Slept for knocking on twelve hours last night. In bed before seven thirty! Catches up on you doesn’t it?
As a result I awoke reasonably refreshed this morning and am now sat outside on my terrace glancing occasionally up at the white walls of the turreted chateau under whose walls the hotel nestles.
I can thoroughly recommend the Hotel Le General D’Elbee. Extreme comfort. Really requires a few of you to stay, or at least a couple, to enjoy the bar and lounge, the latter of which really pushes the levels of style and comfort you would see in any hotel. Sounds of Noirmoutier waking up although I can’t see beyond the walls of the hotel.
Drove here yesterday afternoon from Les Sables, really just a large beach resort but with an interesting old bit of harbour with Priory Saint Nicolas, which was closed. The main point of the place is that it is the start and finishing line of the Vendee Globe Challenge. You couldn’t help but think of adventure on the high seas when walking along the quayside towards the open waters beyond.
The Vendee is really flat and quite uninteresting. The approach to Noirmoutier reminded me of Cape Cod. Lots of sand dunes and pine trees. Came across some salt pans but everything was closed. Did give me the opportunity to take the defender off road along some narrow dirt tracks to get there 🙂
Picking Si up from Nantes airport this pm and figured I’d stop by the German Submarine Base museum in St Nazaire en route. More as it happens…