Sept 25: La Baule

We are here because it is near the airport at Nantes, where we are dropping Matt and Anna. The place we are staying is a Gite, which is a rental house, complete with a kitchen and laundry. Because we are out of season the cost is very low, so we will use it as a base to explore the coast. This part of Bretagne is new to us, but is very popular with the English, so we shall see what they see.

The low dark clouds rained steady and cold. We had bid goodbye to our family and were alone. (homage to Hemingway, who was never here)

The town of La Baule is well known as a resort, and it has suffered continual development since the Belle Epoche. Most of it funded it seems by the British and the new monied French. The new building is not at all attractive, it seems the need for economy has trumped architectural purity. Too bad, but once the post war rebuilding got underway, the horse was running out of the barn.

The main shopping street reminded us immediately of a mini Cannes. We walked this street and the prominade along the beach for a few hours. The beach is the thing here, seemingly miles long and clean light sand. Here we had some very good ice cream, and I was introduced to caramel salé, a salty caramel, my new favorite!

We did our best to like the region, the famous salt making lands, the "Little Villages of Character" the countryside, but no. It is not a destination we recommend. Ah well, we move on.