Le Royal Cafe sur Nantes

17/08/2026: A dome of heat... South entrance, a paved plaza, tables and benches in full sun. Most of the fans on the upper level aren't working. No train announcements over the PA system; the old-world charm is gone. A staff member quickly announces that the platform information will only be displayed 20 minutes before departure: a fleeting, lightning-fast appearance. Access to the platform is handled by staff who are slightly (or even more than slightly) grumpy; greetings and smiles are perhaps in the lost and found. Of course, how can you blame these people who work in the furnace of a building designed to roast passengers and staff as surely as a summer barbecue? They are there, faithful to their posts, still bravely facing the extreme temperatures, the lack of air, donning their uniforms and caps; we can thank them. The architecture needs to be redesigned, and the exterior too, to bring some relief from the heat. From the drop-off area to the lobby and then this interminable wait in the sweltering heat, you start to wish you could talk to the architect or whoever designed this esplanade. A complete failure...

17/08/2026: The waiting room was sweltering during the heatwave, and I had to wait four hours after my train was cancelled.