La lune la belle lune

First night sleeping on Cyrils couch and I wake up tired.  I think it may have been all the walking yesterday and that I got up so early to leave when he goes to work.  I leave his appartment just before 8.45am and since none of the museums or internet cafes are open I head to the train station to book some of my tickets.  Even though I am quasi prepared most of the time I think that a bit more preparation wouldnt go astray.  Mental note for forthcoming weeks.  I book my ticket to Paris leaving on Noon which gets me in early enough to try and find somewhere to stay.  I also decide to book my ticket to Marseille as on next Thursday it is May Day holiday in France the biggest holiday of the year and apparently everything is shut and also the day or two before and after the weekend are impossible to get rail reservations.

Cyrils Flat on the top floor

Fountain Nantes

I book from Paris to Marseille on Monday which I later find out is wrong as Lundi is Monday and Mardi is Tuesday and the computer wont be ready until Tuesday. Oh well I will change it again on Friday.

First things first is a bit of shopping, when we went on our night time walk Cyril pointed out an interesting shopping centre Le Passage Pommeraye, it is a converted old building with lots of small interesting shops, yes there is plenty to buy  but most is out of my budget and my luggage is becoming quite the problem I will have to post some more things hope shortly or discard some things I no longer need.

I then decide to go for a trip to the River and to see Jules Vern Museum.  Jules is a popular author who lived in Nantes and wrote many famous books, perhaps you have heard of him.  He wrote these books (english translations of course):

Place de Pommery Shopping

Five Weeks in a Balloon (1863)Paris in the 20th Century (1863)Journey into the Interior of the Earth (1864) From the Earth to the Moon (1865)In Search of the Castaways; or Captain Grant's Children (1868)Around the Moon (1870)Around the World in Eighty Days (1872)20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1873) (In Progress)The Mysterious Island (1874)The Survivors of the Chancellor (1875)Michael Strogoff (1876)Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon (1881)The Green Ray (1882)Mathias Sandorf (1885)Robur the Conqueror (1886)Facing the Flag (1896)The Master of the World (1904)The Lighthouse at the End of the World (1905)The English at the North Pole

When I get to the Museum it is closed, a lot of things seem to be closed over lunchtime from 12-2pm so I decide to go over to the Planeterium which is also on my Nantes card for free entry and I may as well get my monies worth.  I can't remember the last time I went to a Planetarium I must have been a kid.  It is quite an amazing experience probably even moreso as I have not a great idea on what on earth or what in the Universe as the case may be they are talking about.  I end up having a quick 5 minute powernap when I am there and feel like everyone heard me snoring but we were working our way through the planets and I think I only missed Neptune.  I think I will definately have to visit one when I get back to Australia, the constellations are all different anyway, they have Petit Chien (the little dog) afterall.

Inside Place de Pommery Shopping

So after about 1 2/2 hours I head over the the Jules Vern Museum, its interesting and one of the diarama controls breaks off when I touch it and hits the ground with a sound.  Luckily this museum isnt that popular so no-one sees me put it back and then go to the next room.

My final day in Nantes and perhaps 3 days may have been enough I decide that I havent possibly done enough walking around visiting Museums and decide to visit the Natural history Museum.  Its interesting, they have a Gorilla display and the Animal section is facinating, there are a few animals and sea creatures I didn't even know existed.  I also come face to face with a zebra he is such an impressive creature and it makes me want to plan my Africa trip.  I leave just on closing time and head back to Cyrils house.

My first Zebra encounter

We have dinner at his house a mixture of left overs and pizza and then go on the internet and play a geography game, I kinda suck at it, but I am getting better.

Wish you were here - Penny

Tiger Cub too cute