Jules Verne in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

This large mural was made by Jean-Yves Jodeau and is at the side of the steps along Rue de l'Échelle in the tourist area of Nantes. Construction of it was completed in 2008.

La Cigale, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

La Cigale is a restaurant in Nantes, a very famous one, and if a person feels that they really must go there, then so be it. Inside I saw wonderful art nouveau, although to photograph the artwork effectively through the mass of tourists milling to get in there would be very difficult. We don't like crowds, and we hate tourism, and there we have it: La Cigale (featured in Jacques Demy's film Lola) from  the outside.

Cimetière de la Bouteillerie #4: Camille Mellinet: Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Camille Mellinet (1795-1843) was a printer, journalist and historian who was born in and died in Nantes. In 1820 he took control of the Malassis print works which was previously run by his mother, and founded Journal de Nantes et de la Loire-Inférieure, the first journal d'opinion in the city. He introduced the first mechanical press into the region. He wrote for his own publications under the pseudonym 'Francis', and wrote a number of texts for the Annales de la Société académique de Nantes. From 1839 to 1843 he published the twelve volumes of his huge historical work, Histoire de la Commune et de la milice de Nantes.

Cimetière de la Bouteillerie #3: Ange Guépin: Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Ange Guépin (1805-1873) was a philanthropist doctor and a writer, a Republican, socialist and feminist who played an important role in the political and social life of Nantes, and who was influenced by the followers of Saint-Simon and the utopian socialists. He was encouraged to come to Nantes by Camille Mellinet. Several thousand people were present at his funeral.

Cimetière de la Bouteillerie #2: René Guy Cadou and Hélène Cadou: Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

The poet René Guy Cadou (1920-1951) is buried with his parents and wife Hélène (1922-2014), who was also a poet. She dedicated much of her life to preserving his name, and René's Hélène ou le règne végétal was published shortly after his death. There is a museum in his honour in Louisfert.

Cimetière de la Bouteillerie #1: Serge Danot: Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Serge Danot (1931-1990) is famed as the inventor of the stop motion animation Le Manège enchantée (Magic Roundabout in English, although with many alterations), and this superb colourful grave shows just a few of the television characters in the 1960s and 70s. As a reminder, I include more than those who are featured on the grave. Pollux (Dougal) the dog is a Skye Terrier with a strong English accent in the French version: Danot's business partner Ivor Wood was half-French, half-English; Zébulon (Zebedee) is a jack-in-box-magician; Amboise (Brian) is a snail; Azalée (Ermintrude) is a cow; Flappy (Dylan) is hippy-like in English, Mexican in French turning towards Italian in the later colour version; Margotte (Florence) is the young Parisian girl; etc. The novelty of the show is that it appealed to all ages, many children certainly not being able to understand all the connotations. (Yes, I'm sure I've made a few mistakes, but with so many versions of the same thing it's very difficult not to.)

Paimbœuf, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Paimbœuf is an interesting village on the Loire, a former outer harbour of Nantes. Some of its facades are odd, such as the one with computer circuits as a kind of decoration, or the one made of reclaimed articles of wood. 

The lighthouse dates from 1855, and is still active. It received electricity in 1913.

One of Paimbœuf's biggest attractions today is Kinya Maruyama's Le Jardin étoilé, taking (you'll just have to believe this) its point of departure from Ursa Major and the four compass points.

Pitre Chevalier, Paimbœuf, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Pierre-Michel-François-Chevalier (1812-63) was an author, historian and journalist born in Paimbœuf and who died in Paris. He was editor-in-chief of Le Figaro and director of the journal Le Musée des familles. His intention was to be a Breton Walter Scott, but his historical novels were without success: his historical non-fictional book La Bretagne ancienne et moderne (1844), however, was much more successful. 

Boîte à lire, Vue, Loire-Atlantique (44)

With a name like Vue, how could such a village not have a boîte à lire? And this at the time of the visit was quite a well-stocked one. I like the stuck-on stork in the reeds carrying a baby: so appropriate, as books have given birth to countless progeny, countless ideas. I came away with Éric Faye's Le Mystère des trois frontières. I recently noticed that the ten or twelve French novels I left at the boîte à lire in the E. Leclerc car park have all disappeared, plus the highly specialised English books on obscure viruses: is someone taking the piss by making a profit out of this, as it is counter to what I believe to be the spirit of the boîtes à lire?

