Blaye

 This morning we decided to leave Ile d'Oleron. We had enjoyed our time there. But with the unpredictable weather forecast we felt it time to move a little further south. A few spots of rain fell. The earthy distinctive smell released when rain falls on dry ground filled the air. The sun failed to make an appearance thanks to​ a stubborn covering of cloud. Before leaving we walked in to town for a baguette.

Also, an impulse buy at the gift shop of a tea towel featuring sardines that we thought would look nice in our newly painted kitchen back at home. Returning to Marge an inquisitive Frenchman asked if we were Ukrainian. What? No. We wondered why so many French people had stopped to look at us and Marge. We'd even joked before we left home that the large U.K. sticker on Marge's rear might confuse people. It obviously had. Said Frenchman also quipped did GB stand for Grande Brexit! With that we fired up Marge and left, leaving him laughing at his own joke.

Our intended overnight stop was the medieval city of Pons. On the way we passed a field where dozens of storks were feeding. Yesterday we'd seen a disused stork's nest high up on an electricity pylon. Then a little further along the road at a garden centre we saw a camel. Have you two been at the fly agaric (magic) mushrooms? No Marge. We have visited Pons twice before.

But after lunching at the aire and making use of the facilities we decided to move a little further south to Blaye on the eastern side of the Gironde estuary. The area is cycling country for us. After some discussion about where to stay we decided to try the aire at Chateau Marquis de Vauban. We're staying at a chateau Marge. You and your chateaus! Not any old chateau Marge, look at the grape vines. We're in Bordeaux country. Angela's in Bordeaux heaven then! By now the weather had settled, the sun was out and the temperature a respectable 17c. We walked in to the town and down to the ferry terminal.

The last ferry of the day was just about to depart across to Lamarque on the west side of The Gironde estuary. Seeing it leave bought back fond memories of us crossing on it with our bicycles.

Although we have passed this way before we had never really taken a proper look at the old town so walked up to the citadel to take a look. A wine festival is being staged here this weekend and lots of activity was taken place in preparation for it. It being late in the day, besides the workmen, visitors were few and we were able to take our time looking around. However, time was getting on, so back to Marge who was happily settled on a grassy pitch by the trees in front of the château, with a view of the vines.

There are two other English vans here, some Belgians, Germans and Dutch. It must be the wine that's brought us altogether. Oh, and the free electrical hook-up! Opposite Marge is a French couple. After our evening walk around the chateau grounds, they struck up conversation. Angela pulling her best French out of the bag conversed with them discussing the weather, the fact Marge was left hand drive, but a British registered vehicle and whether we were on our way back to the Great Britain. Yes, it was nice for March. Yes, April's weather could be one way or the other. Marge is left hand drive because she's an imported vehicle from Germany. No, we were heading further south and would be away for around another twenty-eight days.

Exhausted from all this French speaking Angela cracked open another bottle of Bordeaux.

It is so nice here at the chateau that we are thinking of staying tomorrow night as well. You're O.K. with that aren't you, Marge? 

St. Trojan les Bains (Day 2)

 We didn't wake up until nine thirty this morning. Our bodies obviously adjusting to the missing hour. Whilst we ate breakfast, Angela had the pleasure of watching the man from the van opposite cut his toenails whilst sitting on his step. Nice. Despite a late start we were keen to get on with the day. After buying a baguette and some jambon sec (dry cured ham) we stopped off at the tourist office to buy a cycling map of the island. 

All quiet when we cycled out of town at twelve thirty our lunch baguettes in our bag we pedalled along the cycleway that lead to Le Chateau d'Oleron.

We passed by many oystermen's huts on stilts, one a smart restaurant busy with lunch service. The tide was out exposing the sandbanks.

As we crossed over a bridge at the end of one of the channels the tumbledown huts made us think of the homes we'd seen whilst cycling in Vietnam, suspended above a tributary of the Mekong river. 

Le Chateau d'Oleron, was an interesting town. Dubbed the capital of the oyster world, most of the oystermen's huts are now workshops or galleries for local artists and craft people.

The citadel, some parts dating back to 1630 was impressive.

We walked around it, stopping at a seating area on the ramparts to eat our lunch. Fort Boyard and the Ile de Re could be seen in the distance. Old photographs were on display all around the site.

A picture of a couple taken in 1910 caught our eye. That's some hat madam. 

