The weather has been bad here the last few days with more rain on the way so, even if I wanted to go outside, there wouldn’t be many opportunities for photos so I’m posting a bit more on the very interesting walled city of Brouage. It was a really important place at one time, not only for military reasons but it was also the top exporter of salt. The areas eventually became unusable and that trade died out.

I saw a bust of Richlieu and wondered why until I read a girl that King Louis XIV loved was sent here to Bourage to separate the two lovers so a marriage could be arranged for political reasons. Life can be an opera for some people, especially if you are a king.

I’m a sucker for painted doors with flowers over or around them.

The huge stable area which had been converted into shops.

A giant wisteria vine. I’m a sucker for that too.

One of the turrets on the wall which surrounds Bourage. I always wonder about the soldiers who had to stand in these day and night looking for possible enemy approaching. Not how I would want to pass my time in a job.

The other day we had lunch with Maurice’s sister and her sister in law. Afterwards, Sylvette, took us on a little tour-it’s not far from where we live-and, as always, we saw a new and interesting area. We went to an old fortified town, totally surrounded by walls, called Bourage. It’s a delightful place and it was fun to stroll around.

There were cute shops to visit and this one had these very old mannequins out front wearing some vintage clothing.

Loved this door with the vine growing around it.

The little church there has a connection to Quebec as you can see by this window. The reason is because Samuel de Champlain was born here in Bourage. He discovered Canada for the King of France and opened up fur trade. Who knew?

A friendly cat outside the church desperate for attention.

Poppies are starting to bloom.
I realize as I posted these photos, that I don’t really show much of the village of Bourage. There were ramparts to explore, and a large stable area which had been converted into shops, and I have photos of those. I may get them up in a blog post at some point. So much fun to explore this new to us area.

I’ve done a lot of eating-and drinking-this week. I could post photos of just what I ate and have a full post but I decided to add a little variety.

I didn’t eat this. Maurice did. Many Americans are grossed out when a fish arrives with the head and tail but you just remove them and then cut out the filet and it’s very good and moist. I had fish at this meal too but mine was already filleted.

A pretty flower I saw at a house where we had lunch. It’s a clematine, clematis, something like that. Very exotic looking.

This being Spring in France, I am always on the outlook for wisteria and finding it. This was a huge vine and smelled especially wonderful.

An old lighthouse taken with my IPhone and, using Instagram, changed a bit in color with filters. I love lighthouses.

The best sunset I’ve seen since we’ve been here. Most don’t seem very dramatic. I guess I’ve been spoiled by those in Arizona, but, I’ll take what I can get.

Life is interesting on the beach. I don’t even have to leave our apartment to get photos but it’s always more fun if I do.

There was a vide grenier (a French flea market) nearby at a school and it was mostly junk-no professionals like there usually are. I didn’t see anything I wanted but this pink seltzer bottle but the seller wanted too much money. He would give us a special deal if we bought the blue one too. I don’t think I would gave done it but Maurice, unlike himself, handed over the cash so now I have both. I may give the blue one to someone as a gift but I sort of like it now.

Look at this wisteria! We were in a car with Maurice’s sister looking for the vide grenier when I spotted it and had her stop the car. I”ve seen photos of this variety before but never in person. So beautiful.

We saw this on a bike ride the other day. I loved the yellow flowers reflected in the water.

There are fences separating parts of the beach from some protected sand dunes and I saw this lady sunbathing probably hoping for privacy. I thought she looked rather artistic, like someone in a painting.

This last Sunday, a perfect sunny day, I noticed a huge class of tiny sail boats head out into the water. They were gone for hours-they must have had lunch on board at some point. I would loved to have had a class like this when I was young. Anyway, some photos from that day.

Taken from our terrace when they first headed out.

Hours later, when they returned, I walked down to the shore to get a look. It was bedlam. As soon as their boats hit the shore, they madly dashed up to carts with wheels to move the boats out of the water so the next batch could do the same.

Getting the boat on the carrier.

Trying to show how many there were.

The last group making their way to shore.

In the meantime, there was this couple with their little dog, oblivious to it all. The kids had to pull their boats around them to get them to their destination

This is a look at the beach in the middle of the day full of people and then afterwards as the sun was setting. I took this video a couple of weeks ago and each day there are more and more people on the beach and I think in a month or so, it will be packed and I will get another video. When the sun is out, so are beach lovers.

Since it is so flat around here, we bought some bikes to explore the area in either direction from our new place on the beach-Provence was a different story and I never rode a bike there.
We went way past where I usually manage to run and found some really nice homes reminding me of California beach towns, a little nature reserve with a path running through it and different views of the ocean than what we usually see. (I think we have the nicest view with a stretch of beach in front of the water). It was a cold day after a recent very warm day-spring is such a fickle season-but there was sun so we bundled up and headed out.

I’m particularly taken by these little shacks for fishing at the end of long, private piers. I’ve only seen them once before and love to photograph them. They are called Carrettes.

A closeup on one. Can you see that net suspended above the water? It is lowered into the water and then fish are pulled up, usually small ones.

A look down the coast.

Another look at a net.

You can see how long the pier is.

Something different. I love finding irises blooming.