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Oysters, nudist beaches, wild animals, and Salt Boy awaited us on the fun day out to... | ||
Ile de Noirmoutier | ||
![]() We arrived at the Passage du Gois, a 4.5 km stretch of submersible roadway, to find that we had to wait hours for low tide, so we stopped to have a beer instead. |
![]() Our bingo cards dictated that we had to taste oysters, so this woman did all the hard work for us. |
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![]() They weren't as gross as I thought they would be. |
![]() When, exactly, does the live oyster die...? |
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![]() This man sampled some after we did. |
![]() He brought his own food. |
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![]() Cyclists from the back. |
![]() And from the front. |
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![]() Here we are on the Passage du Gois, frustrated that we couldn't drive across to our destination. |
![]() I tried to walk. |
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![]() The idea here is the Red Sea. |
![]() One of the wonders of France |
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![]() Just past the Port du Bec is a wind farm. |
![]() Nick had an unexpected adventure when he was summoned to help a fisherman pull in his huge eel from the canal. |
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![]() Here I am, holding the captured eel, which was still VERY lively. |
![]() Shaggy donkeys are native to the island. |
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![]() Salt is a specialty of the area, and here, mounds of it can be seen drying in the sun. |
![]() Probably the highlight of our trip - shallow, I know - was Salt Boy, whom we summoned out of his little hut at lunchtime. |
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![]() Dressed like this, we felt obliged to buy some of his salty products. |
![]() Later, after finding another bridge onto the island, we headed to the beach, where men like this were waiting. |
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![]() On the way to the beach, Nick whacked some pinecones out of the trees. |
![]() A sunny day at the seaside |
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![]() More totty |
![]() Ubiquitous souvenirs |
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![]() Nick changed in the back of the car after our beach trip. |
![]() On the way back, we were able to cross the Gois at low tide. |
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![]() Later, we stopped for this photo in Sallertaine. There's also one of us mooning the camera if you're interested... |
![]() Nick at sunset |
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![]() And George at sunset |
![]() Also on the way home, we found this giant duck in Challans. When it's open, you can enter its mouth and slide out its bottom! |
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![]() Finally, to end our day, we had a nice Tex Mex meal in La Roche-sur-Yon, labelled "the dullest town in France" by a 19th century travel writer. It was our first time drinking cactus juice and eating chicken wings. |
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georgenick.co.uk |