To get away from the rain of Brittany I consulted the weather map, wetted a finger to ascertain the wind, cast the bones and consulted the augurs, and finally looked at the trains leaving Nantes and decided on Poitiers as the most practical destination. To be sure I could have ridden, but these old bones dont mind a day or two off now and again, so onto the trains I went. I had to make a quick change in Tours, but by early afternoon I was in a nice hotel looking out on a sunlight square.
Jazz serenade in the gare de Nantes. Trumpeter is a disciple of Dizzy Gillespie it seems.
A wander around Poitiers seemed like a good idea. It’s a lovely old city with an extensive pedestrian quarter and armed with a map from the tourist office, off I went.
I love Art Nouveau, and this is a prime example. Just the facade, of course.
Gregory GarceauI don't know a whole lot about Art Nouveau, but damn, that looks a lot like actual PASTA on the exterior walls and windows. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
Keith KleinIt’s supposed to be more « vegetal » as a reaction to the Industrial Age. In the US, Louis Confort Tiffany was the prime proponent of the style. As a style it gave way to Art Deco after the First World War. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
Gregory GarceauAnd to think I was impressed with some original Clash lyrics, written on notebook paper, from the 1980's, while at Cleveland's Rock & Roll Museum. Reply to this comment 5 years ago
On the way back to the hotel I went through the ancien University quarter. The courses began in the 14th century.
This is the porch of the University church, 11th century. Predating the faculty, it became associated by the donation of a bell (« Anne ») by the faculty used to call students to class. The donation was in 1456, and the bell is still there, and still rung, but the campus is now outside the old city.
