Up early to get in the queue for tickets at the Ile des machines for a ride on the huge mechanical elephant. Fantastic place to visit, in what used to be the Nantes shipyards. Being redeveloped and this place is the star attraction.

They took some 18 months and 8 million euro to bulid a monstrous mechanical elephant. It is 12 meters high and weighs 42 tonnes. It really is somehting to behold, along with the faces of not only the kids but the adults alike. Those lucky enough the get to ride on it even experience the normal swaying of an elephant as it moves slowly along the road. The engineers involved in this project spared no detail of the creatures real characteristics, even including such things as blinking eyes, opening mouth and of course the spraying of water from the trunk.

Aside from the elephant they had a gallery of other smaller but just as fascinating mechanical animals, a squid, crab, boat etc. Also many displays of photographs and conceptual drawings of the exhibits. They demonstrated 3 of the machines while we were there. If you were very lucky they picked you from the crowd to operate them. Sally has decided this is the ultimate complex to have the service contract for! Would definately recommend this as a place to visit as it is quite a break from the monotony of the typical French town.

After another baguette from Atlantis it was off to La Rochelle. Another jam-packed seaside town. Had a bit of a drive around and decided to go back into town early tomorrow to get some photos in before the hoardes wake up and take all the parking!