - we are too far away from the location for it to work, even after downloading the app!

There were lots of staff, who moved from one animal to another, and gave the history and explained the workings - apparently! By the time I’d picked up on a few words, I was sentences behind - but we got the gist! And hopefully you’ll get the idea from the photos and the video Tintin has put together.

We saw into the workshops (obviously no one working it being Sunday!) and watched a 14 minute film showing the site before it was developed, and the journey to where it is now. On the way out, you walk on the prototype branch of the future heron tree. Since opening in 2007 over 3 million people have strolled on the prototype branch. By 2027 the tree will have 17 branches.

They also have a marine world carousel. It’s 25m high, and 22m in diameter. It’s a 360° theatre dedicated to the sea on three different levels. Neither of us was keen to see inside for another €17.

We’re all big kids at heart, and had to have a bounce on the mini trampolines!

Dave was still there when we walked back, intact too! Tintin drove over a huge bridge and into really heavy rain - we timed that well!

Another 30 minutes later we’re parked up near a lake, and also the Canal de Nantes à Brest.

As we’d missed lunch, had more cheese and crackers!, then as the rain had stopped, we for a walk all around the lake. Even managed nearly 10,000 steps - all without getting soaked!

We’d planned to go to YpoCamp (motorhomes) on the way to Rennes tomorrow, good job we checked - they’re closed on Mondays. How did people ever cope without Google?!