Ile de Ré - one of my favourite places

Still in the Charente-Maritime (I'll try to do the posts per department).  It is a beautiful island, linked by a bridge to La Rochelle. 27 km long and the width varying from 70 m (yes, not km) to 5 km.  To me it is one of the most beautiful places in France.  I can go again and again, I don't think I'll ever get tired of île de Ré!  It has 100 km of cycle roads, hardly ever along the main roads, mainly through the field, passing salt pans (they produce some of the best salt in the world in my opinion), marshes with birds, vineyards, small forests and of course, the beaches. 
Normally it is a place to avoid during the holiday season in France, but this year we've booked for a few nights in August, while visiting the family in Fouras.  We've taken our bicycles with, so that we could cycle in Fouras and in île de Ré.  Even though there are many shops in the area from where you can rent bikes, we've decided it will cost less to take our own and at least, I am familiar with mine. 
We've stayed in a thalasso in Ars-en-Ré, where we had access to their heated indoor swimming pool with massage jets and sauna room.  It turned out to be a good choice - we cycled to Saint-Martin-de-Ré the one day and by the time we've arrived there for lunch, it started raining.  By the time we've finished our lunch, it was pouring outside.  JL offered to cycle back to fetch the car, but as I was already a bit wet and cold, I preferred to cycle back with him.  By the time we've arrived at the hotel we were soaking wet, the water running out of our clothes, not even dripping.  He was proud of me for not complaining along the road, but I was just telling myself the whole time that we'll have a warm swimming pool when arriving at the hotel!  Fortunately it was our last day and the previous days we had good weather and could cover a good part of the island by bicycle.

Above: these rose trémière are in the garden of my mother-in-law. It is typical from the Charente and when I think île-de-Ré, I also think rose trémière. Unfortunately I do not find a photo of it in île-de-Ré!

Below: an information sign of birds in the area, along one of the cycle routes

Above: taking a coffee break in Les Portes-en-Ré (as you can see, bicycles are the main transport)

Below: the market in Les Portes

Below: the phare des Baleines (whales in French, as previously you could find a lot of whales here), seen from the beach at Les Portes

The inside of the phare

Below: the view from the phare

Below: Ars-en-Ré in a distance, the church tower on the left of the photo

You cannot visit the Charente-Maritime without eating moules frites...

I just had to take a photo of this! The first time in my life I see parking for bicycles reserved for customers of a restaurant!

Fortunately we had dinner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré the day before our soaking experience. It was a beautiful sunshine evening, but with an unusual cold wind for summer!