This may be because it was our first destination after competing and we actually got a day off, and it was glorious (yes, "glorious," in the manner of Ben Godlewski). We got some serious sight-seeing and shopping done, it was good.
The reason I say "Nantes est comme Madison," Nantes is like Madison, is because it is a very environmentally-conscious city. It was actually the first in the France to take up measures to waste less energy and create more green space. The city has a lot of grass and trees, way more than Paris has. Of course, Paris is a huge metropolitan city, so of course it doesn't have much, but nevertheless Nantes was beautiful.
And of course we got to see more great cathedrals and churches (a total of 3, I think?). The château in the middle of Chartes was different from the one that we saw earlier, more built for defense and battle. It withstood lots of attacks and even a huge explosion within one of its towers. The buildings next to the tower were destroyed, and the church a couple of blocks away suffered damage, but the castle remained usable. This thing was built to last.
We also got to sing with the University of Nantes choir, which was absolutely fabulous! They sang for only a short time, but their choir was so professional and dramatic. We got to sing in the chapel of an old folks' home, beautifully built and great for singing. And of course with a very grateful audience, we all did really well. I wouldn't be surprised if that was our best performance. Afterwards we had an after party, where people had wine and we sang French drinking songs! I also got to talk with some very kind, patient men and women while I tried my best to speak French. We had some great conversations, and it was a merry time.
So yeah. The trip is almost over! Sad. But we still have Paris, and that'll be fun. I leave you with a picture of a French gas station, to contrast the freshness of Nantes.
Merci! À demain, peut-être? :-)
~Sam
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