“I fucking hate going to the market,” I complained, emptying the shopping bag in the kitchen. “I queued for 40 minutes to buy fish, then ten minutes to buy two lemons, then another fifteen minutes for carrots and who knows how long to buy ham. Seriously, do people enjoy wasting their Sunday morning on that? And merchants kept on insisting I should try their salami, their bread, their cheese… it’s like when my in-laws are feeding me random stuff I don’t particularly want to eat! I’m not even awake yet, people!”
Okay, I’m not a morning person. Maybe I shouldn’t volunteer to go to the market, then.
After a coffee and a Coke, I realized it was warm and sunny outside and that I had no reason to be in a bad mood. All the stores were closed (hence the lineups at the Sunday market) but the streets were full of locals and tourists enjoying the weather and time off. Feng and I circled the Île de Nantes, Mark bought un-croissant-s’il-te-plaît (his French is getting better!), then I went out with my mom for another walk along the Erdre River.
At 7 p.m., we still had some energy left. Mark grabbed his trottinette, Feng picked up a drink and took my diabolo. We crossed the bridge, followed the crowd and ended up on the Île de Nantes again.
This is a popular spot where you’ll find the giant mechanical elephant and the big carrousel des mondes marins, inspired by Jules Verne’s work. Both attractions draw a crowd every day but they are pricey at €8.50 each for a ticket to ride the elephant or the carrousel. The Île de Nantes is also home to a smaller (cheaper!) carrousel—Les manèges d’Andrea—,the Hangar à bananes (several bars, restaurants and a disco), the Buren Rings along the Loire River, several playgrounds and occasional music festivals.
On a sunny evening like this, the touristy, hipster atmosphere didn’t annoy me. I didn’t care. I wanted to have fun as well. Mark waited for the elephant to “walk” out of the hangar because he likes to get sprayed with water. Then he used his last ticket on the carrousel and we both played with our toys, the diabolo and the trottinette.
I love when we can enjoy public space like this.
Mark looks so much more like you now! So good to see you’re both so well, hope Feng is well too. That elephant is amazing!
Does he? I really can’t tell whether he looks like Feng or me, it seems to depends on his mood, activities, etc.!
Mark just looks so happy! It’s adorable!
And I love the idea of the Sun market, trying all sorts of foods and taking my time picking the right veggies 🙂
Then again I am a morning person and a gourmande 😛
I like the idea of going to the market but it’s a huge pain in the ass when it’s too busy because you can’t really see the food… and to me, half of the fun is walking around, being tempted and inspired!
Is the elephant created by the company La Machine in Nantes that brought the dragon and the spider here in Ottawa in July? I would have loved to see those in Ottawa but was out of town at the time. 🙁 It was a very successful event!
Yes! Same street theater company 🙂 I saw the spider last year in Nantes and the dragon in Beijing.
Oh, I was just coming here to ask the same question! La Machine was such a HUGE hit here – the crowds were unbelievable. I’m excited to see they have other animals – hopefully they come back someday!
They’re getting bigger and bigger every year it seems, even in France, so I have no doubt they’ll keep on traveling the world!