Travelling with Mark is undeniably easier now: no more milk bottles, no more diapers, fewer tantrums—he eats whatever is available, uses les toilettes (when we can find them!) and sulks for a few minutes when he is offended instead of crying. I would go as far as claiming he behaves pretty well for a 3.5-year-old kid immersed in a completely different culture and still somewhat jetlagged. Case in point: a woman congratulated us in the train on his behaviour. Our parenting skills approved by French strangers! Where is my long-awaited gold medal?

That said, one of the most rewarding differences between toddler Mark and “little boy Mark” is that he is fully aware of our travels and he enjoys them. He has an opinion and he is involved. He knows how to take the train and public transportation in general, he understands the concept of maps and he loves grabbing my camera to take pictures of what he likes (usually random dogs).

So this year, we decided to take side trips and explore the area a bit more. This is the perks of Europe, the next city is never very far. Besides, the SNCF has a good deal on tickets: for €45, up to five people enjoy unlimited trips for two consecutive days. Considering how expensive train tickets are these days, it’s a bargain.

Our first destination last Tuesday was Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, in Vendée, a 75-minute train ride south of Nantes. The seaside resort/fishing harbour is very cute with narrow streets, plenty of oh-so-typical shops and a faint grilled sardine smell floating in the air (a local specialty).

I was surprised to see so many tourists strolling around on a weekday. Even the grande plage was busy despite the chilly water temperature (15ºC according to the lifeguards!)

“This is another département,” I explained Feng. “We are in Vendée, Nantes is in Loire-Atlantique. The culture here is vendéenne, Nantes is more into Breton culture by default.”

Feng looked at me, puzzled. “Uh… what’s the difference, exactly? People look exactly the same.”

“There is a rivalry between la Vendée and la Bretagne,” I shrugged. “Nantes is stuck in between. It used to be part of Brittany but it became a regional capital during WWII.”

“Meh. You guys all eat crêpes and bread!”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Nantes' train station
Nantes’ train station
Train station in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Train station in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Baguette vending machine in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Baguette vending machine in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
"Please don't touch the fruits" (a French pet peeve)
“Please don’t touch the fruits” (a French pet peeve)
It's cantaloupe season! A local favourite
It’s cantaloupe season! A local favourite
Buskers making balloons for kids
Buskers making balloons for kids
Gian Nutella jar and waffles at the market
Gian Nutella jar and waffles at the market
Mark discovering mussels
Mark discovering mussels
Mussels and sea spiders at the market
Mussels and sea spiders at the market
Mark-doing-the-monster eating a ham-and-cheese panini
Mark-doing-the-monster eating a ham-and-cheese panini
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pier in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pier in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pier in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Pier in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Harbour of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Harbour of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Beach chairs on the beach
Beach chairs on the beach
Surf school on the beach
Surf school on the beach
Water temperature: a chilly 15C
Water temperature: a chilly 15C
Mussels and fries on the beach
Mussels and fries on the beach
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Portrait from Mark
Portrait from Mark
Along the grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Along the grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Along the grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Along the grande plage in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Traditional carousel by the harbour
Traditional carousel by the harbour
Seagulls souvenir key chains
Seagulls souvenir key chains
In the train back to Nantes
In the train back to Nantes
In the train back to Nantes
In the train back to Nantes
In the train back to Nantes
In the train back to Nantes
Visited 36 times, 1 visit(s) today

11 Comments

  1. kiky July 29, 2016 at 6:24 am

    I wonder, have you published a (travelling) book?

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 30, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      No, never! Just this blog 🙂 I do appreciate your support, though, it’s rewarding to see you are enjoying reading our adventures.

      Reply
  2. Gagan July 29, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    It is indeed a cute place, the train station definitely

    Reply
    1. Zhu July 30, 2016 at 3:12 pm

      I love the train station too, it was super cute!

      Reply
  3. CHRISTIANE August 3, 2016 at 1:06 pm

    Awww Mark is all grown up !! So cute !!

    and yes crepes and bread forever! !!! lol

    Reply
    1. Zhu August 4, 2016 at 4:42 pm

      Bread… oh… bread…

      Reply
  4. Frenchie au Canada August 11, 2016 at 1:58 pm

    “You guys all look the same anyway” haha
    We spent a couple of weeks there when I was a kid, I remember “la grande plage”. It’s great that you’re able to travel more now that Mark is older 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu August 11, 2016 at 2:44 pm

      Yes, it’s definitely easier than when he was a toddler or a baby!

      How old were you during your Saint-Gilles holidays?

      Reply
      1. Frenchie au Canada August 11, 2016 at 3:11 pm

        Probably 9 or 10… We went with my mum, aunt and cousins. It was a fun but stressful holidays since I was the oldest “kid” and had to take care of everyone

        Reply
  5. I Say Oui August 14, 2016 at 3:19 pm

    Baguette vending machines are fascinating. It’s funny to see the word “artisan” on a machine.

    Reply
    1. Zhu August 14, 2016 at 7:04 pm

      A true paradox, isn’t it!

      Reply

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