Arcachon & Dune du Pilat

This morning we drove 55k's to Arcachon,

a popular seaside resort.

It is fairly new, having only officially been

declared the City of Arcachon by Napoleon III 150 years ago,

back when it was still a minuscule fishing hamlet.

Fishing still plays an important role in the town’s economy today.

Arcachon is said to have some of the best oysters in all of Europe.

We called in to a gorgeous Boulangerie for a coffee,

they had AMAZING cakes and pastries 
and I couldn't resist buying this one...

to celebrate Fête du Muguet.

Today is Fête du Muguet...

On the first of May in 1561, France’s King Charles IX

was given a muguet flower, or Lily of the Valley in English,

as a lucky charm and liked it so much

that he decided to offer them each year

to the ladies of the court.

These days, the flowers are sold in bouquets

on the street around France and

people offer them to friends or family members for good luck.

We enjoyed a brisk walk along the beach

which is flanked by two piers.

We had lunch in the City Market where the locals

buy their vegetables and seafood,

way in the back at the Oyster Bar.

We shared a big platter of oysters and prawns... tres magnifique!

Before leaving the market we bought lots of tasty morsels

and a couple of baguettes that we will have for dinner tonight.

From there it was an 8 km drive to Dune du Pilat,

...the tallest sand dune in Europe.

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean,

the Arcachon Bay and the luxuriant Landes forest,

it stands 110 metres above sea level,

and is over 2.7 km long and 500 metres wide.

With such a unique and jaw-dropping setting,

the dune is popular,

especially among those who take part

in airborne recreational activities such as

paragliding and extreme kiting.

We opted for the sturdy 160-step staircase,

which is in place from April to November.

We were worried about the weather,

it was quite cold and VERY windy

but luckily not raining!

The views from the top,

approximately 115m above sea level

are magnificent.

To the west you see the sandy shoals

at the mouth of the Bassin d'Arcachon,

including Cap Ferret and the

Banc d'Arguin bird reserve where

up to 6000 couples of Sandwich terns

nest each spring.

Dense dark-green forests of maritime pines,

oaks, ferns and strawberry trees

(whose wood is traditionally used to build oyster-farmer shacks)

stretch from the base of the dune eastwards

almost as far as the eye can see.

We've had a GREAT day,

a perfect way to end the time we've spent with Peta.

It will be sad to say goodbye to her tomorrow morning,

but it looks like she'll be visiting Melbourne

in the coming months :-)

I'll finish today with some photos of our apartment here in Bordeaux.

Our room - great artwork.

Peta's domain in the loft!

Today we only walked 6.36 k's