South Westerlies or Après Nous, Le Deluge

Shower chic. 

 Last week we packed up the cold and flu remedies and made our way through the deluge down to the South West coast, on the Bay of Arcachon for some pre-summer holiday beach-time. The inclement weather did not deter us from setting the children free on the windswept beaches opposite Cap Ferret for some be-ski-suited sandcastle making. It was emphatically not even paddling weather, but I did admire these chic wooden showers on most of the public beaches.

The Great Dune of Pyla - The largest dune in Europe, or Nature's grandest sandpit

Wind beaten roses

On the fourth day, just when we thought we couldn't stand it any longer, and were donning our waterproofs and preparing to make our second trip to the Arcachon Museum-Aquarium, which, as pictured below, could not be any more charming, and housed an intriguing exhibit of stilts used by shepherds to navigate the marshy fields of Les Landes, but might not have stood up to much more scrutiny from soggy toddlers, the clouds cleared.

c. http://ducoteduteich2.wordpress.com

Shepherding pre-wellies= hard work
c. i-love-aquitaine.blogspot.com

When the sun came out in all it's southern glory, and with it the mosquitos and crickets, we were almost too shocked to enjoy it. We were suddenly "on holiday" for real and exchanged balaclavas for sun hats and factor 50. Our fragile white skin saw the first light of day since approx July 2010 and prickly heat threatened to set in almost immediately.

Paddling time!

Old timers discussing the bizarre wind direction

The garden tap of happiness

Paragliders in the distance many meters below - surely he is worn out by now? (Non).

Winter to summer in 24 hours, but as the word on the street back in Paris is now - we can't complain!