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.)

Jacques Demy, Nantes (44)

For many, the film director Jacques Demy is a highly important figure in the history of Nantes, and certainly the Médiathèque is named after him. But unfortunately there remains very little of L'Allée des Tanneurs, and nothing of which I'm aware of 9 Allée des Tanneurs, where Demy's father had a garage, where his mother serviced the local women in hairdressing, and where Jacques spent his childhood and adolescence. Jacques's wife Agnès Varda brought much interest to this spot in her film Jacquot de Nantes.

Ador, Hangar à bananes, L'île de Nantes, Nantes (44)

The artist Ador's mural at the Hangar à bananes on L'île de Nantes. His works exist in a number of local places, buildings in Nantes, Rezé, Orvault, Saint-Herblain, etc. There is obviously a narrative to this one, although of what I have no idea. Any comments in French, Spanish or English welcome. No, ANY language!

Transfert in Rezé, Nantes, Loire Atlantic (44)

 

Transfert was born in 2018 on the wasteland left by former abattoirs in Rezé. It was intended as 'une zone libre d’art et de culture ouverte', a 'poetical and oneiric metaphor for a town within a town'. It's unclear what will happen to the site after the agreement expires at the end of the year, but it appeared to be closed at the time that we were there. A great pity.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #8 Topette and Carafon

It seems that the sisters Topette and Carafon – street musicians (with a violin) in Nantes during the 1920s, and from an upper middle-class family from which they rebelled – are spiritually linked to the Amadou sisters in Nantes in the mid-nineteenth century. The Amadou sisters called themselves Coquette et Papillon and used a guitar, and after a cab accident Coquette became handicapped and for a time Papillon took her around on a soapbox on wheels: they died in oblivion. The story goes that Topette and Carafon were named in memory of the former sisters. When Carafon died Topette shut her in a cupboard, and it was only because neighbours were alarmed by the smell that the police were called, much to the fury of Topette, whose mentality was in a very poor state.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #7 Pierre-Hildevert Lagarde / La Tombe Pagode

The writer and ship owner Pierre-Hildevert Lagarde was a friend of Jules Verne and the composer Aristide Hignard (also a friend of Verne, with whom he journeyed to the UK and Scandinavia). The influence of exotic places is evident here.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #6 Jean-Romain Lefèvre and Pauline Utile

The initials of the surnames of Jean-Romain Lefèvre (1819-83) and Pauline Utile (1830-1922) provide the name of the world famous biscuit LU, which I made a post of some way below. As I said there, the original factory has now retained the name LU, being a Lieu Unique.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #5 Louis Pommeraye

It is ironic that the person responsible for the magnificent Passage Pommeraye in the centre of Nantes – which is certainly the biggest attraction in the area – would not have a grave to match that glory. However, this very humble stone is all there is: the passage, with all its legal and structural problems, proved Pommeraye's ruin.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #4 Sylvain Royé

Sylvain Royé (1891-1916) was a poet born in Nantes who died in World War I in Douaumont. A plaque on his grave gives a few lines from his poem 'La Prière des tranchées': 'D'autres heures naîtront, plus belles et meilleures. / La victoire luira sur le dernier combat. / Seigneur, faîtes que ceux qui connaîtront ces heures / Se souviennent de ceux qui ne reviendront pas.'

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #3 Pierre-Gabriel Verne and Sophie Allote de la Fuÿe

Pierre-Gabriel Verne (1799-1871) and Sophie Allote de la Fuÿe (1800-87) were the parents of Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes and whose presence is all over the city.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #2 Philippe Gengembre

Philippe Gengembre (1764-1838) was born in Houdain, Pas-de-Calais, and was a chemist and inventor. He became an expert in powder chemistry and the energy produced by steam. He was sent to the USA to help the commercial and political interests of France. His son Colomb (1790-1863) was the originator of the idea of the commune La Colonie in Condé-sur-Vesgre.

Le Cimetière Miséricorde, Hauts-Pavés–Saint-Félix, Nantes (44): #1 Marc Elder

Oddly, Marc Elder (1884-1933) isn't featured in many guides to this cemetery, not even – at the time that I post this – in Wikipédia's entry for Le Cimetière Miséricorde. And yet he earned the Goncourt in 1913 with Le Peuple de la mer, a novel set in L'Herbaudière, Nourmoutier. Elder (or Marcel Tendron, his real name) was born in Nantes, and is recognised in at least two local street names: one opposite the castle, and the other in Rezé-Trentemoult.

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.