Le Week-end

  La Rochelle, France
Sunday, September 28, 2008

I have had two amazing weekends in a row. I have already tried to tell you about one, but my internet crashed and I lost everything I had written, and ever since then, when I sit down to rewrite it... I just don't feel like it. I've already written it all down and gotten it out of my system...  But if I am to actually let you know about it, I am going to have to write it again...  So, please forgive my non-descript language and possible lack of enthusiasm in recounting these events.  Goodness, paper journals are so much better than on line one, if for that reasoon only.

The weekend of the 21st-22nd. 
Bek's friend Rob, from Melbourne, was over visiting, and on the weekend there was a big cultural festival where most of the cultural activities available in the town, like museums, galleries and walking tours, were free.We girls (4 Australians, 1 Welsh and a Canadian) were ready to make the most of it. 
"You coming, Rob?"
"Nah, the AFL Grand Final is on, so I'm going to an internet café to watch that... Wonder whether they'd let me take in some beers?"

Medieval French towers, rich in templar history, free for two das only, vs. ...the footy.
Nice call, Rob, nice.
 
So, we dropped of the Aussie bloke and we lovely ladies headed off to the towers.
 

Tour de la Lanterne

First stop was la Tour de la Lanterne, so called because once upon a time the top was lit up as a light house, one of the first of its kind.  Ahh, history.  Besides that, this beautiful old tower was used as a prison, which, despite the dismal thoughts, was very interesting, as there was graffiti on the walls left by the prisoners - graffiti.  As in, words, and some amazing artwork, actually carved into the walls.

Tour de la Lanterne encore

The tower was actually very high, with narrow spiral stair cases, really too thin to pass any one, but too long not to happen to be walking down when someone else was walking up or vice versa.  That was somewhat nerve wracking for a girl like me - it's not like you can move to the other side of the staircase, because, besides the passages being soooo thin, one side all the stairs are virtually non-existant, as often is the case in spiral stair cases.  At one point I was actually using my hands to help me climb pas people.  Embarrassing, but so much better than falling down or something.

Tower stairs

 
But the view was worth it.  (Even though I was really high up and not enclosed at all).

View from la tour de la Lanterne

 
Then it was off to la tour de la Chaîne.  It was the tower to which the chain was attached (which was also connected to the tower of St-Nicholas) to close the port or La Rochelle. 
 
It, likewise, was lovely, but filled with boards telling the history of the port, which, while interesting, I felt took away from the medieval atmosphere of the place.  But there was still some atmosphere left...

La Tour de la Chaine

 
And a nice view of the next tower - la Tour de Saint-Nicholas.

La tour de St Nicholas from la Tour de la Chaine

(Note the French Flag up top).
 
And, honestly, la Tour de Saint-Nicholas was the best. Le Tour de la Lanterne was amazing, but a little high and scary in the respect, despite its beauty.  La Tour de St-Nicholas, on the other hand, was more like a labyrinth.  And I do love a good labyrinth.

Tower Corridor

 
It was amazing ! I have so many photos I would love to show you, but I can't put them ALL up - I'd blind you with towers.  But, I did say something intelligent while I was there : « je voudrais prendre un photograph ». Josie, the French-Canadian, cracked up laughing.  « What, what ? » I asked.  « You just said you wanted to take a photographer ! ». 
 
So, note to all : 
Photo (French) = photograph (English)
Photograph (French) = photographer (English)
Don't fall into the trap!
 
There were places to climb up on this tower as well, but there were more rooms coming off the stairs to duck into should someone pass you, so it was significantly less terrifying.  And climb them I did.
 

The Flag on the top of the Tour de St-Nicholas

(Capture the flag, anyone ?)
Yes, this is the flag from the top of la Tour de Saint-Nicholas. 
I reached it. 
Need some proof ? 
(You probably believe me, but I like proof...)

De la tour de la Chaine

That's a photo of me, taken by me, at the top of La Tour de Saint-Nicholas, looking back over la Tour de la Chaîne and la Tour de la Lanterne.  Pretty neat, huh ?
 
We spent quite a bit of time up there, and Rob had caught up with us by now (lucky lad).  We positioned ourselves by the crenelations (you know, just in case of attack, we were ready to defend the castle with our somewhat non-existant bows and arrows) and chatted like medieval towers were our usual hang-out. 

Just chillin' in a tower

 
But Amy, ever oozing class and sophistication, showed us the proper way to experience sitting atop a french medieval tower...

The wistful Amy shows us what France is all about

Reading a french book, with the medieval town behind you.
 
I didn't really want to leave.  I would have loved to stay there; I would have loved for it to be my balcony. Imagine sitting up there, reading for hours, looking down over a little piece of France.  Certainly, having prisoners screams floating over from la Tour de la Lanterne would have been a bit distracting, but ignoring that, wow.  It must have been amazing to be a person who actually utilised that building, not just looked upon it and imagined and wondered about it.  
 
But want to see something fabulous?  There is an amazing view from la tour de la St-Nicholas, one that is especially beautiful...

Our home from la tour de saint-nicholas

You see those boats ?  My house is between those boats.  </Narnia reference>. 
But seriously, we live in the MIDDLE of THAT marina.  Incroyable, non ?
 
After the first two towers, we all headed down to Earnest's.  Earnest is our new friend, the ice cream shop =P  I had a scoop of banana and a scoop of rhubarb ice cream.  Yes, you heard me : rhubarb ice cream.  For rizzles ! 
 
Amy, en revanche (on the other hand), continued with her sophistication, buying, instead of melting ice cream, a delicious French cake, from a delicious French patisserie. 
Impressive.  Ahh, those French. 

Amy's Amazing Cake

 
That evening, after spending so much of the day together, we came home and cooked a giant group dinner (which we don't usually do).  Bek's mum being a chef, Bek was appointed head chef. 
 

Our "Family" Dinner

 
Richmond and Gragon looked on hungrily...
 
  After our shared dinner, a number of us went down to the beach, which is a 5 minute walk from our house.  We spent a lovely evening, rugged up, sitting in a circle on the sand.  I ended up lying down, gazing up at the stars, and vooosh !!! A shooting star ! I saw 3 that night.  I am a little uncertain though ; one may have been a satellite ?  I don't know, but one looked a little different to the others, a little slower, but then all of a sudden disappeared (which, yes, shooting stars do too, I know).  So, not sure really, but they were all glorious and beautiful.  It reminded me of Kylie, Paula and Suzi, and StormCo.  They know why.
 
We came back and kept sitting around and talking for a good few hours in Bek and my room. 
 
It was quite a late night, in the end, but a lot of fun, and very beautiful.