Nantes

We left our bikes, and Tours, by train. The hotel was close to the main station but unfortunately we needed a secondary station 4km across town. The main station did have a laundromat nearby so we took advantage of that, and the other station was conveniently connected by bus.

Buses so far have proven to be the least visitor friendly transport choice. Every service has a different ticketing approach. In Corfu you could use cash, but the price was inflated by enough to annoy you. Generally cash is no longer an option and you need to use a narcissistic vending machine. The best approach is to choose one with a queue so you can learn from other peoples mistakes (which can be made in a choice of languages). Everyone seems to end up desperately poking at the screen and randomly pressing their bank card against the console. Skimmers take note. Anyway, we followed a flow that promised "One ticket" and boarded the bus none the wiser. We're in Nantes so it must have worked. The lady who boarded the bus before us had a ticket rejection (red flash and tonal warning in a minor key). The driver ignored it and sure enough she was asking me for money ten minutes later. 

Everywhere we have been we have been approached for money. Nantes has a big number of seemingly homeless people, and I think that's because it's such a nice place to hang out. 

Ryanair chose this location for us by providing flights to the UK.  The central city is very people friendly.They're reconfiguring private car access around town and converting car parks to green spaces. This is in response to record temperatures during recent summers. It's quite noticeable how many of the locals are out and about enjoying the public spaces.

It's also another student town so it has a young vibe in an old skin. We haven't been this overwhelmed with food choices since Spain / Portugal.

We completed our afternoon by following a self guided walking tour.

We took our final full day in France off. A holiday from our holiday. The only touristic thing we did was jump on Le Petit Train. You get dragged around town in kiddie carriages.

The castle. Every town has one. 

Vicki enjoying a stroll through the Jardin des Plantes

Vicki nearly enjoying our ride on the tourist train. The onboard commentary was in French.