A day at the beach

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Geo: 43.3879, -1.66028

Today, we decided to head out through the Aquitaine for the Atlantic coast of France. It was another beautiful day and we decided to take our time, using the lesser roads instead of the high-speed toll roads. As we were passing through towns along the way, we began to notice that the gas stations were closed because it was Sunday.
We got to one of the larger towns, Auch, and found a large chain supermarket with gas pumps that were open. Unfortunately, the automated pumps wouldn't accept any of our plastic. We motored around the town and found other unattended station with some customers filling up, so we decided to try our luck there, Again, the machines didn't like our cards. After our lack of success even with the help of some locals getting their own gas, we were finally able to resolve our critical fuel situation using the credit card of a Frenchman and paying him in cash. Another great road story due to the kindness of strangers!
We continued our scenic journey thru fields of sunflowers and grapes, onward thru the town of Pau, finally reaching the Cote d' Argent, passing thru Bayonne, around Biarritz, to the coastal village/resort area of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. We stopped for lunch at a great little beach, packed with sunbathers and families enjoying the sun and water. Debbie and Janet ventured out to sample the water while Guenther and I sat in the shade of a cabana cafe and ordered oysters and other assorted fruite de mare.
We found plenty of gas stations open along the coast, so we filled up again before heading back to Toulouse. Due to the lateness of the hour, we took the A-64 for the 3+ hour ride back. Although we were able to move along at 130 km/hr, the wind noise on my R1100RS was pretty intense. By the time we arrived back at home base I was ready for two Aleve and lots of wine. We had a simple dinner of bread, cheese, and tappas, and finally hit the rack at close to midnight. Another long but memorable day.

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