Nantes

It’s nearly deserted (amazing that one cybercafe is open) but it’s a nice Sunday getaway from Paris. There’s a sort of carnival island in the Loire near the city center that seems to be one of the main attractions, but it’s not running at the moment; perhaps after nightfall. But otherwise there is lots of nice architecture from just the period you would expect, and first-rate Sunday window shopping (the fact that I actually *like* that now must be a bad sign).

There are two kinds of European cities: the kind where the train station is right in the thick of things and you immediately know where the action is, and the kind where you could easily miss the city center altogether unless you ask questions or look at the map before going out. Nantes is definitely of the second sort. You have to turn left and walk maybe 20 minutes to be in the center of the center, and you wouldn’t necessarily be able to guess that just by looking out the front door.