Soulac, France

It had been raining and since we didn’t have tours until the afternoon, it seemed like a good idea to sleep in. However, the rains gods took pity on us and turned the spigot off so we could venture on our own into Soulac. After docking in Le Verdon, we took the shuttle into town. The heavy grey clouds threatened rain and there was a stiff wind blowing, plus it was on the chilly side. I even wore a sweater and raincoat. We walked down the main street of this charming village and saw clothing boutiques selling bathing suits, lots of women’s casual wear and beach gear. Ah, it finally dawned on us that this must be a beach resort. We finished walking down the main street and viola, there was the beach. I could swear I was in Seaside, Oregon! The town was pretty much laid out the same, with the main shopping street, hotels, restaurants, and the promenade along the beach – and the crappy weather.

Since we have decided to boycott France, we decided that we had no control over where the ship stopped but we didn’t have to spend money to go to town or buy anything. Hahaha. Didn’t work…I broke down and bought a few souvenirs. Oh well, c’est la vie. The boycott is officially over.

The high point for Michael was a visit to “Our Lady of the End of the World” church (doesn’t translate well into English). This 500 or so year old church (no one really knows for sure) was completely buried under a sand dune by the 17th century. In the 19th century some guy was walking around and stubbed his toe on something, and lo and behold they found this huge church. Today it has been fully excavated and restored.

I enjoyed the indoor farmer’s market, where fresh meats, fish, pastries, cheese, etc. was sold. I wish we had time and the appetite to sample all the wonderful pates and other goodies, most of which I had no idea what they were.

This afternoon, we are both escorting separate wine tours to the Bordeaux region. The ship departs Le Verdon and moves to Bordeaux later in the evening. We will get back to the ship after 8pm, so we have another long day. After sampling wine all afternoon and visiting chateaus, let’s hope this tour escort can lead her flock back to the correct bus!