Papa and I were up early this morning and we left home by 8, to arrive in La Rochelle by noon. We walked through the daily marché, then found our B&B. We had lunch reservations at 1:30. After lunch, we walked all over town and the waterfront, with thousands of boats. La Rochelle has organized traffic around bike lanes, so there are bikers everywhere. There are also several carousels!
La Rochelle is on the Atlantic coast. It has been a center for fishing and trade since the 12th century. The old town has medieval houses and passageways covered by 17th century arches. The old port entrance is punctuated by three towers, Saint-Nicolas Tower, completed in 1376; Chain Tower, built between 1382 and 1390; and Lantern Tower, dating to the 17th century, it is the last medieval lighthouse on the Atlantic coast.
