It was supposed to rain all day today and it started out true to form. However, by lunch, the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds even though the weather forecast was still for more rain. So, we decided to look for a nature trail that supposedly is located very close to here, just down the road, in fact.
We found the start of the trail without too much difficulty. Thank goodness I decided to bring my walking poles.In typical French tradition, these trails usually start out super wide and relatively flat. Gives one the impression of a pleasant walk in the woods. Not so! Once you are committed to the path, it gradually changes. Gone is the width and instead of being on a highway, you find yourself ducking under tree branches, climbing over fallen tree trunks, and navigating what looks more like a donkey trail than a pleasant walking path.
At one point, we met three women coming from the opposite direction. We exchanged polite "Bonjours" and stepped aside to let them pass. We received very heart felt "merci's". After they disappeared, we continued. Well, the "path" became a pile of shifting rocks with a drop down to the beach of about 4 feet. So much for the "wide, easy path"! We understood why the women were happy we let them pass us. They were exhausted and here I thought they just were sporting healthy glows! It was single file for sure and once again my trusty batons (as they are called in French, saved the day). In fact, Ed even borrowed one to navigate this treacherous stretch. The trail at this point was about a twisting four inches wide and Ed's shoe size is a 15!
After what seemed like too long on this stretch of the path, it widened and smoothed out again. (Not too soon for us.) And shortly after that, we arrived at the Oyster Restaurant (pity we don't like them) And, just a short hike up the road, we found our car right where we had left it!
When we weren't worrying about breaking an arm or leg and could spare glances at the scenery, it was really interesting. We could see St. Cado across the water, although the cottage with blue shutters was on the opposite side. There were even a couple of families on the "beach" looking for shells. Of course this always cracks me up. They get so excited when they find an ordinary unbroken shell. One time I actually brought shells from Sanibel and placed them on the beach here. Can you imagine the surprise when they "found" the rare shell?
