Nicest things to see and do in the Vendée according to Hemko
(not in particular order)
Wine
tasting: in a range of 50 km (30 miles) it is possible to taste
a wide range of French wines. White, Rosé and Red. Or to be exact,
the Pays Vignoble Nantais with its Muscadet and gros plants du Pays-Nantais
and the Fiefs Vendéens with its White, Red and Rosé at
the coast and in the country. This makes it a nice challenge for Hemko
to find some new favourites.
Ship
- and plane construction: a trip over the immense bridge at
Saint Nazaire gives you already a good possibility to see the unloading
of the big ships in the harbour. The immense passenger ships which are
built in Saint Nazaire and which stick out far above the neighbouring
houses is also spectacular to see. The Queen Mary II was built here.
An organised tour to these boat builders and to the Airbus plant in
Saint Nazaire where they make the new super plane A380, is really worth
a visit.
Attraction
park: the spectacular historical attraction park Puy
du Fou speaks for itself.
Waterfun:
Hemko has got his swim trunks ready to go to the Water
park Océanile on ile de Noirmoutier and Atlantic Toboggan at Saint
Gilles Croix. Hemko enjoys descending from the very high and long toboggans.
Golf:
Hemko imagines himself in a Golfers paradise
with 10 very varied golf courses in a very reasonable distance drive
and also very important not as busy as everywhere else in Europe, so
there is enough time and room to play. Certainly when the French have
their 2 hour lunch.
Bird
watching: as a son of a birdwatcher, Hemko also enjoys watching
birds(the feathered variety!). That the
Sacred Ibis is a regularly seen bird in this area is something his dad
still does not want to believe ("no doubt escaped from the zoo").
French
Cuisine: A highlight of the French Kitchen, and something which
Hemko easily makes a detour for is the Americain. For those who don’t
know it; a combination of half a French bread filled with fries and
for example a hamburger, merguez or sausage and of course a considerable
amount of sauce. Bon Apetit!?!
James
Bond: not the large quantity of shops or the cultural curiosities,
but the cinema lures Hemko to Nantes. To watch an English film with
subtitles, which is called a VO (version original) in French. Hemko
does not like the French dubbed movies "Mon nom est Bond, James
Bond".
Planet
Sauvage: We have passed it frequently this winter when it was
still closed. This is a very nice zoo/safari
park between Nantes and Beauvoir-sur-mer, with most of the animals
without cage and in free range where you can drive through with your
car.