In no hurry we cycled out of the town and along the coast, not really knowing where we were heading. But we didn't care. It was another hot afternoon and we were in no rush. We were in oyster country. Everywhere we looked it was all about these molluscs. Large lorries with throaty engines passed us by and large mounds of oyster shells like snow peaks stood in yards. Realising we needed to head inland we consulted our map. Oh good, there's a town coming up. Cake time. Alas no. It was Monday. The shops were closed. As we cycled out of town and through the pine trees, we could see the green of new ferns pushing their way up through the crisp bronze remnants of last year's growth. The colour green is described as the colour of life, and the new ferns confirmed this. As we arrived on the outskirts of St. Trojan les Bains in the heat of the afternoon we'd thought we'd seen a mirage. A small supermarket appeared. By now our taste for cake had been exchanged for ice cream. Oh dear they only sell packs of four. Not a problem. Angela could only manage one and a half but John easily polished off the rest. Well we had been out for five hours, of which we were cycling for over three. We needed the calories! A quick stop for Angela at the privy on the quayside in order to save Marge's facilities and we were back.

No time to rest it was straight in to preparing our evening meal. We have noticed that we very rarely smell food being cooked from the other vans. John thinks the people in them might just eat salad. They don't look like salad eaters. Look at the a**e on that one. Rude Marge. We however cooked up mince, onions, courgette, green, yellow and red pepper. Split the mix in two. Added oregano to one. Spag bol. The rest in the fridge to make a curry. Job done. 

Tomorrow we will move on. So, this evening we walked along the promenade and down on to the beach.

The tide long gone exposing a vast stretch of sand. We walked along it our shoes crunching on already broken shells.

On a bank by a nearby lake we saw a pair of coypus, though only one stayed to have its photo taken, large semiaquatic rodents. They are quite common along this coast. As we walked back to Marge our eyes caught sight of a large nest high up in a tree. We deduced it was probably an old hornet's nest.

After a sunny day with the temperature once again hitting 21c we know tomorrow will not be as nice and are wondering if we need to move a little further south before a cold front arrives on Thursday. Whatever weather comes our way, we'll just go with it won't we Marge?

St. Trojan les Bains

 

Packing up Marge this morning we realised she's like a mobile sports shop. Besides carrying food, clothing and other essentials she has to lug around two inflatable canoes, paddles, canoe clothing and wetsuits, two Brompton bicycles, walking poles and boots, a collapsible fishing rod and equipment. And yes, we hope to make use of all of it. We needed to be away in good time this morning as it was Sunday and the supermarkets close at 12.30 pm. Look Marge an English registered van. That's six now. The owner of the van said we were the first vehicle from the U.K. he had seen in the two weeks he'd been in France. 

Food shopping done we headed for the bridge.

Marge sailed up. You're keen to leave Ile de Re aren't you, Marge? Places to see, people to meet. The traffic travelling in the other direction was heavy. This was March, it must be horrendous accessing the island in the height of summer.

At Rochefort we stopped to service Marge and then lunch at a table at the aire. The English van from the supermarket was also there. But Marge was keen to move on, so we continued towards the Ile d'Oleron, the road running beside a cycle route we had cycled on years ago. To the right we could see the transporter bridge, which we'd been on with our bikes twice. 

Our arrival on the island of Oleron took us by surprise. Unlike Ile de Re it was more, 'rustic'. A shanty town of oyster farmer's huts greeted us. Marge happily bowled along to our chosen overnight stop at St. Trojan les Bains.

The temperature 21c we changed in to shorts and walked out to explore.

Around the port a lot of the oyster huts were now occupied by artists. The tourist information office was nearby, thankfully, as we'd not thought to ask for a map of the island when we visited the office in La Flotte. Tomorrow we want to cycle out and explore more of the island.

Keen to save Marge's facilities, Angela stopped off at the oyster farmers privy. That too was a little rustic, but clean. At 5 pm, or was it 6pm? We suddenly realised we'd been running an hour behind all day. The nearby church bells rang out six times to confirm this. 

Marge has six companions this evening. We are all parked across the road from the seafront where the bridge connecting the island to the mainland can be clearly seen.

Early evening sirens were a plenty. Six emergency vehicles arrived alongside the aire on the main road. Then after around thirty minutes a helicopter arrived with medical staff. Pompiers and police were everywhere. Of course, all this commotion drew a crowd, including us. After some time the patient in the ambulance was transferred to the helicopter. O.K. everyone, excitement over. 

It didn't become dark until just before nine this evening. Wonderful. Checking the weather forecast for the next few days we can see a change coming. A little rain and some hail, with night time temperatures down to -1 for a couple of nights. We will probably not spend too long on the island of Oleron, heading further south chasing better weather seems like a good idea.