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Exploring the Île de Nantes with Toddler Mark

I didn’t want to rush to the Isle of Nantes because I know we will end up there several times during our “French summer.” The home of the giant mechanical elephant and other Jules Verne-inspired art projects is a fun place to hang out and it’s still fairly new to me—at least compared to the Château des Ducs or the Jardin des plantes, where I spent all my Wednesdays afternoons as a kid.

The Isle of Nantes had a few new cool attractions, including an 18-metre-long ball pool (with a “lifeguard”!) and the HAB art gallery dedicated to contemporary art. The elephant is still here and I wasn’t sure how Mark was going to react since he is much more aware of his surroundings than he was last year, as a baby. He watched with a mix of fear and curiosity, it was actually funny to see his face.

The best part of the Isle of Nantes, to me, isn’t the slightly gimmicky attractions and art projects, but the walk along the Loire River. The view is beautiful and during the day it’s peaceful since most bars are only open in the evening. We strolled along the Buren’s Rings and the Hangars à Bananes, and then back to the Quai de la Fosse, under a burst of beautiful sunshine.

Along the Loire River
Along the Loire River
Hippie Van
Hippie Van
Passerby Watching the Elephant
Passerby Watching the Elephant
The Merry-Go-Round
The Merry-Go-Round
Mark "Reading"
Mark “Reading”
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
Giant Ball Pool
Giant Ball Pool
Giant Ball Pool
Giant Ball Pool
Mark's Feet and Mine
Mark’s Feet and Mine
Titan Crane
Titan Crane
Titan Crane
Titan Crane
Modern Art Gallery
Modern Art Gallery
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
On the Isle of Nantes
Crane and Sky
Crane and Sky
Mark Watching the Elephant
Mark Watching the Elephant
Kind of Scared
Kind of Scared
The Elephant
The Elephant
Scared and Curious
Scared and Curious
The Elephant
The Elephant
Buren's Rings
Buren’s Rings
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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