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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 6:01:59 GMT
Let me start by explaining " almost Arcachon." Arcachon isn't in Les Landes but just a few kilometres north of it in Gironde, big deal! For those of you unfamiliar with the area, it covers most of the southwest Atlantic coast of France and is comprised of vast sandy beaches and even vaster pine forests. It is the biggest forest in France, covering 67% of the département but also much of neighbouring Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne. It is also the main surfing area in France, but I am sorry to say that there was no surf the day that I was there, even more so because I started in one of the surf capitals, Hossegor. The French surfing federation has its headquarters there, and both Quiksilver and Rip Curl have their French base there as well as sponsoring surfing championships there. Hossegor and nearby Capbreton have a huge Australian population, but you will not find an official trace of it because many of them are settled there illegally or have dual EU citizenship, often due to British, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Cypriot, etc., ancestors, not to mention marriage.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 6:06:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 6:11:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 6:27:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 11:14:51 GMT
After sunset, I walked back through Mimizan Plage to the car. It was pretty much shut up tight except for a few restaurants. This confirms something that I saw in a recent movie that was shot there -- Les Combattants -- in which the young people in town are totally bored out of their wits. I read up on it, and it contains the remains of 940 Senegalese troops, 87 American troops and 12 Russian troops who all died from illness, even though the camp had been set up there to nurse them back to health. (The 87 Americans have a private monument on the other side of the road because they did not want to be mixed with these others.) There used to be 400 barracks on the site, but now there is just a big mound under which there are bones. Apparently the vaccine that was used on them was prepared too quickly and did not work. They might have survived anyway if the camp had not been so crummy. The barracks had dirt floors, the roofs leaked and the wind blew through the walls. There was no heat, even though the camp was set up for the soldiers to spend the winter, a lot of whom had neither winter clothes nor blankets. The camps was set up for only 16 months and housed up to 25,000 soldiers, including 18,000 Senegalese. The African member of the French parliament representing Senegal demanded that the camp be closed, and finally it was due to the high mortality rate. It's amazing all of the tragic places that you can discover in France when you are innocently driving around.
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Post by htmb on Sept 15, 2014 19:36:46 GMT
This thread looks to be another winner, but, unless I have my days mixed up, you seem to have driven to the Oceanside and taken photos just after having hiked the Gorges of Kakuetta. That's quite impressive.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 19:42:00 GMT
Don't forget that my trip only lasted 3 days, and I have two other reports besides this one to make.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 19:58:02 GMT
I made another stop as I worked my way up the coast, but it will have its own report soon, so we will jump ahead to my arrival in the lovely city of Arcachon. It is famous for its oyster parks (which I did not see this time) and as a recreational city near Bordeaux. I parked at the small craft harbour.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 20:28:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2014 3:29:22 GMT
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Post by mossie on Sept 16, 2014 18:59:56 GMT
You take us to some different places and this does not really look like France, or am I too Paris centric.
And is that a concrete whale flapping its tail at us ?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2014 19:16:17 GMT
Not all of France looks like Paris, just like not all of England looks like London. Yes, I guess that is a concrete whale, but I would be curious to know if there is more there than meets the eye -- I have no idea if it was low tide or not.
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Post by htmb on Sept 17, 2014 20:00:14 GMT
It's disappointing there was no significant surf to photograph.
Looking at all your shoreline photos have made me want to go walk on a beach somewhere soon.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2014 16:11:19 GMT
This is a WOW report in every sense of the word!! I am so glad I was able to slowly view all your fantastic photos Kerouac. So many ones became a favourite so cannot comment on any single photo.....maybe the sunsets!
Maybe one day we will jump in a rental and head off into the wide blue yonder and discover super places like this.
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Post by stickybeak on Oct 17, 2014 17:30:50 GMT
Wow..just wow. I feel refreshed merely looking at your photos even though I'm currently stuck at a garage waiting for my car to be fixed. The next time we go to France maybe we'll give Paris a pass and explore these places. Thank you very much for this photo essay.
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Post by mich64 on Oct 17, 2014 18:25:44 GMT
I missed viewing this thread! You continuously add to my holiday possibilities and show places I would never know anything about. I especially like the photos of the piers and oceanfront. We are currently beginning to go through options for our 2015 holiday and in combination with Paris we are considering the Brittany region.
I as well find it interesting when we travel to see who also picks the same destination we have chosen for our holiday. That is why I like when we go out to eat at restaurants where there are no tables for 2 and that the host or hostess will sit others at our table. We have met some lovely people and have made some of our dinners very memorable.
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