Saujon Aire
En route to Royan we pulled onto an Aire in Saujon, just for a lunch stop, but stayed 2 days because we were so impressed with both the Aire, a new one on the river, and the little town itself. We strolled into town the first evening and were delighted, but not surprised, to find everything set up in the square ready for 9p.m., as Wednesday night here is (free) music night in July and early August. This sort of thing happens all over France in the summer.
In Royan now and tonight is Music night, with a capital “M”, an 85 piece symphony orchestra – on the beach!
Royan Concert on the beach
We arrived in the town early and managed to bag a parking space, along with several other ‘vans; at the edge of the town we’d read a roadside notice saying that camping-cars could park for 2 hours only, but this week, on Mon, Wed and Fri, a blind eye is turned because of the 3 concerts on the beach (it will actually be 4 nights this year, because Mon was rained off so that one has been held over till tomorrow). It doesn’t begin until 10p.m., but we head off with our chairs at 6.30 to bag a decent place on the beach, which is free; you only pay for this 2 hour concert with fireworks finale if you choose to sit in one of the specially erected grandstand seats, then it’s €23 – I wish we could get those prices in London! It was a fantastic performance, without rain, and well worth the long wait for the 40,000+ of us on the beach.
I know Royan very well, I met my husband near there!