momentary locals

September 18, 2019

Today was another travel day – 4 hours from Montchenain to a town called Illifaut in Bretagne. Before hitting up Nantes, we stopped for lunch in the outskirts, a neighborhood called La Chapelle-Sur-Erdre. My dad had found a place that was highly recommended on Yelp for lunch, Les Garçon Bouchers. It was quite a treat. While the beef we have had so far in France has been quite tough, the steaks here were tender and cooked perfectly! My brother was quite adventurous and tried a horse meat dish, not my cup of tea, but Chris said it tasted like meat. For dessert I had fromage blanc (similar to plain yogurt) avec caramel au beurre salé (salted caramel) – so good!! Plus I had a glass of red wine from Bourgueil, the town we stayed at the last time we came to the Loire Valley (and got engaged, so romantic!).

Nantes was awesome! It’s young, vibrant, and energetic. I wish we had had more than just two hours here. It’s a really nice blend of history, culture, and modern amenities. Our first stop was the tourism office to pick up a map and get suggestions for the best way to spend 2 hours in their town. One of the cool things they shared is that throughout the town they have bright green lines painted which demarcate a tour through all the notable places in Nantes (and match the green line on the map they give you). 

We first checked out the Château as it was across the way and free to walk around the inside. I just loved seeing people hanging out on the grass in front of the moat, enjoying the day, fully embracing a joi-de-vivre lifestyle! I wish I would remember this during the long and stressful workdays. That life does not have to be that serious, to slow down and enjoy the feel of the grass under a blanket in the park and simply enjoy without any other motive or plan. 

Anyway, I digress. After the chateau we checked out the cathedral, because well, we are in France after all. I liked how bright this one felt, so much light and such tall ceilings. After the cathedral we strolled the streets, lined with restaurants, cafes, and shops. We popped into a couple of them, and at one shop we picked up some local caramel au beurre salé and local beer. Chris spoke with the shopkeeper for some time who shared that the beer scene is starting to take off in France, which is leading to many more artisan craft beers. We made it to our destination which was the Passage Pommeraye (glass covered galleries). On our way back to the car, we passed by a Spanish Pata Negra shop and bought jamón crudo (Spanish cured ham) sandwiches for dinner.

We then had a hour and a half drive to our destination in Bretagne called Illifaut where we have rented a small Château on Airbn for 4 nights. It was built in the 1860s and was passed down from family member to family member. The current owners are very kind and gave us a complete tour and answered all our questions before heading out.

Photo credit: Carina, Chris, and Carina’s dad