{"id":26848,"title":"48 hrs in Nantes","description":"Nantes is a spiritual home to many who worked summer seasons on campsites in the 90s and 00s. It was the centre of activity. The start point of the summer and, from time to time, a refuge to escape for a lost 48 hours into a cheap hotel.","content":"

Nantes is a spiritual home to many who worked summer seasons on campsites in the 90s and 00s.<\/p>

It was the centre of activity. The starting point of the summer and, from time to time, a refuge to escape for a lost 48 hours in a cheap hotel.<\/p>

\"xcpzu3xbtd2prulupcd5rpunqrl8tlwz78smedaibej3prkd.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"This time I headed back, for maybe the first time in over ten years, in a much different way as a guest of Atout France.<\/p>

Thankfully I had time to wander the streets and see what had or hadn\u2019t changed\u2026.<\/p>

\"12u2ovbf7z5adi5z18f7xpfaecjivkqulzuh1dzsmckkgpcn.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Tick - Fnac - possibly my favourite multi-media shop - happily still in residence.<\/p>

\"80hjbj3mz5rdxrpkrzcypr0xhw55dmduatpb3hghyfsecdqx.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Pause for a snack\u2026<\/p>

\"oxprbvg92kqxvyye10nbohrkzxp06ix2vg5j2vtco2bb5npp.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Go on then. Another one\u2026<\/p>

\"s12hfqlntlmcawgn6wkk3d1genllh56xp2nbcrint9r6ryiz.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Full discipline required to avoid further snack binge\u2026<\/p>

\"2uvnsllgct4acievk4gfkrqjkkqm5szv5hfe974dowtrtaqh.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"La Cigale was very possibly the home to my first ever business dinner. I felt out of my depth and remember being passed the wine list to choose for the table. \u201cEr\u2026 red?\u201d<\/p>

\"xt3hqe8fyqkgqhcjtnsvddeg8nduhdjefxsgxal6sdivn22r.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Given my primary objective in my camping days was to meet up with friends in the nearest Irish pub, I was pretty blind to the now obvious charms and sights of the old town.<\/p>

\"z2wb6shakcg2d0qwktydad1zsw6souxsxxdahxuqkpsvkfr1.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"\"azqjqibjdoigi6wusqzlzm8aeai3ugvpmu8sf3fc64qgpcey.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"\"bbcxn06a7nglhecokfinu0mvecoekzn9vfwmoyozjmdj3i4c.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"In the evening we were treated to dinner in the courtyard of the Ch\u00e2teau des Ducs de Bretagne, a 15th century build, slap bang in the middle of centre-ville. Another first for me.<\/p>

\"01ngvms0sduaox42qedn5sowin8oppnwb253l3ycj41zoqzh.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"A light show preceded a cooking demo where we then got to taste the dishes. This, by any stretch of the imagination, is not my typical evening.<\/p>

\"tahpygopukxjxhwhjom4g5satejyjvs5prfxt0awb83f9k34.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"\"2t80p9lm8dhn39vyxhxwvtiq9a6wmoledvh0jpcaeowpgmt4.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"The next evening we were treated to another side of the city - a modern mix of innovation, design and creativity at the unmissable La Machine headquarters.<\/p>

\"fcma5uefqzhco3zjbatd1ddto2fdpvxnhwtmqeshhe6d8huu.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Oh, and for good measure there were ice sculptures of classic monuments. And some live sculpting as I watched the artist create an eagle with a chainsaw.<\/p>

\"zchjibuh0egvgqgthyzjsy0hvvzsqcdtwljirswpm6q81eea.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Nantes, then. 48 hrs barely scratches the surface. A heady mix of the modern and the classic, and a nostalgic home from home for me.<\/p>

\"hwzury4vrdhifchmsgiggu1fs0fuee0hpmpjqd1pfrx4odlx.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"<\/p>","urlTitle":"48-hrs-in-nantes","url":"\/blog\/48-hrs-in-nantes\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/48-hrs-in-nantes\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/francophilia.co.uk\/blog\/48-hrs-in-nantes\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1682239067,"updatedAt":1771791638,"publishedAt":1771791637,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":278188,"name":"Francophilia"},"tags":[{"id":2329,"code":"cityguides","name":"Cityguides","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/cityguides\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xasbwwsfo3modikcflfwcztznrvniqjy5lsjeb0tudtkty8c.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xasbwwsfo3modikcflfwcztznrvniqjy5lsjeb0tudtkty8c.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xasbwwsfo3modikcflfwcztznrvniqjy5lsjeb0tudtkty8c.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":29041,"title":"In the footsteps of C\u00e9zanne","url":"\/blog\/in-the-footsteps-of-cezanne\/","urlTitle":"in-the-footsteps-of-cezanne","division":278188,"description":"Whilst I had heard of Paul C\u00e9zanne, I can\u2019t say I knew much about his life or work. I followed in some of his footsteps whilst wandering around his hometown of Aix-en-Provence before visiting his atelier (workshop), a one-room and lovingly restored visitor attraction.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8az7ld7dsmwkthlnkw18ttvdgw9fkedx0mjqz0kg5xjtin0k.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8az7ld7dsmwkthlnkw18ttvdgw9fkedx0mjqz0kg5xjtin0k.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":32878,"title":"The Francophilia Christmas Gift Guide 2023 (Ideal Gifts for Francophiles)","url":"\/blog\/the-ideal-christmas-gift-list-for-francophiles\/","urlTitle":"the-ideal-christmas-gift-list-for-francophiles","division":278188,"description":"When practising the art of gift buying I try to follow a very simple premise - find something they would like but are unlikely to buy for themselves. This could be because they think it\u2019s a bit too expensive (so they can\u2019t square off spending that much on themselves), because they\u2019re not sure it would suit them or even because they haven\u2019t thought of it yet. We\u2019d like to think that Francophilia is jampacked with interestingly different designs that would make an alternative gift","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/w7fi9stgvajc3vjngdga2zv2xg0kyokjxikzgcgqvjqmmsgn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/w7fi9stgvajc3vjngdga2zv2xg0kyokjxikzgcgqvjqmmsgn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":26588,"title":"Wine Tasting On the Loire","url":"\/blog\/wine-tasting-on-the-loire\/","urlTitle":"wine-tasting-on-the-loire","division":278188,"description":"It\u2019s a sultry late June afternoon in the Loire Valley with temperatures cruising past 30 degrees. The sun is beginning to show signs of setting and so the normally pale stone of the village of Chaumont-sur-Loire is honey-tinged and warm. Looking up, the horizon is dominated by the Chateau de Chaumont, one of only a few in the region that is located close to the river itself.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xyh6hbbjtetfyqfnptufci4eecy2161fn7lkjpgpyasyzmcs.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xyh6hbbjtetfyqfnptufci4eecy2161fn7lkjpgpyasyzmcs.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}