Southwest France

As our regular readers know, we really enjoy spending time in France, and we plan to continue visiting new areas. France is big -- we have a lot left to explore. And so many areas with wine!

A friend of ours invited us to spend a few days at her house in a small town called Moliets-et-Maa in the Las Landas region of southwest France, which is about a 90 minute drive north of San Sebastian. We were happy to say yes.

Moliets-et-Maa is a beach town that is clearly seasonal. We were there after the summer season ended,  so there were very few people. Most of the restaurants and stores were closed, or only open limited hours, which was fine with us. Frankly, we would not want to be there with the crowds, especially in August when it seems everyone in France is on vacation. 

We spent a lot of time just walking on the nearly empty (giant) beach, and around the nearby small towns, enjoying the good weather.

You might note the dog in the top left photo above. That is the adorable Oliva, who joined us for the visit. She very much enjoyed being on the beach, especially running with the bigger dogs (although she clearly preferred chasing to being chased), and collecting treats from their owners.

Our friend, Maje made many good meals, including BBQ ribs, but for me the best part were the ubiquitous oysters, which are a specialty in this part of France.

Basically, we spent a few days relaxing and doing very little. Even Oliva calmed down enough after a long walk to relax in the hammock.

After leaving Moliets-et-Maa, we rented a car and spent a few days in La Rochelle and the Ile de Re, but more on that soon. For now, here is the sunset from the beach near Maje's house.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana