Bassin des Aigrettes

As lectures were slowing down we took an excursion to Bassin des Aigrettes, the water was so so cold we didn't swim for long!

The Volcano : part 3...the whole point of the Volcano!

This is what made the 564 steps down, the 13km hike up the volcano then the 564 steps back up the mountain! My knees felt like jelly!

Volcano: part 2...

Now after the 564 steps and the small part of the hike we had done, we were stood infront of this, only 2631km to hike up!

There was no clear path either, we had to clamber up clumps of lava which isn't easy! Especially when like me you hate walking!

So we made it to the top eventually, 2 and a half hours later! It was so cold but also the sun was glaring down on us so we were constantly taking off cardigans, jumpers etc then putting them back on! Even though we had factor 40 on we still managed to get burnt!

Me not happy at the prospect of now having to climb down!

Piton de la Fournaise - The Volcano

After eventually reaching the volcano, well the furthest we could go by car!, we started to walk down the 564 steps down the mountain.

And this was only half way!

On the way up to the volcano: sunrise...

We left university at 5am, me, helen and the three american girls drove to piton de la fournaise. We stopped at several points along the way to watch the sunrise and look at the clouds.

Churches and Temples around the island...

This is a church on the east coast of the island which is famous. When the volcano erupted one year the lava ran down the mountains and stopped right infront of the church. Everyone believed it to be blessed as the church wasn't damaged at all. If you go into the church you can see pictures and commentaries of the eruption.

All around the island there are temples either inside peoples gates or just on their own. They are always really detailled and colourful.

Last Stop: Sunset in St Gilles

To finish off the day we drove back up the west coast of the island and stopped off in St Gilles at l'Hermitage beach to watch the sunset. It wasn't as spectacular as last time but was still something to get the camera out for Dad! (sorry!)

Next stop: St Pierre

When Helen was here, at the weekend we decided to take a complete tour of the island which meant starting at St Denis going east to St Andre etc, visiting the lava road, then stopping off in St Pierre for lunch. Apart from the gorgeous beach, though it was more stones than sand we stopped off at the local market to see what we could find...