Zand Martin

There are eight different names for white gas in French.  This does not mean that the helpful people at the mountaineering shop, or the hardware stores, or the sporting goods stores knew where to find it.  In fact, it does not exist in the coeur ville de Nantes.

The fact that our stove runs on unleaded gasoline meant littl today- there are no gas stations within 5km of the city center.  No essence C, no petrol filtree, no desaromatisee de petrole, and no autogaz sans plomb within walking distance.  In the lead up to the launch tomorrow, however, the lack of stove fuel is a minor hiccup.  In all, things move smoothly and we approach our launch with eagerness and a constant sense of “…it cannot be this easy.”

Spare time is easily spent walking the streets and exploring the city.  Waiting for the mountaineering shop to open was made easier by the open castle across the street, and a pit stop made at the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul will usually put one in a good headspace for buying rations at the supermarket.

We being our ascent of the Loire tomorrow, and plan ten days to Orleans, with three more to Briare and the start of the canal system.