A few years ago a fair proportion of Rennes (the capital of Brittany) was disrupted for quite a long time due to the construction of an east-west metro line. Work started last year on a north-south line and the station of Saint-Anne will be common to both lines and is right in the heart of the picturesque old quarter of the city.
Mrs S had an appointment today with her eye-specialist whose consulting rooms are in the old quarter - albeit in a nice new building - so we had a chance to see how the work is progressing. Here you can see that the quarter has adapted to preserve the old and take in the new. The surveyors very kindly waited for people to pass before taking their measurements. The two men on the right are looking through an observation opening in the hoarding and have a direct view of what is currently an enormous hole in the ground. All the surrounding old buildings, including the huge old church of St Anne, have had large concrete rafts constructed beneath them to preserve their structural integrity during excavation and tunnelling work.
Love how we can divine the weather...hands in pockets, hats, hoods and scarves. The colombage adds panache; these buildings must have witnessed untold stories for centuries. Only the man in the duffel coat seems disinterested. Shame on him!
