En Charente - Maritime
We stayed 3 nights in a very charming, convenient (in the city) and comfortable (the pool was a plus as it was very hot) Maison d’Hôtes: L’Esprit du 8. The owners recommended very good retaurants: Le Violon d’Ingres, Boon.
Rochefort is a small city with a big history and got some fame in the 60’ for a movie/musical with Catherine Deneuve and her sister Françoise Dorléac: les Demoiselles de Rochefort
Visit of La Corderie Royale (The Royal Rope Factory): the longest building in Europe of its time in the Naval Dockyard of Rochefort. Built between 1666 and 1669, it provided ropes for the French Navy and its ships for over three centuries.
Curious little museum The Museum of Old Trades
Marennes is the center of oyster farming
Amazing lunch at La Ferme Marine d’Artouan, the owners Ingrid & David Mercier took over this farm right before covid and work really hard to keep it alive! It was absolutely delicious! They add some herbs from the marshes: de l’armoise maritime ou santonine, de l’inule, de l’obione, de la salicorne et del’aster… entre autres. And some rillettes…
A must!
The Fort of Fouras and the beach where we had an excellent lunch feet in the sand and Fort Boyard in the distance at La Retenue restaurant
On our way back to Ars we stop in Echillais to see an interesting bridge: Le Pont Transbordeur
