Fully Baked

To raise my spirits in the home stretch of my dumb job, last weekend Jean-François suggested visiting the island next door.  Ile d'Oléron is quite a bit bigger than Ile de Ré, and offers a more laidback vibe and isolated beaches.  Its northernmost point is only 12 miles away by water, but we drove an hour around the big bay that separates us, to the bridge, and stopped off at an adorable little chateau accessible by a little boat even more adorable still.  

We ate seafood, strolled around a couple fishing villages, rode bikes, and sat long over coffee.  That saw me through my final week of scrubbing black mold in what might otherwise be assumed a pre-school: random yelling, bad smells, uncovered coughs and sneezes, sticky hand prints everywhere.  I had one last insect encounter just before leaving.  Perhaps a sign of reconciliation, this immaculate green katydid materialized on a cloth, peacefully ignoring the sugary treats nearby.

Max. 12 people for a three minute journey 

Fort Louvois was a strategic lynchpin guarding a huge arsenal in nearby Rochefort.  You can walk the hundred yards at low tide, but I loved the ferry and the fort surrounded by water.

What's a beautiful thing like you doing in a dive like this?