True to his word, His Lordship packed up the car the day after the last pieces of wood were thrown on the fire. To my delight, we turned westward and by mid-afternoon the sea was in sight! The Oldies settled on Les Sables d’Olonne for a stop-over. What a good choice! It is a breath of fresh air, in every sense. Finally a French town that does not look as if it has been abandoned for decades! ‘Les Sables’ is beautiful. Clean, well-kept, and although there are many modern blocks of apartments along the seafront, they are easy enough on the eye and there are still plenty of architectural treasures from when Les Sables d’Olonne first became a popular bathing spot back in the early 19^th century.

No prizes for guessing why the town is so named. This sandy beach is a dream. I couldn’t help getting in on a bit of creative sandcastle building.

There is a real buzz about town; I don’t think I’ve seen crowds of people like this since the ramparts race in Angoulême almost two months ago. The main reason is that the Vendée Globe is about to kick off and there are all kinds of events going on in town in the run up to the start of the race on 6^th November. This race is the sailing equivalent of climbing Mount Everest: a race around the world solo, non-stop and without assistance. The record is 78 days, 2 hours and 16 minutes. You humans sure are crazy!

Being down at the harbour was a treat for me and I instantly felt at home there. It was lovely to chat with the locals and get some insider tips on weather conditions and good fishing spots.

It is so hard to drag myself away from the beach and the harbour, but our strolls around town were also quite fun and interesting. Angoulême isn’t the only town around here that goes in for murals and in ‘Les Sables’ they often have a maritime theme. I think you can see why I feel so at home here.

The locals are also quite creative in other ways. The L’Ile de Penotte district of town is beautifully decorated with shell frescos. One of my favourites was this cat (who didn’t look too happy to see me). I was not too keen on this chap sticking his tongue out at me though. 

It was fun explore the narrow streets in the old part of town. The Oldies had to suck in their beer bellies and even I lost a feather or two when we squeezed our way down the Rue de l’Enfer, which is officially the narrowest street in the world. At 40cm at its narrowest point, that’s a record that would be hard to beat. And the sign on the right should perhaps hold the record for the most unnecessary road sign in the world.

Les Sables d’Olonne is my kind of town. I could happily stay here for weeks on end. I’m beginning to change my mind about France – just when we are about to leave.