Today we finally went to the Marais Poitevin, a trip we had considered many times in the past. We chose Coulon, another one of the prettiest villages in France, as we knew we could take a guided boat trip through the marshes. The Marais Poitevin is the 2nd largest wetland in France. The largest is the Camargue which we have visited twice and which we love. We visited the museum where our guide explained that the Marais Poitevin is 110,000 hectares of intertwined canals and countryside and is divided into 3 zones - the coastal zone, the dry marsh and the wet marsh also known as "Green Venice" (this area floods in winter). Coulon is the capital of Venice Vert.
In the museum there is an area depicting the typical living quarters of people who live in the area.
Local craft beers - Brian missed this!
There were many boots along the water where you could book a guided boat trip so we chose one and booked a trip for 1.30 pm with a guide who spoke English. Despite my having some French the whole thing got mixed up and when we returned - after a quick galette for lunch - the woman said our booking was for an hour and a half at 3.30pm. Fortunately our guide was about and was happy to bring us then. He helped me into the flat-bottomed boat (Barque).
The guide propelled the boat through the tranquil canals and we passed small cattle pastures and secluded picnic areas. It was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing though at times difficult to understand the guide's English.
This bull was even huger than he looks here!
It was time to go back to Treize Vents to pack for our departure the next day. In order to avoid creating a mess we decided to go to the Auberge de Poupet, where we had been the previous Friday, for our evening meal. We had a nice walk by the river and then went to the restaurant which was very busy causing the service to be slow. We had a very enjoyable final day in the Vendee.