Flora Moscovici's Le Temps entre les pierres, Bouffay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Flora Moscovici's Le Temps entre les pierres.

Covid demonstration, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

On the face of it, the first banner here seems to be right on the button about the problems faced by all today: against globalisation, market values, corruption, treating people as sheep, etc. But what of that banner behind, indicating horror at health workers being suspended? What's that about? Suspended because they've not had the jabs?

And then I picked up a leaflet, which I discovered is highly Covid-sceptical, questioning the substances in the vaccine, questioning the authority of people to give the vaccine without full qualifications, questioning the lack of knowledge of doctors of the substances in the vaccine, questioning the assumed silencing of Covid sceptics in the media, questioning the efficacy of the vaccine, etc, etc. At a time when all virtually measures are about to be relaxed in France, there is a demonstration for what purpose? I give up.

Common Lizard, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

This may be a common lizard, but I'm from the UK where such views are rare. I also hugely respect animals, and consider this creature to be beautiful.

Cigarette ends and pollution, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

I find this very interesting. An amateur notice tells me that one cigarette end can pollute up to 500 litres of water. Although I've no proof of this, it nevertheless sounds impressive. Le jardin extraordinaire is a non-smoking zone, even if it is outdoors. I applaud this, as I applaud any action against smoking: we have to realise which century we're living in, and smoking is a very dangerous part of our past.

Le Jardin extraordinaire and general area, Chantenay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

La Carrière Miséry is in the process of life change. From a quarry for the extraction of granite, the place of the execution of counter-revolutionary surrounds, an industrial brewing area and theatrical acts, it is poised for L'Arbre aux hérons in 2027, a creation by François Delarozière.

Delarozière, with his La Machine, also created this network of steps leading to Le Jardin extraordinaire, which has 177 steps and four belvederes.

The waterfall is twenty-five metres tall.

Tadashi Kawamata's Belvédère de l'Hermitage, Chantenay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Tadashi Kawamata is trying to create a link between people and places. This is a long, wooden passageway giving a view of the sky and the river, a projection above the cliff. The structure is a heady experience to view from its thirty-six metres in  length, twenty metres from the ground.

Mrzyk and Moriceau's Lunar Tree, Chantenay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Mrzyk and Moriceau's Lunar Tree  is perhaps best seen in the dark, although I think it stands out well here against a clear blue sky. A dead tree, pure white, twelve metres tall.

Philippe Ramette's Éloge du pas de côté, Bouffay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Philippe Ramette's Éloge du pas de côté is right in the centre of a restaurant area, his besuited man in almost archaic tie with his eyes on the horizon. But the vital thing is that he has one foot on a base, the other in nothingness, the void. How much do we believe him, or in him? Is he really human? In his impeccable dress he seems a part of the world, or maybe a very old world that vanished before his eyes? Maybe just an old fart, or a memory of how we used to look but have moved on sartorially, but not mentally? We may have casualised the way we look, but not the way we think?

Boìte à lire, Sainte-Anne, Chantenay, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

Oddly, this is one of the few Boìtes à lire (usually called Boìtes à livres, here called Dépôt des livres) I've yet to find in the Nantes area, but there were no pickings for me. Is anyone really interested in ancient Bottins (telephone directories)? Yeah, I suppose there must be. The world is a strange place.

Philippe Ramette's Éloge de la transgression, Graslin, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

In the Cours Cambronne, near the statue of the general of the same name, is a modern statue of a schoolgirl clambering onto a statue base – or is she climbing down, and in any case what kind of comment is she making in terms of the very proud and pompous statue of Général Cambronne, if any? This, of course, is the whole purpose of art – not so much to look pretty as to question realities, or givens which pose as realities.

Angela Bulloch's the Zebra Crossing, L'île de Nantes, Nantes, Loire-Atlantique (44)

With the full (English!) title of Angela Bulloch's the 'Zebra Crossing, Regulations and General Restrictions', we have an old-fashioned Belisha Beacon with crossing in front of the Bâtiment Manny.