Speed Skate World- By Peter Doucet- Online Since 1999

I haven’t really taken a lot of time to write about my experiences in Europe.

Things aren’t that different from back home in Canada- in terms of my focus that is. I’m training lots to get faster.

Here is a part of my journey;

Changing time zones was really tough. I found myself going to bed at 4am and waking at 3pm. Playing computer games, including Insiniquarium Deluxe, Family Feud, and Polar Bowler, certainly didn’t help me get to bed any earlier. I am pleased to report that I was in bed at midnight last night and up at 9am this morning.

The social life/ night life in Nantes is much better than I expected. Morgane and I have gone out with a few skaters, we saw an outdoor show- Shantel- check out Shantel DISKO PARTIZANI-

There are many coffee shops and cafés in Nantes. During the day, I noticed more of a business crowd using the cafés- with cellphone, crossword puzzles, and cigarettes in hand. In the evening and at night, it tends to be a younger crowd with groups of friends- with cellphones, drinks, and cigarettes in hand.

The architecture is quite nice, with a mix of very old, old, meadival, classical, and modern.

A fountain in downtown nantes

A church in downtown Nantes

European cars are much smaller than North American cars. There are round-a-bouts everywhere. Nantes features bike lanes along most of the roads.

Residents who subscribe to the Bicloo program can use these bikes and return them at another station

You can’t really tell from this picture, but this is a double round-about; one round-about connected to another- this is damn confusing

Road signs

You may notice these buildings are crooked. I got a few explanations for this; one person told me that when they redirected the river that runs though Nantes, many wells collapsed. Someone else told me that the buildings were build on a sandy bed

The trams offer a great way to get around the city. They come by often and they’re quick

I loved the artistic details

We ride our bikes by this castle every day on our way to the track. I shot this picture while biking back from practice- I should share a picture from a different angle; it’s much more impressive.

The quality of skaters is exceptional. Nantes features a great depth of talent and speed. The city boasts names like Yann Guyader, Thomas Boucher, Julien & Adrien Despaux, Pascal Briand, Richard Deniaud, Maxime Provost, Mikael Lannzeval, and more, you’re bound to bump into one of these guys when you make a trip to the track.

There’s always someone to train with. Training and skating is getting better. I found it very very difficult getting over the jet-lag. The last few training sessions- one on the road and one of the track- felt good.

Maxime Provost after training on Tuesday- he’s fast

Morgane Echardour ties her skates while Yann Guyader and Thomas Boucher chat

I really like how the sun sets later- it’s light out until 10:30pm. We’ve been blessed with amazing weather- it hasn’t rained since we’ve arrived in Nantes. Skies have been blue blue blue This has allowed us to train to our heart’s desire.

This is the first corner of the banked track- if you look carefully on the left, you’ll notice Adrien Despaux’s shadow who is skating

Left to right, Peter Doucet, Mikael Lannzeval, and a skater from Venezuela- the Venezuelan skater taught me how to say ‘the Incredible Hulk’ in Spanish; it’s ‘el uulk increyiblé’.

Thank god Morgane and I brought our bikes; a great way to get around Nantes. I’ve only been in a car one time since July 9th.

Our race schedule for August is coming together, with potential stops in the Zurich World Inline Cup, track racing in Italy, and a race in Holland before heading to Spain for the World Championships.

We are satying at Morgane’s grand-mother’s house on the ‘Bute Sainte-Anne’ which is a part of Nantes on a hill. Visitors come to the house on a daily basis to drink coffee, eat meals, and chat.

The view from my bedroom’s window

Morgane’s grand-mother’s house is somewhere in the upper left-hand side of this picture

French food features a lot of cheese, yogurt, and fresh baguettes.

Yogurt and cheese dominate the fridge. I’ve been told that there are over 400 types of cheese in France. It’s true. I should have taken a picture of the selection of cheese when I was at the supermarket. Actually, Morgane and I are leaving in a few minutes for a trip to the supermarket. I’ll try to remember to take a picture of all the cheese. It’s really impressive.

The pigeon that made its nest outside our bedroom window in Paris

When she’s chilling out, Morgane likes to play with lego