Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Friday, April 29 2022
We awoke in our Airbnb in La Baule, looking forward to another day of sightseeing. Des went out early to find a bakery and brought home some beautiful pastries which we devoured with our coffee and then set out for the beach.
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Des enjoyed this beautiful mango
and passionfruit croissant. |
Le Croisic had been a rustic, laid back seaside village, but it was apparent that LaBaule was much larger and ritzier. The long esplanade on the beachfront was lined with posh hotels and boutiques. The tide was out, exposing a huge expanse of beach. There were quite a few people about searching for shells, splashing in the cold water, or playing games on the sand.
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| The La Baule - Escoublac train station |
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A sculpture in front of the train station
in La Baule, France |
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| Colorful buildings in La Baule |
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| These looked like fun! |
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Craig and Desmond on the beach
at La Baule, France |
We wandered around on the beach for a while. It was such a beautiful day and we tried to think of something to do that wouldn’t require a lot of walking, since my lower back was still bothering me. I wondered aloud if it would hurt for me to ride a bike. Craig and Des were surprised and a bit skeptical, but it really sounded like a fun thing to do. They had both been so sweet and tolerant of my back issues and I really wanted to do this for them as much as for myself. Desmond found a nearby bike rental shop called La Baule Bike and I made Craig and Des promise that if I was unable to ride, they would go ahead while I found something else to do. I hadn’t been on a bike in five or six years, but after a wobbly start I found that I could do it! It did not seem to be hurting my back, so off we went. The bicycles were expensive ones, with large, comfortable tooled leather seats and roomy baskets. The owner of the bike shop, who spoke excellent English, had given us directions to a bike path that runs along Brittany's Côte Sauvage for miles. First, we had to navigate traffic on the city streets, which was a bit scary. But soon we were pedaling along in some gorgeous residential neighborhoods. After a while, we reached the bike path.  |
| We return to our bikes after lunch. |
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A scenic break just off the bike
trail on the wild coast |
There were many restaurants along the beachfront, so we decided to have lunch. After looking at the exorbitant prices for food + view, we decided to go a block further inland and soon found a burger shack where we had a decent meal with no view, but at one-third the cost. We began cycling along the wild coast and were delighted with the incredible scenery. The paved path was wide and well maintained. We took our time, enjoying the stunning views at every bend. Some of the rocky outcrops had steps cut into the stone which led down to the beach, and in some cases led straight into the water. We wondered if at one time they were used as access to old jetties or simply to scramble onto a boat. If there had been jetties there, they were long gone. We admired some of the homes along the coast and thought what wonderful views the occupants must have. We rode for miles, taking breaks to rest and for Craig and Des to scramble around on the rocky beaches.  |
Craig and Des enjoyed clambering
on the rocky beach along the wild coast. |
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The views from the homes along
the coast must be spectacular! |
The journey back to town was frightening at times, as we had to ride in the evening traffic. I’m sure that on one of the roundabouts, the occupants of the car next to me could hear me muttering “omigod, omigod, omigod!” as I maneuvered around the circle. After we had returned our bikes, we headed once again for the train station to board the 6:00 PM train for Orléans. We had two connections on the way and arrived home just before dark. It had been a great couple of days!
