A Mini-Getaway - Ile de Re - Perfect place for reflection

 A quiet getaway for a couple of days

Do you ever have the feeling that you need to get away from it all?  That you need a change of scenery? Some fresh air? Some quiet time?  That's how I felt earlier last week - personal events (which I can't detail too much now-but they were and continue to be stressful) of the last few months had fatigued me and it was time to find a bit of sanctuary. So when a French friend of mine offered a few days on Ile de Re where she and I could relax, rejuvenate and take in the Ocean breezes, it was a tempting offer and one that I felt would be good for me.  Since the girls were spending this second week of vacation with their father, I had some free time.  So off I went.

I share this post as Ile de Re is fast becoming a very special place for me and it's only a mere 2 hours from Bordeaux. If you are a regular reader of the blog, you will remember I spent a week on this stunning island last summer where we biked and enjoyed many of the islands natural offerings. This time, we were staying closer to the bridge side of the island in Sainte Marie, a village I didn't explore during my last trip.   We arrived at the end of the day on Wednesday and took our first walk to the ocean as it was almost dark.  Just breathing the crisp salt air relaxed my soul and I knew I had come to the perfect place to just get away from it all for a few days.

The next day we took a two hour walk along the beach near Sainte Maire - on the Southwestern side of the island - the beach goes on for miles and one can just walk, relax and breath.  It was great exercise and at the same time relaxing for the soul.  I could feel my shoulders soften back into my body - and the stress of the last few months blow away with the wind.

 After our walk and late lunch on the beach, we returned to the house where we just rested for a bit, before jumping on bikes to explore the village of Sainte Mairie.  Due to it being rather chilly on this February day, we returned back and then headed out by car to Le Bois Plage to see the sunset and then take an evening stroll in one of the most beautiful quaint villages, I've ever seen - Saint Martin en Re.  I have to say the beauty of this island - takes my breath away.  Having visited it last summer and returning in the Winter - I marveled at how different the island was but still so charming and natural.

The nice thing about doing a getaway was that we had no agenda, we returned to the house, ate dinner and then relaxed before turning in.  It was nice to be able to sleep in and just wake up when my body awoke.  A real vacation!!  A great way to catch up on needed rest - no plans - no appointments just doing whatever so moved us.

The path from LaFlotte toward St. Martin

 On our final day there, Friday - we drove to La Flotte, another beautiful village and then walked along the Northern coastline toward Saint Martin.  Again, these walks are beautiful, refreshing and serve as great inspiration for the soul.  I hope you can see from the photos that there is a certain peace, tranquility, beauty that is part of this island. Especially this time of year where there are only a few tourists but as there are year round people on the island, some stores, shops and restaurants are still open.

Our walk brought us back to the port village of La Flotte where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a creperie along the sea.  

I marveled at the fact that at the end of February there were daffodils in bloom.  The first signs of Spring-signs of the rebirth of a new year, new life and new growth.  Just thinking about that refreshed my mind and gave me new found energy.  (Yes, I'm sure there are daffodils in Bordeaux blooming also - but seeing them there on the island in my state of rejuvenating my soul just spoke to me).

Our final journey before leaving for the day and driving back to our respective cities was to visit the Abbey Notre Dame - founded in the 12th Century by a group of monks.  This building has suffered much damage throughout history and has been rebuilt several times - the Gothic remains stand today as testimonial to how important religion was on this island during history. Ruins of this building were also used to build defensive forts on this island during 17th century. 

I am not a religious person but more a spiritual one and find peace and solace in places of worship.  For me those sanctuaries provide places of reflection, calm and refuge, so to see these ruins magnificently dominate the countryside was a beautiful sight allowing more reflection upon history and how past events shape the future.

So Ile de Re is a beautiful island with charming villages, sandy beaches and never-ending pathways just offering up it's natural beauty for all to behold and enjoy. There is definitely something about the air, the ocean breezes and the wild untamed coastline which make it for a perfect getaway - if by yourself, with friends or even as a family!  It's just that kind of place!

If you haven't already read my previous posts about Ile de Re - They are found through the following links:
Ile-de-re-part-i-loix-salt-of-island
More-ile-de-re-biking-quaint-village-of Ars en Re
Sunset-at-le-phare-des-baleines
Ile-de-re-exploring-town-of-saint Martin en Re

Ile de Re - Exploring the town of Saint Martin en Re

Saint Martin en Re- A Bustling Beautiful Port Town

On one of our final days on Ile de Re, we rode from Loix to the beautiful port town of Saint Martin en Re.  Again, from our location up on the North pennisula of the island this meant about 8-10 Km of bike riding to this bustling harbor town strategically located on the Eastern End of the island.  We headed out via the beautiful always picturesque town of Loix and through the Salt Marshes.

This gave us some beautiful final views of the island and it's stunning salt marshes.  This time we got really lucky to see them raking the salt out of the pockets.  Definitely some hot hard work done by these artisans.  The ride took us out along the Eastern bay of the island.  Just stunning views and the bike paths continued to impress me.

