Short outing to Arcachon

Going to Arcachon

The alarm went off at 0715 but we fell asleep till 0845.  We woke surprised at the time but the 1h time different towards the east must have contributed to it.

We readied ourselves quickly before taking the bus to the train station for the 1005 train to Arcachon.

Buying the tickets at the kiosk was a hassle as one has to enter name and contact details even for a 50 min ride with no reserved seats.  I should have bought it on the app last night, but there was a chance we would have missed it with our sleep-in.

I couldn’t work out whether the ticket from the kiosk was more or less than that on the app last night.  At first, I thought the kiosk was cheaper but I later realised the app search shows the price for two people rather than per person, which is quite unusual for any booking engine. 

I concluded that the price had gone up overnight or at the kiosk, despite a 20% group discount (2 pax minimum) being applied.  We ended up paying EUR5 per person more for the return journey compared to booking last night if I my understanding is correct.

Exploring Arcachon

It was a short walk at around 1100 from Arcachon’s station to the waterfront.  While hot, it didn’t feel as oppressive as yesterday evening in Bordeaux.  It must be the seaside setting and the lack of big stone buildings radiating the heat that had absorbed the sun’s rays through the day.

Walking on the waterfront and the pier, the water and the beach were lovely, faring much better than the main beaches of Zakynthos.  Instant regret set in for not bringing my swimming gear.  It would have been inconvenient though without an additional towel at the Ibis Budget, as we were trying to avoid a towel change in exchange for a free beer/wine at the bar.

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We dropped into Aldi to get a salad, sandwich and a drink to have on seats in the shade on the waterfront.  This trip to Europe, we’re feeling the pinch of the strong Euro.  Kim, in particular, prefers to sit down in a café for meals but he’s now choosing to grab meals from the supermarket to have picnic-style.

We made it back to the 1300 train with 25 mins spare, out of the total of 2h in Arcachon.

Rest of the day

Back in Bordeaux, we didn’t get to our room till about 1500 due to a little exploration of the station area and having to wait for the bus.

We rested at the hotel through the hottest part of the day having our free drink at the bar, until heading out again to explore around 1830.

The heat seemed to be reducing our appetite, so we shared one kebab meal.  In the heat, it didn’t take long for us to feel parched on our after-dinner walk.  We shared a sangria near the river before returning at the end of the day.

Sunset is at 2200, so we didn’t get to see old Bordeaux city in darkness.