A year in Bordeaux: Off to the Beach

It was raining this morning and the forecast for the day was showers, but we decided to go to the Bassin d'Arcachon as we had planned. The Bassin d'Arcachon is an almost fully enclosed bay on the Atlantic Ocean. You can drive, bike, or hike, right around the bay, it's about 80km. There are beaches, oyster ports, towns, and villages all along the way.

Bassin d'Arcachon

We went first to the Dune du Pilat, the biggest sand dune in Europe. When we got there, Ailbhe asked if we had packed her swimsuit. I said we hadn't as it was March and it was raining. She then declared "Well I won't leave the car unless I'm wearing my swimsuit!" Fiacra, Finian, and I left Daddy to do battle.

As soon as we got close to the dune, Fiacra started to run, and rather than taking the established slightly less steep route, he just went straight up the side. It was very steep. I have acrophobia and hadn't realized that it could be triggered by just watching your kids on the edge of a sand dune. Amazingly, Connell had won the battle and arrived with Ailbhe, so he followed Fiacra, while Ailbhe, Finian, and I took the less steep but still very unnerving route.

Fiacra, on his way up the Dune du Pilat

Fiacra on the dune

Ailbhe on the dune

It's much more fun to run down

We drove a few kilometers along the coast to Pereire Beach. The rain had passed over and it was a lovely afternoon. We stayed at the beach for over two hours. We had no sand toys, just a plastic bag to collect shells. The kids were very reluctant to leave and want to go back to the sand dunes and the beach again soon.