June 04 – Dune of Pilat and A Digital Illuminations Show

We had a drive of an hour plus this morning, heading to the Dune of Pilat.  The Dune of Pilat is the tallest sand dune in Europe at almost 350 feet above sea level.  Fortunately, there was a set of stairs, with a rope handrail, to the top.  That made it “easier” to haul ourselves up to the top.  What a lot of exercise…134 stairs at Mary’s count.

The pile of sand was huge. 

It was very windy at the top but the views were great.  Tree tops...

and coastline. 

After enjoying the views we worked our way slowly back down the stairs (Mary thought about sliding down but decided she didn’t want her pants full of sand).  There were a few eateries near the dune so we found sandwiches for lunch. 

Mary ordered a hot dog…and it turned out to be a very large hot dog.  It was really two hot dogs on a long baguette.  She ended up finishing it for dinner.

Then we headed to Bordeaux to the Les Bassin des Lumières.  This huge building is a former submarine base and is the largest digital art center in the world.  

The current shows are dedicated to Matisse, Frida Kahlo and The Little Prince.  And it was amazing.

There are three large basins with water so everything projected onto the walls and ceilings are reflected in the water, doubling the impact.

Matisse:

And a great show using elements from his art. 

Frida Kahlo:

A large group of school children with neon yellow vests that glowed in the lighting. 

The Little Prince.

After thoroughly enjoying the shows and taking a gazillion videos and photos, we headed to “The Cube”.  This large square room had and extremely glossy/reflective floor so everything projected on the walls was reflected on the floors.  We sat on bean bags in a corner and enjoyed the light shows on the walls. 

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More Les Bassin des Lumières 
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Eventually we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.   

That evening Mary finished her hot dog for dinner and Paul had an apple.  We are eating too much so a light dinner was warranted.