Ruth Paget: Visiting Camelot (Modern-day Nantes) in Brittany, France with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Visiting Camelot (Modern-day Nantes) in Brittany, France with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Visiting Camelot (Modern-day Nantes) in Brittany, France with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

We left Charente-Maritime and set out for Naoned, the Breton name for this former capital of Brittany. The Vichy Government (1940 - 1944) politically separated Nantes from Brittany in 1941. Following French administrations liked this separation and have kept it in place. Nantes is now the prefecture, or main city, of the Loire-Atlantique département.

However, when the massive Palace of the Dukes of Brittany comes into view, you sense the dual identity that has been forced upon Nantes. I prefer focusing on the Breton past of Nantes as it was the capitol of Brittany for generations.

We started our visit of Nantes in Breton fashion by heading to the Quartier Bouffray, which is the restaurant district of Nantes. We went to eat savory galettes, buckwheat and flour crêpes, at the oldest crêperie in Nantes called the “Crêperie Sainte Croix.” The crêperie was close to the Sainte Croix Church, giving the restaurant its name.

Our meals were simple, but well prepared. Laurent had a galette with ham, eggs, and cheese while I ate one with eggs, cheese, and mushrooms. We drank a traditional apple cider with our meal. Laurent ate a crêpe with honey and almonds for dessert. I finished my meal with a buttery Breton cake called Kouing Aman.

After our hearty lunch, we set out to see the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral built from 1434 to 1891. Parts of the cathedral have been reconstructed since it was bombed during World War II (1939 - 1945). The cathedral also suffered from a fire in 1972 an exhibit in the cathedral noted. Today it glistens inside and out from the restoration work that has been done to it.

There is a magnificent tomb for François II (1433 - 1488), Duke of Brittany in the cathedral, but it is the story of his family that is most interesting.

From 1364 to 1468, the Dukes of the Monfort House took over Brittany and only rendered theoretical homage to the kingdom of France according to our Michelin Guide for Bretagne Sud.

Duke François II actually caused the demise of his family in 1488 by losing a battle to the Regent of France Anne de Beaujeu, the Bretagne Sud guide related along with information about François II’s heir Anne de Bretagne (1477 - 1514). Duchesse Anne de Bretagne played power politics all of her life to try and maintain the autonomy of Brittany.

In 1491, she married Charles VIII (1470 - 1498), the king of France and maintained the independence of Brittany. She later married Louis XII (1462 - 1515), the king of France in 1499. Brittany came under the de facto control of the crown during this marriage.

In 1514, Anne de Bretagne’s daughter, Claude de France (1499 - 1524), married François I, King of France (1494 – 1547), who legally ratified the union between France and Brittany.

After our visit of the cathedral we walked to the botanical garden. There are trees and plants from all over the world here, reflecting Nantes’ naval and commercial past.

There was a playground in the botanical garden. I smiled and laughed a little as children dressed in white clothes went to play in the sandbox and on the swings under the supervision of their parents. Parents chided children to make them play nicely.

Children had to take turns on the swings, boys could not push girls and vice versa, and there was no throwing of sand at playmates. I finished the day thinking of how much I like French civilization.

By Ruth Paget, Author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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