I packed Mark’s rain jacket as an afterthought but I was hoping we were leaving rainy weather behind us, in Ontario. We had an unusually wet spring and summer and I was sick of getting soaked every single day. The day we left, it rained continuously from morning in Ottawa to late at night, when we flew from Montreal.

I had too much faith in the French summer weather. Somehow, I had forgotten Nantes is close to Brittany, where the local joke is “oh oui, we had a nice, dry summer—I remember, it was on July 29.” It’s not cold but it’s not hot either. It’s not pouring rain but there are big grey clouds in the sky. It’s a bit windy, a bit stormy, a bit rainy.

Merde.

I’m trying to look on the bright side. Streets aren’t flooded like they were in Ottawa this spring—rainwater drains away quickly. When I feel a few raindrops, I can find shelter easily. There are many stores or covered walkways, it’s not like I’m in the middle of the Experimental Farm.

But above all, a stormy sky, rays of sun streaming through gaps in clouds and reflections in rain puddles are pretty inspiring.

Rainy day in Nantes
Rain puddles in Nantes
Rainy day in Nantes
Stormy sky reflecting in the Erdre River
Stormy sky reflecting in the Erdre River
Along the Erdre River on a stormy day
Along the Erdre River on a stormy day
Along the Erdre River on a stormy day
Quai de la Fosse after the rain
Quai de la Fosse after the rain
Rue de la Fosse after the rain
After the rain Place de la Petite Hollande
Pont Tabarly and a stormy sky

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4 Comments

  1. Martin Penwald August 1, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    Comme disent les Bretons, « En Bretagne, il ne pleut que sur les cons.» Je ne suis pas sûr qu’il pleuve plus en Bretagne que dans le Nord, et c’est le déluge tous les jours. Et pis ça fait du frais, c’est mieux qu’au Texas.

    Reply
    1. Zhu August 2, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      La bruine, c’est assez breton comme pluie. Ça peut taper sur les nerfs à la longue.

      Reply
  2. Lexie August 4, 2017 at 10:07 pm

    Great pictures !

    Reply
    1. Zhu August 6, 2017 at 5:14 pm

      Merci 🙂

      Reply

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