Hourtin-Plage

Monday, June 20 was a morning in the national forest of Flamand, which is an 879-hectare Médoc forest, stretching along the coast between the towns of Montalivet-les-Bains to the north and Hourtin-Plage to the south. I traveled it at 30 km/h to enjoy the smell of the pines, the landscape in a wild state; of course, the ONF (National Forest Office) provides maintenance for the selected cuts of wood. The village of Hourtin is more touristy than Montalivet, the two large car parks near the beach have limited access to a height of two meters. I went my way to park between the village and the forest. At the end of June the horde of tourists has not yet swept.

The beach

Longarisse

Tuesday, June 21 was a day of visit after another night of rain. The branches torn from the trees strewing the roads attest to the violence of the wind. The town of Lacanau is of no interest, however Lacanau-Océan on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean is the epitome of organization centered on the tourist to be punctured; Admittedly, the summer season is short, and inflation and soaring fuel costs will have a negative impact on attendance. I bivouacked in the parking lot of the Place des Fleurs de Longarisse on the shores of Lac de Lacanau.

Lacanau Lake

Arcachon

Wednesday, June 22 I left Longarisse for Arcachon with a "stop and go" in Andernos-les-Bains to capture and immortalize the Saint-Eloi Church which dates from the 11th century built on the foundations of a Roman villa, a typical example of reuse building materials. I arrived in Arcachon around 12:00 p.m., not to visit the city whose center of interest is the seafront and then the climbing of the Dune du Pilat which I was careful not to do. However, the stop was motivated by the purchase of two backups because before my departure I had omitted to check the free space of the backup disks. I found my happiness at Darty in La Teste. Then I planted my tepee in the parking lot of Intermarché.

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Préchac

Thursday, June 23, I immersed myself in the Landes de Gascogne with its castles, some of which are occupied by families with many districts of nobility. In Villandraut there is a fortified castle built in the 14th century by the future Pope Clement V. Further on the feudal castle of Roquetaillade was built by the nephew of Clement V! In Bazas I parked the truck on the Place de la Cathédrale Saint-Jean, built from the 13th to the 16th and 18th centuries, which has three portals, the central portal of which is dedicated to the Last Judgment, as it should be. The church of Uzeste has the privilege of having the burial of Clement V with his marble recumbent. Finally it was the castle of Cazeneuve property of the Albret family and its current descendants. It was the stronghold of the future King Henri IV. All these castles can only be visited outside the summer season in the afternoon. I went on my way to bivouac on the place of the church of Préchac.

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Luxey

Friday, June 24, the morning was rainy like the previous night. The tour proposed by the Green guide book runs through the Landes de Gascogne natural park criss-crossed by hiking trails in the fragrant forest, alas it is no longer for me. I therefore traveled at low speed under temporary rain showers. The first stop was in Belin-Béliet in search of the stele built in honor of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Then in Moustey I walked around two churches on the way to Compostela with the marker indicating 1,000 km to reach the Grail! At Pissos I glanced at the church of Richet. I was looking forward to visiting the Écomusée de Marquèze in Sabers and taking a little tourist train to see the Marquèze district. Alas two huge school buses vomited a string of noisy boys and girls, I went my way. Finally in Luxey I stopped to see the resinous products workshop of Jacques and Louis Vidal, patatrac it was only a ruin, thank you the Green guide book. I decided to set up camp behind the town hall on a large piece of land adjoining the cemetery occupied by peaceful people.

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Pilgrim on the way to Santiago de Compostela

Château de Ravignan

Saturday June 25 the days follow one another and look alike, scattered rain and low temperature for the season. Arriving in Mont-de-Marsan a downpour greeted me, fortunately there are no buildings worth seeing. I quickly took a photo of the banks of the Midou river. I had parked the truck in one of the few uncovered car parks in the city center whose barrier limiting the height to two meters was open. By departmental roads I went to Bascons to see a 13th century church dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-la-course-Landaise, why not! Villeneuve-de Marsan is an old 13th century bastide which has retained its brick church and a crenellated tower. The religious buildings of the Middle Ages are always, for me, a wonder by the audacious architecture, the polychrome sculptures and the multicolored stained glass windows. Here, a contemporary stained glass window retraces the scene of the baptism of Jesus of Nazareth by John the Baptist placed in perspective with the baptismal font of the church, a Virgin and Child in the half-light surmounted by the dove symbol of the Holy Spirit. I set up my camp on the grassy car park of the Château de Ravignan, without visiting it

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Mont-de-Marsan

Sunday, June 26 another day of rain and an autumnal temperature. The circuit of the day was the continuation of the one started the day before from Mont-de-Marsan, but on a Sunday! The first visit, Écomusée de l'Armagnac, and the second visit, the Chapelle N.-D.-Des-Cyclistes, were closed. After yesterday's visit to Notre-Dame-de-la-Course-Landaise, I do not despair of visiting a Notre-Dame-Des-Boulistes etc. during my mop. Which attracts me two inappropriate remarks, the first the despisers of the Christian roots of France should go to deep and rural France to admire the religious buildings, and if possible on a Sunday at the time of the religious service. But Gustave Flaubert accompanied by Maxime Du Camp visiting the Holy Places in 1850 in Jerusalem concludes "not to become devout to visit Jerusalem", approximate quote. Régis Debray, commissioned by Jacques Chirac, made several stays in Palestine and Israel, wrote about the same thing subliminally in his opus "Un candide en Terre Sainte". I have not visited the Holy Places which I will never visit.To avoid any trial of intent, I am an agnostic Catholic. My journey continued through three villages dating from the Middle Ages that have preserved very pretty bastides, Labastide d'Armagnac and its Place Royale, Saint-Justin and its Place des Tilleuls and finally Roquefort. Back in Mont-de-Marsan I bivouacked in the Carrefour desert car park on Sunday afternoon.

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