Sun, Sand and Steps
Arcachon. Thursday 12th June
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| From the top of the Cap Ferret Lighthouse, a view of the "neck" of the Arcachon Bassin Bassin d'Arcachon Tourisme On the far side, you see Arcachon itself; on the near side are boats just lifted off the mud by the incoming tide at Cap Ferret. On the right, in the middle band, you can just make out some oysters beds. |
The mighty old sun is still hanging around these parts. The sand is always here. And the steps are the 258 it took me to get to the top of the 174 foot high Phare du Cap Ferret. Tough enough going up but the views from the lighthouse were fantastic, in over the Bassin itself, then towards Arcachon and the magnificent Dune du Pyla and finally out over the Atlantic. The Cap Ferret peninsula, a thin strip of sandy land, shelters the Bassin from the worst of the ocean weather.
We had the option (still have!) of going across by ferry from Arcachon but thought the car might be handy for the lighthouse (it was), so we made the trip around the Bassin, avoiding the major roads and taking it nice and handy. Those fantastic views, both from the beach below and from the tower above, made it all worthwhile.
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| Another view towards Arcachon (above). The white sands of the Dune of Pyla stand out (below) |
The tide was out when we first arrived. So we carried the gear out towards the edge, passing little and big pools left behind by the tide, with kids and adults paddling and walking in them. Then we went in for a dip but we were hardly in when our gear were threatened by the incoming tide. So we had to beat a hasty retreat as did many more.
Their boats may have been stranded but still some fishermen were working, bringing bags of oysters by tractor to their boats for distribution on the Bassin once the water was high enough.
Back to base then and the first beer of the holiday, Kronenbourg blonde. She’s cool and that’s what’s needed right now, the street gauges showing the temperatures at 30 degrees (the main reason why we didn't go to Bordeaux today).
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| Starter and Dessert |
This evening’s food comes from the local traituer, Mickael Levacher (Charcuterie Rotisserie du Port). He operates on Boulevard de la Plage, opposite Le Patio (last night’s restaurant). For starters we have a lovely savoury tart, including tomato, onion and cheese and with the anchovy on top;Veal with olives provides the main plate, while dessert is a promising Apricot Tart. Looking forward to that!
