Arcachon!
Day 1:
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| A florist in the Ville d'Eté |
I don't know if Arcachon is France's best kept secret - but it's certainly flying way under the radar of Americans and even Brits. I almost hate to lift the veil, but I can't keep this stunningly gorgeous place all to myself.
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| Breakfast at the daily market |
Where to start? The endless white sandy beaches? The tree-lined commercial core with its travertine sidewalks? The abundance of lovely cafés open all day (!)? Or the Ville d'Hiver up on the hill with its stately 19th Century mansions and leafy, curving streets?
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| Ville d'Hiver |
I'll let the photos and videos speak for themselves. And a pre-emptive apology to my French friends - I butcher a LOT of names here. I'll get better, I promise.
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| Parc Mauresque |
If Aracachon isn't enough, you can hop on a boat and cross the bay to Cap Ferret (not, as I say in the video, Cap du Ferret). I'm jumping on one of those tomorrow, so more to come...
Now that I'm an expert since I've been here nearly 48 hours, I can say with some authority that May is an excellent time to visit - as long as you're comfortable with a fair probability of rain. All shots and film so far were captured in brilliant sunshine, yesterday, but today it is pouring rain. Still - that one sunny day motivated me to walk over 8 miles and spend over 8 hours outside exploring.
Today I am hardly suffering, having hit the market for a tomato and some local strawberries and now sit writing in a brasserie just off to the side. (Full disclosure: fish and chips. I know.)
Here's what I awoke to this morning (and yesterday). Explains why the those stone sidewalks just glisten!
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| Hosing down the sidewalks and streets each morning |
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| Crème Brûlée at Brasserie des Marquises |
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