During breakfast this morning we anchored off the Ile d' Aix, a romantic island rich in history. Its name, Aix, derives, like the word "whiskey," from an old Celtic word for water. Our landing place was at the impressive ramparts built for Louis XIV by his genius of a military engineer, Vauban. The island is celebrated in French history as Napoleon's last place of residence on French soil. From here he departed on board the Bell‚rophon into exile on St Helena after his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. We visited the splendidly evocative Napoleon Museum, and an equally evocative monument in the local church to the noyades or mass drownings of Catholic clergy that took place at the height of the Terror.
From the church, in beautiful spring weather, our naturalists led botanical and ornithological hikes into the surrounding countryside.
During lunch on board we repositioned to La Pallice, the outport for La Rochelle. Like Bordeaux, La Rochelle grew rich from Atlantic trade in the eighteenth century; by contrast, its streets have celebrated arcades. The entrance to its old port (illustrated) was protected by the chain tower on one side and by the St. Nicholas tower on the other. We took a leisurely walking tour of the town center, followed by free time for personal exploration. Those with an interest in the Huguenots enjoyed a visit to the town's Protestant church. La Rochelle was the heart of French Protestantism, known as the French Geneva, prior to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
