La Rochelle, Burgundy and nightstop

Lunch by the Atlantic

From Nantes, we needed to head south to Toulouse by tomorrow, which was over 5h away.  More with rest and sightseeing stops.  Because our pre-booked accommodation in Toulouse starts only from tomorrow night, we decided to play it by ear and see where we end up for the night.

Less than 2h from Nantes, we made a lunch stop at La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast.  For some reason, I associate the Atlantic with cold bleak weather.  But it was a scorcher here!

La Rochelle’s main feature is the “Vieux Port” (“Old Harbour”), which is at the heart of the city, picturesque and lined with seafood restaurants.  Luckily, we managed to find a table under an umbrella at the restaurant.

The town was very prosperous historically when it was a busy port serving trade routes to Canada and the Antilles.

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Passing through Burgundy

The mercury (or rather the readout in the car) hit 37 degrees Celsius as we drove through Burgundy, intentionally through its historic centre, rather than using the bypass.  People were playing in the fountains to cool off.

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Marmande Nightstop

After nearly 5h in the car, plus breaks, we decided to call it a day at Marmande.  We were less than 2h short of Toulouse, where we have accommodation booked for tomorrow night.  We managed to find accommodation here in Marmande at a simple place.

As for finding a place open for dinner, that proved harder.  That left only one place, McDonalds! It was a welcome option as it would be the only air-conditioned public place in town, with this heatwave. As it turned out it was fairly warm still.

The hotel wasn’t air-conditioned.  So, it was a very hot night in bed.