|
Post by amboseli on Sept 6, 2018 17:25:15 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 6, 2018 18:17:19 GMT
Oh yaay ~ a report from Amboseli. I always think, "expect the unexpected with Amboseli" and am certainly thrilled with this unexpected look at a beautiful place. I had no idea that Orléans was so different -- different in terms of the buildings being relatively low, but extremely graceful. There is so much medieval stuff intact! Love those timbered & brick buildings. I assume many things in the city reference The Maid, right?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 6, 2018 18:40:52 GMT
This is going to be a great report. Thank you for showing a bit or Orleans. No matter what I have done elsewhere in France, reaching Orleans on the autoroute just provokes a reaction in me of "shit, still more than an hour before I get home." Your pictures have proven to me that I should finally stop there some day.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 6, 2018 21:11:31 GMT
We could have driven to La Rochelle straight away but since you never know with traffic, we decided to overnight in a city we hadn't been to before. We were pleasantly surprised with Orléans. The city's architecture is a mixture of grandeur and humility. We only had half an afternoon and an evening there so we just walked around and took a quick peek in the Cathédrale Ste.-Croix and the Hôtel Groslot, with the statue of La Pucelle d'Orléans in front (photos above).
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Sept 7, 2018 0:46:11 GMT
I confess that the two lovely Black ladies amidst the Orléans sculpture made me think of La Nouvelle Orléans!
I didn't know there were so many half-timbered buildings there.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Sept 7, 2018 6:24:22 GMT
I haven't been there either. It looks nice and has obviously been renovated with the open square and fountains where kids are playing. I know of someone who lived in Orléans and worked in Paris, so it's obviously close enough for a commute by train.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 12:50:30 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Sept 7, 2018 13:30:19 GMT
Some super shots here, I like the towers. But, that horse! Should be in the circus, rearing up on one leg balancing on a bike saddle.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 14:31:33 GMT
Finally, the next morning, we could start cycling on Île de Ré. We had the choice: cross the Pont de l’Île de Ré by car, at a cost of 16 euro (7 euro in low season) or park the car for free on a big parking lot in front of the bridge and cross the bridge by bike. We did the latter: 42 meter high, 3 kms long. Île de Ré is a pleasant island with many small villages like La Flotte, Le Bois Plage, Saint-Martin de Ré, La Couarde, ..., marina’s lined with restaurants and cafés, good cycling paths in the forests, along the shore and sometimes on a bicycle path next to a busy road. The beaches on Île de Ré, though, were not at all attractive. But beaches was not what we came for to Île de Ré. What really bothered us were the immense crowds: too many cars, too many cyclists, too many people tout court. That explains why I couldn't find a hotel/B&B on the island itself. We cycled on Île de Ré on two days (respectively 54 and 77 kms), one day with greyish weather and one day with perfect blue skies, and covered the whole island on our bikes. Pictures!
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 7, 2018 15:22:24 GMT
Wonderful pictures, Amboseli -- you all had quite a trip. The contrast between the building facades in Orléans and La Rochelle is striking, with La Rochelle's very much reflecting the need to batten down against war and storms from sea. It is amazing, with its history, how intact it is.
I guess the parking decision at Île de Ré was a no-brainer! Too bad about the crowds, but I hope you wound up feeling the way I did about Amsterdam. If I'd known about the volume of tourists, I might have decided not to go. Ignorance was bliss, as I'm very glad I went. Your pictures of Île de Ré certainly show why it attracts so many people. It seems to have everything -- quaint town, beautiful views, beaches, grapes, salt flats, and wonderful seafood. In the third picture of the market seafood, why are the big crabs cut in half? Is that done to show the roe inside? (& is roe the right word for crab eggs?)
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2018 15:28:57 GMT
Beautiful photos. I have never been a fan of the Ile de Ré myself, but it is only because I have only ever been there for the day. I know that people who can rent a cottage or an apartment there and spend a week or more absolutely love it. The Ile de Ré actually raised a controversial problem in French politics. Property values on the island have skyrocketed due to its popularity, and since there is a wealth tax in France, every single property owner is a millionaire, even the old farmers who have lived there forever. Actually, I don't know if a solution was found for that problem, but I suspect that it was. Usually these things are resolved with exemptions for people who have owned a property for 30 years or more.
The main "problem" is of course the bridge. It was built in 1988 and opened the floodgates to the island. It was extremely controversial because of course the local people (who at least do not have to pay the toll) knew exactly how they would be overwhelmed when a bridge made it easy for anybody to go there. But you can't stop "progress."
Now I will stop my pedantry and admire the photos a second time.
Factoid: it is the second longest bridge in France.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 16:32:00 GMT
bixaorellanaRe crabs (tourteaux). I also wondered about why they were cut in half. Apparently there are two reasons: 1) easier for the consumer ; 2) to show how full of flesh the crabs are. kerouac2We found the price of the bridge to be over the top. 16 euros (= 5.30 euro per km!), that's about what we paid for péage between Lille and Paris. Maybe the objective is to have fewer vehicles on the island? FYI There's also a bus that takes foot passengers (with their bikes) from one side of the bridge to the other for just 1 euro.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 17:42:47 GMT
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2018 18:02:55 GMT
I have never visited Rochefort, but I dealt with it a lot in my job, since it was the training base of the Saudi navy, and I was in charge of their plane tickets.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Sept 7, 2018 18:58:03 GMT
"Saudi navy" sounds like a contradiction in terms.
