Île de Ré day

These are some pictures from when I went to the Île de Ré, a picturesque island off the coast of western France near La Rochelle. Jess and Ted and I jumped into our rental car and picked up some friends of mine, Lee and Laura, for a day of wandering and beach-combing.  First, we stopped by an old abbey, abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Ré, also called des Châteliers, in search of the perfect picnic spot.










This old stone abbey provided the perfect wind shelter, since the Île de Ré, while absolutely gorgeous, can tactfully be described as blustery.


We walked through Saint-Martin-de-Ré, which is one of those cute French towns full of narrow winding streets that are perfect for wandering aimlessly. At the same time, Saint Martin is too small to truly get lost, which appeases my mazeophobic side.

Jess found this awesome door knocker. The French have the most random collection of grandiose door knockers.

We also found a shop aptly named... the shop (or le magasin in French). I found it hilarious.


And of course, no trip to the Île de Ré is complete without going to the beach. Islands lend themselves to that. And the beaches did not disappoint. They were pebble beaches, which while picturesque, are a little hard on the feet.


Ouch-inducing beaches did not stop us from wading into the crystal-clear water. Chilly, but satisfying.
The beach also had these larger stones hidden in the sand. Jess constructed this rock sculpture.


What is je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people to the seaside? Is it the air? Is it the water? Is it the unparalleled splendor of the ocean? I like to think it is the splendor. What ever is it, I am missing the Île de Ré today.