île de Ré

Next up was two nights on Île de Ré.  Home to glorious beaches, vineyards, salt marshes, and authentic French villages, Île de Ré has been the second home of fashionable Parisians for generations (kind of like the Hamptons or maybe Cape Cod).  The island is described as the epitome of understated French chic -- there is no garish glitz and glamour of the Côte d'Azur -- instead there is an elegant nonchalance, a low-key sophistication that only the French can do so well.

The island is accessed via a 2-mile toll bridge across the Atlantic.  The bridge was built in the late 80s -- it's been paid off, but they haven't lifted the toll -- looks like they are trying to keep the "riff-raff" from La Rochelle/Rochefort away.

Île de Ré is essentially a 20-mile-long flat strip -- perfect for exploring by bicycle -- which is exactly what I did!  After I checked in at the hotel and dropped my car off -- I walked into town and rented an e-bike for my stay.  Note:  the e-bike was only a little bit more expensive than a regular bike -- and I found that it makes a full-day of bike riding much more enjoyable.

I loved this island!  I could have easily spent 1 to 2 weeks there. ☺

I stayed in Saint-Martin-de-Ré -- great location for exploring the interesting parts of the island -- and I bicycled a good portion of it (I didn't go east of Saint Martin for some reason -- so, the only thing I really missed was visiting the town of La Flotte).  You can drive to all of the villages on the island -- but much of the marsh

Note:  I'll admit that I had never heard of this place until I started doing research for my trip.  Also, camera at this point is defunct -- so not so many photos, and all from my phone.

• 1:  The drive to Saint-Martin-de-Ré was about 300km / a little over 3 hours.  All highway -- until I hit the bridge to the island.
• 2:  Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré (the name of the village ☺)
• 3:  Lots of vineyards on the islands.  

• Great little restaurant that I happened upon after taking a wrong turn.  It was full when I first arrived -- so sat outside and had a drink waiting for a table to open up.
• The food was excellent -- especially the dessert!

• 1:  Brioche french toast with salted caramel ice cream -- tasted even better than it sounds!
• 3:  Entrance to my hotel.  I stayed at Le Clos Saint-Martin.  Excellent location -- about a 5 minute walk to the center of town.  Very nice rooms and excellent service.  Only thing I didn't like is that they charge for parking (and you have to reserve in advance).  Oh -- and they wanted to charge me 5 Euros for parking my bike overnight -- I thought that was ridiculous (fortunately they forgot to charge me ☺).

• 1 - 2:  Hotel entrance & lobby 
• 3:  The remains of the city fortifications that enclose the town, constructed by France's great military engineer, Vauban, in the late 17th century.   The citadel was designed to accommodate the entire island population, plus their cattle -- and the sturdy walls, moats, and drawbridges are still impressive.
• The 17th century was a troublesome one for the Île de Ré.  It was coveted by many, for its position of military importance and its production of salt and wine -- although after sampling the local wine, you might wonder if it was worth invading for.  But invaded it was, and in 1627, almost lost to the Duke of Buckingham and his English troops. Toiras, the island's governor holed up in the citadel and valiantly withstood the siege for months, until Buckingham gave up and went home .  Shortly after, Louis XIV sent his favorite architect, Vauban, to build impregnable fortifications to protect it from the English, from the Dutch, from the Protestants, and everyone else.

• Saint-Martin-de-Ré (and my bicycle)
• Strangely (interestingly?), the former citadel is home to France's largest correctional facility, and until 1938 was the departure point for convicts bound for the French penal colonies.

• 1:  Saint-Martin-de-Rê
• 2:  Back at the hotel, cocktails next to the pool
• 3:  Next morning, bicycle all packed up and ready for the day's adventures

• 1:  Leaving the hotel on my bike
• 3:  La-Couarde-sur-Mer (I'm not sure why all of these village names are hyphenated!)

• 1:  Ars-en-Ré
• 2:  Lots and lots of salt flats
• 3:  The houses on the island were beautiful -- in a very beachy rustic way.  Most of them were whitewashed with shutters of blue or green.

• Saint-Clément-des-Baleines

• 1:  Built in 1849, the Phare des Baleines (Lighthouse of the Whales) is one of the tallest lighthouses of France (57 meters high).  

• 2:  That's a lot of salt!
• 3:  Entering Saint-Martin-de-Ré through one of the citadel gates.

• Saint-Martin-de-Ré --just gorgeous.

• More of Saint-Martin-de-Ré
• 2 - 3:  Lunch; cute little place with excellent food & appalling service

• More of Saint-Martin-de-Ré

• The picturesqueness of Saint-Martin-de-Ré has been carefully cultivated by the local council:  no overhead cables or new construction are allowed.  Supposedly, shutters can only be painted one of 16 shades:  eight of which are blue, and eight green.  Everything is protected:  the entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• 1:  I think they missed the memo about the blue/green shutters!

• 3:  Some beautiful old cars parked at the hotel.  

• 1:  Back at the hotel for a swim in the adult-only pool ☺
• 2:  Time for cocktails!

• Poitou donkeys were once the most sought after throughout Europe, and were called the "finest working mule in the world".  Until the middle of the 20th century, up to 30,000 mules were bred annually in the Poitou region and exported all over the world.  But as mechanization increased around WWII, the demand for mules decreased and the market collapsed.  By 1977, only 44 Poitou donkeys remained worldwide.    Thanks to conservation efforts -- there are now over 450 Poitou donkeys in the world.
• Because of their size and strength, Poitou donkey were put to work in the salt marshes of the Charente Maritime, and on fields where they were often troubled by mosquitoes and bug bites.  In order to protect the animals' legs, the owners would have them wear specially made trousers -- the trousers were made of old red Vichy pattern curtain fabrics or grey-striped mattress ticking, given them the names "Anes en Culotte" or "donkey in panties".
• Click here to read about the differences between mules and donkeys.