we start this week on france's river loire. you'll find some of the country's most impressive history. a chateau there were visited by the likes ofjoan of arc, leonardo da vinci and eleanor of aquitaine. but we sent keith wallace to the city of nantes to find out how the region's industrial past is being used to inspire a new generation. just over a decade ago, this little island in the loire was a scrap of wasteland close to the centre of nantes. a three—mile stretch of brownfield site, home only to the odd artist who had gone there in search of peace and quiet. but it didn't stay peaceful for very long. in 2007 this, the great elephant, began taking its daily constitutional. people came from all over to hitch a ride in its belly. and, as it prepares to celebrate its 10th birthday, they still come. so this is how you make an elephant roarfrom inside its body. elephant roars. laughter. that was incredible. it's so low—tech. you can feel the whole thing pull against your body as you're doing it. this is the thing that i love. al

we start this week on france's river loire.nt keith wallace to the city of nantes to find out how the region's industrial past is being used to inspire a new generation. just over a decade ago, this little island in the loire was a scrap of wasteland close to the centre of nantes. a three—mile stretch of brownfield site, home only to the odd artist who had gone there in search of peace and quiet. but it didn't stay peaceful for very long. in 2007 this, the great elephant, began taking its daily constitutional. people came from all over to hitch a ride in its belly. and, as it prepares to celebrate its 10th birthday, they still come. so this is how you make an elephant roarfrom inside its body. elephant roars. laughter. that was incredible. it's so low—tech. you can feel the whole thing pull against your body as you're doing it. this is the thing that i love. all of these switches are twitching every time the elephant‘s moving. it's so organic, it's incredible. the elephant rides form part of the first huge push to turn the fort

at the ship started getting bigger and bigger, and the loire was too narrow to accommodate them. 30 yeaow to accommodate them. 30 years ago, in 1987, the last yard closed. these days, the old buildings occupied not just closed. these days, the old buildings occupied notjust the elephant, but by a whole menagerie. all the animals began life inside the head of francois, and he still gets a kick out of the drama. she wa kes gets a kick out of the drama. she wakes up. and how long did it take to build? six months. can i move the head? you play it like a marionette. with feeling. field the spider. —— feel the spider. and these are all dockyards, aren't they? and they still feel like it. that is intentional. but there is another influence. adventure writer jules verne was a son of nantes, and his book 20,000 leagues under the sea inspired the island's gothic carousel. it is quite high up. can we control how high it is? no, we can't. we are on the top level, precisely on the surface of the sea. and under we have the deep sea, and then the intermittent level of the sea, and at every level you h

. >> that's hill loires you. >> the mom, the dog, baby are all asleep. >> now we're talking. >> brian. >> wait a minute, i have a moment to myself. >> that's right. and for you when your kid has their first ballet recital, that's neat. >> it was one of those things where i'm like am i going to be one of those moms that cries? yes. >> and your mom was there. >> she's here for mother's day and something we'll do on the show so it worked out. the universe aligned, my daughter had her first ballet recital and then i rushed in trying to get her ready and inted to have flowers and my husband came in with his two -- with his two boys? good lord. >> they are yours, right? >> my husband comes in with the boys and he had flowers. it was like all is right with the world. even if they don't remember the steps, you know. >> and here's the best part, with the last name of "j" you're toward the middle or front. when you're "r" you have to sit through -- and your kids -- >> oh, they go in alphabetical order? >> generally speaking. >> so you have to sit through all the other kids whose bad recital --