Days 22-27, June 19-23, Arcachon then to Geneva
Our last day in Bordeaux, we got up earlier than usual in order to get to the train station to catch our 12:03 train to Arcachon. The train station was a little bit confusing, but with the help of an English-speaker, we navigated it successfully and got on the right train at the right time.
We each have a global Eurail pass that lets us do 7 travel days within the month, so I struggled somewhat with completing the task of getting a ticket on my phone before we boarded. The train ride was about 55 minutes, and no one ever asked for my ticket.
We left the train and trundled over to our Airbnb, which is on the beach and a really nice location. The day was cloudy and cool – probably about 80 degrees. We couldn’t check in until 3 pm so we stopped by the Aldi we spotted on our way to the Airbnb, bought sandwiches again and blissfully ate on the seashore and waited. Finally, about 2:30 pm, we checked into the Airbnb, unloaded our luggage and returned to Aldi to buy food for the next several days (ain’t cheap eating here) and waited for our friend Jae from Angers to arrive.
She arrived as promised, we ate some supper, drank some wine and visited until we called it a day.
The first full day in Arcachon was, for me, a down day. It was cool and comfortable, so I stuck around the Airbnb while Beth/Jae went to the market in the morning and we just kinda hung out. We watched a video tour of the Winter Town here in Arcachon, then had supper, and Beth/Jae went for a swim.
We are on Le Bassin d’Arcachon (Arcachon Bay), which has become one of the most popular destinations in France with more than half a million visitors in the summer alone. While some rent a house close to the beach, most tourists go there for day trips from Bordeaux, which is located about an hour’s drive from the bay. Arcachon proper is a seaside resort town known for oyster harvesting. Its four districts are named after the seasons. The Ville d'Été (summer) district, where we’re staying, is home to shopping streets, the town's sandy main beach and a casino in the 19th-century Château Deganne. Ville d'Hiver (winter quarter) has extravagant 19th-century villas. South of the town is the Dune du Pilat, a 1 ½-mile natural sand dune.
Our second full day – well, it was very friggin’ hot, like around 98 degrees with humidity – so we decided it was best to be on the water so we did a 2.5-hour cruise on a large catamaran through the bay. If you weren’t in the cabin, it was quite pleasant; unfortunately, Beth is struggling with some “traveler’s tummy” but she hung in there and sat in the cabin most of the trip. Jae and I wandered around the boat to see the oyster farming, some local villages, Cape Ferret and the sand dune.
Oyster farming: Before they started growing oysters, the local fishermen had been fishing and gathering oysters since ancient times. In the 17th century, the monarchy, aristocracy and bourgeoisie became infatuated with the mollusc, and oysters became a highly sought-after luxury delicacy. Its profitability, however, led to the depletion of its natural deposits. The arrival of the railroads in the 1840s condemned the last oysters, which had once been endemic to the area, but were now becoming increasingly rare. With the development of the oyster trade came the unprecedented growth of a number of industries: shippers and loggers to meet the need to build infrastructure such as pinnaces and huts. These professions are intimately linked to the development and advent of the oyster on the Bay of Arcachon. Many made their fortunes, and the local communities reaped the benefits.
In 1859, Victor Coste, commissioned by Napoleon III to develop the production of marine species on the Atlantic coast, created the very first oyster beds, which he called “parcs impériaux”. However, the spat, the young oysters, were damaged during detaching, resulting in significant losses. In 1865, Jean Michelet, a mason living in Arcachon, innovated by creating a natural catchment technique called chaulage: submerged hollow tiles, coated with a water-resistant product, which allowed the spat and oysters to develop.
We only saw the oyster beds from the boat but, apparently, there is a new eco-tourism industry around visiting the oyster beds and oyster huts. Jae wants to eat oysters; us, not so much – but we’re going to try to find a place on our final day here that serves oysters so Jae can try some.
We cruised by Cap Ferret, which is on a headland dotted with pine trees. It is the tip of the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, formed over the last 2,000 years by the elongation of a sand spit, fed by the north-south littoral drift caused by coastal currents, which partially encloses the Arcachon Basin. The basin to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west give Cap Ferret a unique geographical and climatic situation between two "seas." So on one side, there is the landscape of the Arcachon Basin and, on the other, the waves and vastness of the Cote d’Argent (Silver Coast). At the pointe, where the Arcachon Basin meets the Atlantic Ocean, one can see, among the channels, the Banc d’Arguin sandbank and, beyond, the Dune du Pilat.
It was a delightful afternoon, considering the temps were hovering around 100 F and the humidity was unbelievable.
We strolled down through the beachfront later to take in some music and eat. We did not, however, get to an oyster bar that Jae wanted to eat. It was hot, but cooled a little after the sun set.
The next morning, Beth went into the pharmacy to inquire about some medication for her “rumbling tummy.” They said it was beyond their expertise and directed us to go to the emergency room. After a $50 Uber ride, we arrived at the emergency room around 10:45 am. Little did we know that we would be there nearly 12 hours. Jae left around 6:30 pm, I stayed until Beth was discharged around 9:45 pm with a script for antibiotics and pain pills. Whatever she had experienced the prior day did not present itself AT ALL during those 12 hours in the emergency room. Longest I’ve ever sat in an emergency room. However, all that medical service was totally free!
When we returned to our non air-conditioned bungalow, we ate a little and decided to cancel the next portion of our trip because of the heat. The forecast was for 107 F for the next few days. We originally had planned on going back to Bordeaux, renting a car and driving 4 hours to Montignac, spend the night, visit Lascaux the next morning to see the cave paintings, then drive 5 hours to Angers where Jae/Boots live.
The heat was too much, so we decided to return to Bordeaux Tuesday morning and fly to Geneva, Switzerland. Everything went well until we got to the airport (used a tram in Bordeaux that took about 45 minutes). Our flight was delayed. We were supposed to leave at 1:15 pm, we finally got off the ground well after 2:30 pm. Took a taxi to our hotel in Geneva (because public transportation would have taken an hour and 3 exchanges).
During our time in the Bordeaux airport, we looked and looked and looked for a place to stay in Geneva or nearby that 1) had air conditioning (because Geneva is in high alert) and 2) laundry facilities.
We found an apartment in a chateau on Lake Geneva that fit our criteria and booked it.
Tomorrow, we need to figure out how to get there since it’s at least an hour from Geneva. But we have confidence we can get a direct train at 1:15 pm and get there by 2:30 pm. We’ll sit by the lake until our check-in time probably.
I'm so glad Beth is feeling better! It sounds like you have a great plan to get to cooler temps, and that you are enjoying the (sometimes hot and sweaty) journey together!
ReplyDelete