Guérande and Nantes

A big first full day in Brittany. We drove in the morning to the walled medieval town of Guérande. It was adorable with slate grey buildings and colorful orange banners adorning the narrow streets. And of course, a carousel outside of the town walls. We wandered the streets, placating the kids with a stop in the touristy candy store to stock up on candy for the soccer match that evening. Finding foods Maeve liked in the region proved challenging as the usual staple in her diet, pizza, tasted different (emmental instead of mozzarella cheese). 

From Guérande we drove about an hour to Nantes for our first Olympic event! We gave ourselves a lot of time, not knowing what the parking/security would be like. We easily found a spot in the lot across from the stadium so had a lot of time to kill before the match began. They had an area set up for kids to play futbol. We found some shade and played card games, trying to ignore the incredibly inappropriate songs the DJ was playing! 

We hit up the merchandise stand and got some swag

And some more swag when some Japanese fans offered to adorn us with headbands. 

We found our seats and were happy to see we were so close to the field for being in the cheap seats! The teams came onto the field and I got emotional. Happy tears for the experience, for the warm atmosphere, for the feelings of much-needed world peace that the games represent. The kids were really excited, too. The game was great, with Spain winning 2-1. We got a taste of the songs that we heard all Olympics-long (Sweet Caroline, Freed From Desire, Aux Champs-Elysess). I was disappointed that there was no beer for sale, though! Only Coca-Cola products. Also strange food options. Thankfully they had hotdogs at one stand. 

After the game, we took advantage of being in the city and rode the tram downtown to get dinner and explore. 

We crossed the river and found a food hall spot for some food. 

It was a beautiful evening and the city was really lively.

One of a few interesting art installations

I loved turning corners and finding old churches tucked into the city streets

Would have loved to return to one of the yummy-looking restaurants along this alley. 

Our city stroll culminated at the castle at the edge of town. Such a beautiful setting. Then we turned a corner and there was an outdoor jazz concert! 

Nantes charmed us. On our tram ride back to the car, a local woman started chatting with us and when we told her how beautiful we found her city, she scoffed and remarked that the city really cleaned itself up for the Olympics. Well, we appreciated it!