We left the US a month ago on this chapter of the trip, also passing the 6-month mark a few days ago since we left our house on January 2. It’s gone fast. We have cycled 622 miles (1,000 km) to get to Nantes, which is the start point of the EuroVelo 6 route to Bratislava. We left Brittany a few days ago with its tiny roads and picturesque towns, and now are traveling in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. We’ll be in other parts of the Loire region for a couple weeks as we cross France.
To get to Nantes from Pornichet, we rode 54 miles and climbed about 950 feet in elevation. The route crosses much more developed and industrialized areas than we experienced in Brittany.
Crossing Saint Nazaire we pass in front of a massive concrete building that was a U-boat base/bunker built by the Germans during WWII. Saint-Nazaire’s is one of five bases that the Nazis constructed along the Atlantic front during World War Two. This 301m-long strategic base was built in just 16 months in 1941-42, using nearly 500,000m3 of concrete. With a roof up to 9.6m thick, it housed the fearsome U-Boats plus hundreds of men, their offices and workshops until May 1945. The submarine base was built on the site of the original transatlantic port, from where ships used to sail towards America. More info here: https://www.saint-nazaire-tourisme.uk/explore/discover-the-port/the-submarine-base-of-saint-nazaire/
Along the way, we stop for a coffee and lo and behold, there is a cat that adopts the cat whisperer I’ve been traveling with.
The ride through Saint Nazaire is urban/industrialized with giant cranes in shipbuilding docks and several airbus factories along the way. Riding a bike to travel seems so quaint in these settings.
Arriving in Nantes, we are amazed! This place is teeming with restaurants and bars, filled to capacity with young people relaxing and socializing. Going out to dinner later that night, it’s even more active with scarcely a table available.
Nantes also is a major port and industrial center. Nantes was historically the capital of Brittany and so there is a Château des ducs de Bretagne here that we plan to visit.
Leave a Reply