Trip to the Gironde - Île de Ré

Cognac was the next destination on our road trip. As this was only 100 kms away each couple decided to do some solo exploring and meet up in the evening – maybe Ruth and Andrew were wondering what sort of people they had got themselves mixed up with and wanted some time alone??

John and I decided to go to Île de Ré an island in the Atlantic, only 30 minutes north west of La Rochelle. The island is very popular with the French and the population swells to 220,000 from 20,000 in the tourist season.

We were quite surprised at the bridge toll of 45 euros return (about $68) and later learned it was the most expensive road per kilometre in the country. There are towns all over the island (approximately 20 x 5 km in size) and when we visited there were people everywhere, most of them on bikes riding with the usual disregard for other traffic or their own safety.

Oyster beds are everywhere and there are many old shacks selling seafood direct from the sea.

We visited most villages on the island, checked out the lighthouse, the Phares des Baleines and walked along the beaches and waterways.

One thing we noticed whilst travelling in summer was the plethora of circuses. When we saw a group of donkeys near a circus with what looked like dreadlocks we were outraged that they would dress them up like 4 legged Rastafarians BUT we found out they are a real species – the Baudet du Poitou. To add to the donkey tale (not tail) the donkeys who work on the salt marshes are dressed in ânes en culotte (pant legs) to protect their legs from mosquito bites. Fortunately we didn’t see any working donkeys so were spared that particular sight.

After returning to the mainland we drove to Cologne and met up again with our friends.

Next: Trip to the Gironde – Cognac