Sunday morning, Erin Boynton, her daughter Hannah and I packed up our rental car, thankfully left our nightmare of a rented apartment and took off for the Dune of Pilat.

The apartment itself could be the subject of a blog. Billed as a “luxury” apartment, it was anything but. The fridge froze our food, was full of spoiled food (black milk..ugh) it was dirty, we were given only one ratty towel each, the entry was beyond grungy, and we were locked out of the apartment because the door handle broke! It was in a good location and had a washer and good wifi but we were sooo happy to leave!

Erin was the driver since neither Hannah nor I can drive a stick…and did a great job. We went first to the Dune of Pilat, a GI at sand dune, over 300 feet tall and over a mile long, on the Stlantic near Arcachon. We walked up then down to the sea and around it. We walked by a beautiful hotel, La Co(o)rniche, and the view and setting were so fabulous we ended up having lunch there. The ambiance was really special.

Our next stop was Poitiers where there was a beautiful medieval church, named, as most seemed to be in France, Norte Dame (Eglise Norte-Dame La Grande). Being Sunday, most shops were closed, so the square around the church was quiet and there weren’t lots of visitors. The interior had beautifully painted ceilings and pilars. Joan of Arc had visited there and there was a stained glass window and statue memorializing her visit. Half timbered buildings dominated the architecture of the buildings surrounding the square.

After we left Poitiers we were in farm country and there were lots of sunflower fields. We finally found one that was easy to access and  pulled over for photos. It started sprinkling just as we finished and the sprinkles turned into rain as we continued to Blois. We made it to Blois though before dark, checked into a hotel with clean sheets and white towels, and got ready for our next adventure, cycling along the Loire to Chambourd!