Arcachon

5 November 2007

Last year when we were heading north in March we couldn’t find Arcachon’s parking for “camping cars” which was, according to our book, located at the entrance to the city across from the Citroën garage. We didn’t find the camping cars or the garage so we continued on to Andernos-les-Bains. This year, being a hop away from Arcachon, we decided to try again. We still didn’t find the garage or the camping cars, so we continued into the downtown to the Tourist Information Center. The women there gave Marie-Claire a map showing where the only campsite was located and informed her that the camping car parking site did not exist. When M-C asked how we could get to the campsite, the women said in French, “we’re here, and there’s the campsite”, pointing deftly to two points on the city map. With a couple of exceptions we have had excellent rapport with and help from the staff of the Tourism Offices. Perhaps this lady was constipated or maybe M-C should have given her spiel about being from Canada.

M-C brought the map to our camping car and repeated all this. Looking at the map and trying to orient ourselves to the necessary route with 5 streets running off in various directions, in a busy downtown, and no street name signs, it seemed an impossible task. Roger wandered around the intersection a bit, spotted a directional sign for a camp site and we then wondered whether this was the correct one. In the past we have found that these directional signs to campsites sometimes disappear after 2 or 3 roundabouts and then we’re lost once again. So back we both march into the Tourism Office, get the same woman again. This time maybe it’s Roger’s foreign accent, maybe she’s had a potty break. Whatever, she now seems more helpful. We ask whether the directional sign, WHICH CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN FROM WHERE WE ARE STANDING in the office, is the correct one to follow. “Mais, certainement monsieur, madame. Et toujours tout droit.” When French speaking Europeans say “always straight ahead” you know it really isn’t straight. And this case was no exception. But this time the directional signs to the only Arcachon campsite are indeed all in place and we follow a winding circuitous route for several km and get installed. We are definitely surprised to find that from the campsite it is only a 1 km walk or bike ride to the downtown because we can take a direct route through L’Hiver (Winter), the area we are staying in, its forest, through the Moorish Park to L’Eté, the area where the downtown and the beachfront promenades are located.

Ah, the joys of travel.

So off we go on our bikes to discover Winter, Summer, Fall and Spring aka Arcachon.

This elevator and its tower are the reminder of the Casino Mauresque (Moorish Casino) which sat at the top of the elevator. Built in the early 20^th century, it burned down in the late 1970’s and is commemorated by the Parc Mauresque on the original site.

A pedestrian outdoor “mall” leads through Summer to the beach promenades.

Note the famous French (actually ½ Belgian) rock star Johnny Halliday who has been able to recreate himself innumerable times. His most recent release is a blues album recorded a few months ago in Los Angeles.

This is a beautiful waterfront on the sheltered Bassin d’Arcachon. Further into the basin the tidal flats are very extensive. But here there is considerable deep water and flat sailing with decent winds.

The yacht basin boasts a lot of vessels up to about 40 feet in length and nicely frames a steeple top statue of Christ with outstretched arms welcoming sailors and fishermen back from the storms of the Atlantic.

Roger loves the Citroën “deux chevaux” – which translates literally as 2 horses – or 2 horsepower. And they sound and drive like 2 horsepower.

They look like they’re all brawn and muscle, but they’re really quite meek. Out of production for at least 4 decades, they are now primarily collectors’ cars although we have seen a few in need of some TLC.

In 1841 a railway linked Bordeaux and Teste, a nearby town. In 1845 a deep water port was established 5 km north of Teste. In 1852 the railway was extended to this port by 2 brothers who had bought up the bankrupt Bordeaux-Teste railway, a few villas were built on their land and Arcachon was born as a summer retreat. By 1866 it had also become a winter retreat.

These grand villas in “Winter” are representative of Arcachon.

CAN BE