As we headed into Saint Martin en Re, we were met by this beautiful entrance of the fortified town.  I knew in an instant that this stunning solid fortress had to be designed by no one else except - Vauban, Louis XIV's greatest engineer.  It was defintely a bit strange to recognize his work at once - guess I have been studying too much history...and I am very familar with Vauban's works in the Bordeaux area- the Citadelle in Blaye and the now destroyed Chateau Trompette in Bordeaux City Center.  

This town has stunning houses, steeped in history, a still bustling port and a quaint harbor full of cafes where fisherman, sailors and tourists can all sit down and enjoy the friendly atomosphere.

Saint Martin en Re is strategically situated on the Eastern Center part of the island and has historically been the town that has been able to protect the population of the island.  For this reason, the island's citadelle was constucted by Vauban in 1681.  It was constructed in record time of only 5 years and to this day remains one of the best preserved examples of an extensively fortified town and citadelle.

Even the harbor was protected well by these extensive walls and presently has a beautiful lighthouse welcoming ships and boats.

The streets are beautiful, quaint, white and truly feel like a step back in time.  One can really get a sense how throughout history this town has enjoyed being such a busy part of Ile de Re.

Due to it's old cobblestone paths and roads, and hills down to the harbor, this town is best explored by foot.  One can see by the following photo that most people, like ourselves arrive by bike.

After spending the morning exploring this beautiful town, we headed back to Loix.  The route along the bay was breath-taking and refreshing as there was light breeze coming off the water.  I was also impressed by the small cafes and restaurants that have set up along the bike path.  These provide great places to stop and sample the local seafood (Oysters, bulots, moules) or to just enjoy a refreshing glass of your favorite wine or beer. The ride is flat and easy going and just so enjoyable.

This ride closed our week on Ile de Re.  It is definitely a place I would love to return to and to spend another week exploring and just enjoying the sea air and beautiful scenery.  I think the sunsets are something that I will never forget and the pure bliss of enjoying nature and water together make Ile de Re a new favorite spot for this family!!!

If you didn't already read my previous posts about our week on Ile de Re - Here are the links:

Ile de Re - Part 1 - Loix & the Salt of the Island

More Ile de Re - Biking and a quaint Village

Sunset on Ile de Re & La Phare des Baleines

Sunset at Le Phare des Baleines - the Lighthouse on Ile de Re

Sunsets - most beautiful from the Island

This post contains a lot of photos - but hopefully you will enjoy the beauty of this evening as much as I did, when I was there breathing and experiencing this amazing sunset.  As the lighthouse - Le Phare des Baleines is located on the western side of the island of Ile de Re, we decided that it would be most profitable to go there in the evening and watch the setting sun.  This particular evening turned out to be one of the most beautiful skies I have seen in a long time.

A little about Le Phare des Baleines (Le phare - French word for lighthouse).  Like most lighthouses, this one is very impressive and proudly stands on the rocky shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean.  This lighthouse of Ile de Re is situated in the small commune of Saint-Clement des Baleines and is the second oldest lighthouse in France.  The word, Baleines means whales in French.  The nearby point has historically been a place where whales have been stranded or beached-thereby eventually coming to be named Pointe (Point) des Baleines, giving inspiration to the town's and lighthouse's name.  

The lighthouse is a very popular tourist attraction with it's 257 step - spiral staircase and stunning views.  On a clear night one can see the distance of 27 nautical miles or 50km from the 57 meter tall tower.  It was designed by architect Leonce Reynaud in 1854 and has been a working lighthouse ever since.

We were more interested in viewing the sunset on the other side than climbing the steps inside, so we took a few family photos in the front and then walked around to the rocky shoreline to see the ever changing light.

You can get an idea of how beautiful this structure is and with the fading sunlight and sky full of blues, reds, purples and oranges - the light reflecting off the stone made it even more stunning.

I loved this backdrop of the horizon, the clouds and the colors to take a few photos of the girls.  The lighting was just so special and unique, I felt the need to take advantage.  Note the wispy clouds as they fade into the distance.

As we stood there watching the colors change, I couldn't tell you which was more beautiful...the sunset itself or the layers of wispy clouds that were filling the sky.  As time passed, a sense of peace washed over me and the colors became richer and then softer.  A beautiful place to be for the evening and a time to feel re-centered and in-tune with nature.

From these panoramic photos, you can see how vast and different the sky appeared as the sun itself dipped below the horizon.  The waves washing in along the shore added to this dramatic but peaceful feel, as we stood along the shore, breeze blowing through our hair breathing in the cool salt air of the evening.

Then one turns around and watches the colors wash over the front side of Le Phare des Baleines - the yellows, the golds, the reds - making the building softer in appearance but still so strong in function as the beaming light warns boats about the nearby shore.

And the sun went down and the colors continued to change.  We walked along the stone covered beach and watched as the skies got darker and darker.  Such a peaceful time of evening and a special time to relax and breath in nature at it's finest moment.

And a final look at this beautiful lighthouse shimmering in the evening glow as the purple lights show off this majestic tower.  I loved the beacon light on top and just the fact that it's named after all the whales that swim nearby, makes it a great place to explore.  A perfect way to see a stunning sunset and to end another summer evening on Ile de Re.

One more final post will be coming up shortly about Ile de Re sharing about the fortress town of Saint Martin en Re.  This may be a small island, but hopefully you can see there are some interesting places to see and of course great trails to cycle.  Have a great day!

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