Nantes, France | The Enchanting Machines de l'Île 🏗️🐘🎠

Finally visited the *long-dreamed-about* **Machines de l'Île** in Nantes! Ride a **mechanical elephant**, hop on a *20,000 Leagues Under the Sea*-themed carousel—where Jules Verne’s sci-fi visions and da Vinci’s mechanical dreams **come to life**! ✨🔧 Nantes, Verne’s hometown and a former shipbuilding hub, now hosts this **steampunk wonderland**. Artists repurposed old shipyard crafts (wood, iron, leather) to build **moving creatures**—elephants, sea monsters, insects, and birds! 🚢➡️🦾 **Ticket Breakdown (sold separately)**: 1️⃣ **The Gallery**: Interactive exhibits with French guides (1hr tour). 2️⃣ **The Great Elephant**: Limited tickets (book online!). *Riding* feels like a parade float, but *watching* its water-spraying antics with kids is pure joy! 🐘💦 3️⃣ **The Marine Worlds Carousel**: Verne-inspired 3-level wonder (surface, depths, seabed). **Best experience**—kids ride 2-3x! 🎡🌊🐙 #Nantes #Steampunk #JulesVerne #FrenchInnovation