Tuesday 21st May - Back Roads to Nantes

Moving day today so we get up early and get sorted out. The weather forecast is not at all promising and it keeps trying to rain as we load the car. We have enjoyed Bordeaux but can't really recommend our accommodation, which is a shame as it could have been much better with only a little effort.

Before we hit the road we have a return visit to the Carrefour for a couple of things that we forgot yesterday. Some of the subsidiary businesses are a bit niche.

We head north east out of the city on the autoroute which is quite busy, but not as busy as the opposite direction which is static for several miles. D is being reet Yorkshire today and avoiding the toll roads. This plan takes us onto the N10 Bordeaux-Paris highway which is almost as good as a motorway but very dull. We are starting to think about coffee when we see a sign suggesting a historic and pretty village that offers everything that one could wish for. We detour onto a country road and park up in the village square as the heavens open. 

No way are we getting out of the car in that. A hasty search delivers Plan B. D was last in Jarnac in 198? when he worked for Sam Smith's Brewery and we went on a jolly to visit Courvoisier. Gertie finds us a route and in no time we are there. It has stopped raining and we take a stroll around the town. It's not quite the same when you aren't guests of the Chateau Courvoisier but beggars cannot be choosers. We are a bit surprised to learn that Jarnac is twinned with Dalkeith in Midlothian.As least we find a decent cup of coffee.We drive on through vineyards and forests heading roughly north. D is a big fan of secondary roads in rural France. Not much traffic and more photo opportunities. We come up behind one of the narrow tractors sized to fit between the rows of vines.

At the next decent sized town we stop to buy bread and Flan au Noix de Coco to augment the leftover couscous. Delicious. We should have taken a photo. We even enjoyed some sunshine as we ate.

Tempus Fugit so we divert to the péage for the last hour and a half of our drive. Gertie Google plays an absolute blinder and delivers to our new home "A Deux Pas du Tram". There is even a parking space right outside. The new place is a significant step up from our previous abode.

We do not linger as we only have 36 hours or so in Nantes. The tram is almost as close as promised and we invest in 24 hour tickets before hopping onboard for a trip to the Tourist Information centre downtown. D is slightly disappointed that we are here midweek as the trams are free at the weekend.We pick up a City Guide in English and then have to hide from the rain in a slightly dodgy bar. It's been a while since we listened to Psycho Killer. R has identified a restaurant and we stroll over when the rain eases. As soon as we arrive we realise that it is a bad choice. The place stinks of old cooking oil. We leave and head along the street where we find a Lebanese eatery that advertises mezze. We know that it must be good as the front door is besieged by Deliveroo and Uber-Eats delivery chaps. We order Mezze for two and the dishes just keep coming.

They have Lebanese wine which is very nice and the food is splendid. We have a short walk to the tram which delivers us home. Even better we don't get seriously wet.