A peace treaty has been thrashed out and the Oldies have kept their part of the deal. At the first possible opportunity they have set off to the Atlantic coast! Typically, however, Her Ladyship is already whinging. ‘Are we mad or what!’ It’s lashing rain, stormy and freezing cold, so I suppose she has a point – for a pathetic, delicate human. But I don’t care. We are going to see the sea!

We’re staying in La Rochelle tonight, a large coastal town with a wonderful harbour. The storm is still fierce. Even His Lordship has a job staying upright as we battle our way along the harbour wall, but at least the rain has finally let up and the evening ambience is lovely. One restaurant after the other offers variations of one of the main local specialities, moules frites, mussels and chips, but sadly, I won’t be indulging tonight. His Lordship is allergic to bivalves and Her Ladyship is, well, her usual picky self and turns her nose up at such fishy delights. What a useless pair!

Things are looking up the next day. The weather is much improved (and, consequently, so is Her Ladyship’s mood) and we have crossed the impressive toll bridge from the mainland over to the Île de Ré. Not counting Ireland, this is my first time on an island with the Oldies. About time, I say!

What a wonderful place. I love it. Sand dunes, beautiful beaches, sea salt marshes, vineyards, pretty little fishing villages all along the coastline. My favourite spot by far is the Phare des Baleines (Lighthouse of the Whales) at the most western tip of the island. Even Her gammy-kneed Ladyship declared that the climb up the 257 steps was well worth it for the breath-taking views from the top. On that note, I don’t normally have a good head for numbers, but I also remember the fact that it was built in 1854. Well, the mosaic on the floor is a quite a good reminder. I also liked the lighthouse keeper’s bed. Quite stylish, I must say, though I am not sure how cosy it would be on a stormy night.

His Lordship often complains about the first generation energy-saving or ‘low-energy’ bulbs which seem to take forever to light up properly and has taken to calling them ‘low-life’ bulbs. I wonder what he would call this lighthouse bulb. A ‘high-life’ bulb perhaps?

Her Ladyship was raving about the CATs on the German motorway construction sites on the way over here, but this is my type of CAT – CATamarans. I spotted these in the harbour of St. Martin de Ré. This is a beautiful fishing village, built within an enormous citadel, an indication of its strategic importance in the past. Nowadays, it is understandably very popular with tourists who are responsible for the fact that the fish restaurants, cafés and ice cream parlours are all doing a roaring trade, even this early in the season. The local cinema appears to be a little less popular, however…

Oh no, we are back on the mainland already. This visit was far too short for my liking. But I’ve just consulted the small print of peace treaty. At least one more trip to the coast is assured before we return to the Austrian mountains. Bring it on!