Day 6 - The Dunes and the Pines (Day 1- 5 http://www.paris.hikewithme.world/ )

Good morning. After a whirlwind weekend in Paris, I just didn't have anything to offer Bordeaux.

Originally the plan was to spend more time in Bordeaux but when I decided to bring my daughter to Paris, I had to alter the itinerary to allow for more time with her in the big city.

I will return to this historic city when I have more time and someone to share it with.... that drinks wine 😉

Truthfully, I saw very little of Bordeaux. I needed time to prep for the many days of walking ahead. Time to rest and time to be alone with my thoughts. I haven't listened to any music yet.... that will come, when my mind is clear.

I had a great sleep and was greeted by a personalized lovely little gluten free breakfast basket at my door in the morning. 

I took advantage and made myself eggs in my little kitchen, tea and ate some fruit... fresh wild strawberries. 

I packed the orange juice and apples to go and filled 2 water bottles. 

My pack is significantly heavier as a result... let's hope these little legs hold up.

Thanks to my delightful breakfast for one, I was late for the train by 2 minutes and had to wait an hour at the train station. Worked out well, I had time for a coffee and no rushing or stressing. Trains here are fast and well organized even with all the new restrictions...I've decided I like this way better than any airplane ride... even facing backwards.

My only concern today is my late start but... I'm not on a schedule. Nobody is waiting for me. I'm a grown up and I can do whatever I want hahaha.

~ 5 hours later ~

I arrived in Arcachon at about 1145 and took a few minutes to get my bearings. I figured I would take the closest path to the beach and just follow it along the shore knowing that it wouldn't be the quickest route but likely the most scenic. The map of the coast of France and Spain is embedded in my brain but having the water beside me helps me stay on track.

I passed many beautiful and likely very expensive shops along the way. Dressed in my hiking gear and carrying everything but kitchen sink really does make me look homeless. Might explain the looks I get walking through these towns. Everybody else smells good and looks good.

I imagine the majority of the people here are from France as most of them vacation in August. 

I saw a very elderly lady, in a wet suit carrying a SUP board to the beach. That was a first. The tide is low and lots of kids are skim boarding along the shore. The beach is beautiful and many people were scattered on the sand enjoying the hot sun. 

I however was slow cooking and wishing I was better at packing light. 

The cement path ended and I had a choice of following the bike paths or walking on the beach. I chose the beach and as gorgeous as it was, there just wasn't any shade. 

I rejoined the roadside path which helped keep me cool but unfortunately the views were limited. It became mostly residential but the homes were mostly hidden behind tall fences covered in thick jasmine hedges. Lucky for me that is one of my favourite scents. 

I stopped a few times to rest my feet, drink water or have a snack and was shocked at how slow going the day was. 5 mins felt like an hour and an hour felt like forever.

Real life kilometers don't sync up with Google however I was expecting that. What was supposed to be 8kms turned out to be 15kms.

I contemplated taking the bus many times but fought the temptation. After many hot hours walking on pavement I made it to the Dunes of Pilat, barely. I found a bench and went horizontal and drank the last of my water. My hands and wrists were very swollen and I had a heat rash down both of my lower legs.

I knew that this being a huge tourist attraction meant that I could buy more water. I was correct. And ice cream. And souvenirs. They surprisingly also had a free drinking water tap and I took advantage of that and filled all 3 of my bottles. 

People are so confused about the backpack here. Biking is the norm.... nobody walks. They certainly don't walk to the Dunes carrying 30lbs.

The smell of jasmine was replaced with the smell of hot pine needles. There was a huge parking lot under the canopy of the massive pine trees. After resting, I followed the path to the Dunes, passing all the shops. Then the trail became deep, dry sand, the kind you sink into. 

I was wearing my hikers and I was not going to take them off and add that weight to my back. When I reached the bottom of the stairs at the base of the Dunes I found a bush and discreetly stashed by backpack, keeping only my valuables with me. I knew I had to be fast. So I climbed the stairs in the 30° heat as fast as the crowds would allow me to. 

I took a few pictures and would have loved to explore for hours but didn't want to leave my bag for too long.

 I also found out when I got to the top that going down was by sand not stairs, no exception. I'm not sure I can express to you how much fun it was to run down the face of the steep dunes as the sand was sliding out from under my feet. It made me fast and I felt strong. Aside from the kids rolling down on their sides, I clearly as an adult had the most fun!

I made it to my hotel by 630pm and cleaned up for a dinner out. It was another 2kms to the heart of the town but an easy walk without my home on my back. There was a summer carnival going on and the place was packed.

 So many restaurants and choices. I almost gave up hope but found a place that made my favourite galette. This time with ham, emmental, artichokes and mushrooms. It was great but they didn't serve wine. I took some sunset pictures but didn't linger so that I could find my way back before dark.

 I arrived back at the hotel and ordered a glass of wine to take back to my room 🍷

I walked 19 kms today... short of my goal but still a good warm up day. Tomorrow's distance is about 60kms so you can bet I will take a bus for at least half of that.

Bon nuit x