Ed visited the Bunker museum whilst I was otherwise engaged in the shops! It’s a history of the German occupation of this area of France and the establishment of U Boat pens along the West coast of France. The pens were built 6 kilometres from the town, so the buildings in La Rochelle remained virtually unscathed as the RAF pilots were more interested in targeting the U Boats.

The town hall is a fortress-like building with its own tower. Nearby is a free library kiosk. Books are free of charge and can be returned or replaced with another. Just down the road is the local cinema which has been running for many years. A picture of Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, who discovered La Rochelle in the 1950s, sits above the doors.

La Rochelle has many eating places and one of our favourites is the local market, where you can find anything from a plate of oysters to a rotisserie chicken. We bought some roasted beetroot which is delicious, thickly sliced and added to cheese on fresh bread. Needless to say, there is an abundance of cheese available.

We finished our stay in La Rochelle down by the docks, watching the boats coming back in to moor up for the night. Another beautiful evening in this part of France.