June 5: Saint Aubin de Blaye – Arsac
Its amazing, behind the Estuary, south of Lamarque you have a different France. The environment changed completely, with white sandy soils, swamps, wetlands and lakes. It is warmer, almost tropical, more coniferous trees, ferns and nasty mosquitos, we call them pernilongos in Brazil, appear. The villages become more open, integrated into the forests and wineyards, small flat houses, many in pastel colours, all with beautiful gardens and fences if at all not higher than necessary.
For the first time there is visible life with people on the streets and in their gardens, you here music and children playing and it smells churrasco. Its beautiful, reminds me a lot of Spain. To me, the best I have seen so far from France.