France

After a sleep in we drove to the beautiful port town of La Rochelle.  Had lunch in a waterside restaurant then went on a boat tour around the bay and the islands.  The water was glassy calm, with almost no swell and the air was misty and very pretty though a little cool.

There is an old fortress, built by Napoleon in around the 14th or 15th Century as a prison though it is rumoured to be a video gaming centre for the rich and fatuous now.  On this grey day it is easy to imagine it as a prison - Napoleon must have really not liked the people he had imprisoned here, there seems no possibility of escape.

We went for a walk around the waterfront areas of La Rochelle then drove over to the marina and walked among the yachts there, fantasizing.  We watched a beautiful sunset across the marina and returned to Chatellerault for a light dinner and what we intended to be an early night - it wasn't, but it was worth it!.