I have never visited Rochefort either. It looks like a place of former glory with some of those buildings with large columns in front. A quick look at Wikipedia gives its population as about 25,000. Big decline since the beginning of the 20th century when it was over 36,000.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 21:01:11 GMT
To be honest, we found Rochefort rather boring. Someone on Tripadvisor suggested we should visit. We did, because the weather wasn't very good.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 7, 2018 21:25:37 GMT
After Île de Ré we headed for Île d’Oléron, which, after Corsica, is the biggest island of France. Île d’Oléron didn’t seem to be the typical vacation-island like Île de Ré. The villages are not so animated and the one we stopped at on mid-day after our arrival on the island was simply dead. We couldn’t even find somewhere to eat. Luckily enough we had bought a baguette and some cheese in the morning and found a bench for a picnic. The island was pleasant enough for our cycling trips, though. No crowds here, and the same kind of cycle paths through the forests, on country roads, in the vineyards and along the coast. I realize it's much of the same, but we love to be outside. Dolus-d'Oléron, the 'dead' village Phare de Chassiron, staircase and views from above Yummie Pineau de CharentesColorful beach houses in Saint-Denis d'Oléron
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2018 0:01:53 GMT
Great coverage, Amboseli! Rochefort may have been boring, but it sure looks like it was trying hard. Pictures 7, 8, & 9 in reply #12 reminded me of Sicily -- maybe you too?
Île d’Oléron seems like the perfect antidote to the excess of tourists on the other island. It must have inspired you, as your pictures are wonderful.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Sept 8, 2018 0:24:37 GMT
I can remember many years ago seeing those island from the window of an airplane and wanting to explore the area. This helps, but also reminds me that I still want to see it myself. The report here is a near-perfect vacation report, rich in beauty and atmosphere. Looking forward to more of this.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Sept 8, 2018 1:00:54 GMT
I really like your solid touring bikes. A Gazelle!
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 8, 2018 7:51:12 GMT
Thank you all for your kind comments. It may be clear by now that we love to be in nature. There's more coming ... stay tuned.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 8, 2018 10:29:41 GMT
I am always happy when the coastal vegetation starts transitioning to pine trees.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Sept 8, 2018 15:44:49 GMT
Beautiful photographs Amboseli! I particularly like the photo of the bicycles in the alley way and the wind shot of the beach houses.
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 8, 2018 20:04:32 GMT
Then it was time to say goodbye to Charente-Maritime, its oysters, shrimp, other seafood and Pineau de Charentes to drive the pretty long road to Biscarrosse in the Landes. It’s here that we finally were on the trails of the Vélodyssée. The total cycle route is 1200 kms long and goes from Roscoff in the very north of Brittany to Hendaye near the Spanish border. 70% of the route is on traffic-free paths and the route is fully signposted. In 2017 ‘La Vélodyssée’ won the ‘Itinéraire Vélo 2017’, best cycle route award. Well deserved for what we saw of it! We loved the Landes! We didn't cycle very long distances because we always had to backtrack to our hotel. One day we cycled on the Vélodyssée to the Dune de Pyla and back, 60 km in total. Very enjoyable, and the last part of the trip was pretty challenging for me. The brochure said ' ça grimpe un peu, mais rien de bien méchant'. I can tell you it was ‘ très méchant’ for me, even with my e-bike! And then I still had to climb the 110 meter high dune. But it was so worth it! It was so beautiful up there: the view on the ocean and the Bassin d’Arcachon, and on the immense forests of the Landes. By the way, the less athletic (like me) don't have to climb the dune through the sand. There's a stairway. Almost to heaven.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2018 21:38:45 GMT
>>>Wow!<<< So beautiful, and I imagined it smelled divinely of the pine trees. That must have been quite a climb, even with the stairs. The dunes there by the forest don't even look real -- more like an illustration for a science fiction book.
A long time ago Kerouac showed a forest in France that was being eaten by dunes. Is this the same place?
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 8, 2018 22:19:13 GMT
Yes, it was quite a climb, even with the stairs. I think there were 250 steps but I lost count halfway. I was exhausted when I reached the top. Going down was fun ... through the sand. But the sand was so hot that my feet felt burned.
I believe it must be the same dune.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Sept 9, 2018 5:55:57 GMT
Good to see you had nice weather. I always love the colours of sand/sea together, at all times of year. The bike path continues past where our house is. Actually the bike path to the beach crosses the Velodyssée about 6 km from the town.
Yes, Bixa. Kerouac's pictures were indeed the Dune du Pyla. I think I would have taken the stairs too -- walking in dry sand is always tough.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 9, 2018 6:57:49 GMT
>>>Wow!<<< So beautiful, and I imagined it smelled divinely of the pine trees. That must have been quite a climb, even with the stairs. The dunes there by the forest don't even look real -- more like an illustration for a science fiction book. A long time ago Kerouac showed a forest in France that was being eaten by dunes. Is this the same place?
Yes the dune keeps advancing. There are regularly new reports of the local campgrounds that have lost 50 or 60 places as the sand comes in to bury everything.
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/7214/great-dune-pilat-pyla
|
|
|
Post by amboseli on Sept 9, 2018 8:00:48 GMT
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 9, 2018 9:08:29 GMT
Ah, it is so nice when the area begins to quiet down and yet the weather is still superb.
|
|