Bonjour la famille et les amis,
My last two days in La Rochelle and they were both exhausting and fun. Let’s start with the exhausting part. As I relayed in my last post, my feet were entering a mutinous state and so how did I respond yesterday, Wednesday. Walked 50% further than I had on the previous day! My feet’s response? The left one just descended that evening into a semi-state of numbness whereas the right one went in the other direction – all out protest via a smorgasbord of pain.
Unique Lighthouse
The extra walking though was not intentional on my part. Just a longer, and maybe on the outbound portion more convoluted (read temporary state of lostness), journey to the south headlands versus the north headlands. However, losing one’s way does have its perks occasionally, as was the case yesterday, as I came across the University of La Rochelle. Wandered the campus a bit which is both modern, recent addition to Higher Ed in France, and mostly deserted, as it is summer recess.
At the end of my trek to the south headlands was able to get much closer than before to this odd looking structure which came to find out was a lighthouse. My understanding is that a private group performed a restoration but not sure how it is used now.
Today, Thursday, was the day for a jaunt to the Île d’Aix which is the smallest of the three islands that lie off the coast of La Rochelle. It is something that was on my wish list for this visit as well as something that I figured would receive cooperation from my feet. Five years ago when I first visited La Rochelle, I took the bus over the bridge to the Île de Ré which is the most popular of the three islands and a vacation destination for the French. On the boat ride over, one goes by Fort Boyard which apparently by the time it was finished, was obsolete militarily. It then saw use for a time as a prison and most recently as a set for a television show.
Fort Boyard
Île d’Aix
Once on the island, I did what I do – wandered but with a firmer grasp on the topography as I needed to be back for the rendezvous with the ship as it would be the last ship for the day. The island has battlements, interior waterways fed by the sea, and portals that may have, at one time, had small drawbridges – take the latter with knowledge of my limited mechanical abilities. The island and its town are quaint, pastoral, and in word, relaxing. While the boat ride over was exciting, the boat ride back was nap inducing with the cool sea breezes. In summary, a splendid day for both me and my feet!
Lastly, as Gaspar (the son of the parents who own the B&B) and his girlfriend Chloe (finally got the correct name) were off to Paris interviewing for part-time jobs for the upcoming school year, I had the chance to meet more fully the parents, David and Julie. As I had with Gaspar and Chloe, ended up having a wide ranging conversation with David and Julie after breakfast this morning. As their English is not as fluent, delightfully our conversation, while mostly in English, required my use of French to a certain degree – expérience magnifique!
Tomorrow – on the train to Paris!
A bientôt,
Papi
