Game: TS2 CC: yes Lot: 4x5 beach lot (4x4 built and decorated area + 1x4 sea area) Venue: this lot combines a gift shop, a church which can qualify as a theatre, and a beach (although it doesn't fulfill the beach requirements due to the lack of a bbq. grilling in the middle of dry dune weeds and pine needles isn't exactly a great idea, and fires are prohibited on most french beaches anyway)
Salt, sometimes referred to as "white gold" or "the ocean's gold", was a precious resource during middle ages and even subject to a special tax. It became a source of wealth for coastal regions where seasalt was "cultivated" in marshes and harvested from the brine. However, with the invention of more modern and high-yield salt extraction processes, this method for salt production fell out of fashion, only to be revived at the end of the 20th century by a handful of passionate salt workers.
This chapel, the foundations of which date back from the 12th century, was built on a rocky hill at the sea. The coastline receded over the centuries, as the bay was gradually silted up, making room for what is now a salt marsh.
The inside is quite small and dimly lit, with only a few rows of wooden benches. The choir features an ancient marble altar right next to a much modern standing microphone.
Mass is seldomly celebrated here, but the chapel is sometimes used as an auditorium for chamber music or small choirs.
Next to the chapel, a gravel path leads down through the dunes and to the beach.
The salt marsh is divided into shallow rectangular ponds, where the brine evaporates under the combined effect of sun and wind. The salt crust can then be raked off the surface and gathered into a pile left here to dry.
The marsh is fed with sea water through a channel, and the input can be controlled thanks to sluice gates. A bridge crosses over the channel and gives access to the evaporating ponds.
Across the bridge, a picnic area and playground was set up in the dunes. The huts in the foreground host public bathrooms, The marsh owner's salt and gift shop, and a shed for tools and supplies.
The shop sells locally produced seasalt, in bags or in glass jars, as well as specialties: fresh and canned glasswort (a succulent plant that grows in the marsh), and salt butter caramel available as candies or spread.
Salt butter can be found in the refrigerated display next to the cash desk. The shop also has non-edible gifts: towels, bath salts and soap, local handcrafted pottery, salt boxes and mills...
The shed
Down the path lies a small beach, a nice spot to sunbath, play in the sand and swim in the ocean. There's a shower to rinse off the extra salt and sand before you go.
Overview from the sea:
Floorplans:
roof
level 2
level 1 (I took out some of the trees that blocked the view)
level 0 (zoomed in on the church and shop)
15th Jul 2016 at 11:10 PM
Round 4 - "The Ocean's Gold" gift shop
