World Adventure

Hi All,

This blog entry may have plenty of fiction about it as we are writing some of it retrospectively. It is surprising how difficult it is to recall events over the past two weeks.

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Well as I write this entry in Murat the British couple in their 1970s caravan in the next site from us are having a civilised time with only the sound of scrabble pieces exiting from the area. They finished sitting outside on their chairs quietly reading hours ago.

I am sitting on the grass next to the power outlet charging the camera batteries and the laptop while fighting off the mosquitoes. The front of the car makes a nice back rest and birds are making their last calls for the evening and two swans have just flown along the river. There is just a trace of breeze breaking up the reflection of the chateau on the opposite side. A peacock in the distance breaks the silence with its call. Surprisingly it is almost 10pm and just the screen illuminates the keyboard of the laptop.

It was hot and humid today. We are far enough south from Paris now to feel the difference. The clink of scrabble pieces again. A gasp. Will there be a victory war cry from the caravan? Maybe not but the curtains have just been pulled down.
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So to the beginning…

Departure day  Paris
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We found that the transport system in France was really expensive so decided that it would be less restrictive and cheaper to hire a car. A quick check online made it seem pretty easy so we headed to Lyon railway station in Paris, got online and made a booking with thrifty. Information  informed me that the car companies were over the road bridge so I headed over to find the office but after an hour and numerous attempts including ringing them I still couldn’t find the office and was about to give up when I notice a small thrifty logo on the ADA car office sign on the bridge. Vanessa amused herself sitting on our bags and  watching the people in the station  go by with their pets and talking to someone on skype while this was happening so after grabbing her we headed across to sort out the details. It turned out that ADA , the thrifty agent, didn’t have the booking, didn’t do unlimited kms and didn’t have the car available which made me quite annoyed. They did have a car for about 1.5 times the cost so we went looking around but eventually had to take what was available from ADA with the 2000km limit for the expected 7 day trip. We bought a map of Paris and France on the way out and then proceeded to drive out of Paris which was quite nerve wracking.

We did witness some appalling behaviour on the way. A push bike rider believed that he was cut off by a driver and took offence. He complained to the driver and then a little further a long the road at a set of lights went over to the female drivers partially open window and spat in it before riding off. Particularly vulgar Pierre.

A few notes from the road trip. The plan was to go from Paris to Normandy then Bordeaux across to Chamonix then back to Paris in a week.

So where to start the trip? We were on the road travelling along at 90km per hour and didn’t actually have a destination. We had gone to the train station with the objective of getting out of Paris by car or train. We had achieved that objective but now what? A more immediate problem was the road system as we knew that there were many expensive toll ways throughout France and needed to be careful not to take any if possible. We headed towards the Normandy region using the back roads as we figured that they weren’t pay roads. We had set out at 4pm and it was not dark until 9 or 10pm so plenty of time so we drove and drove. The freedom which had been missing in our recent travel was great.


Normandy Region

The land of camembert and calvados (an apple flavoured aperitif),Normany is a largely rural region where the doe eyed cows far outnumber  the humans.

Night 1 Rouen
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We drove and drove until we found ourselves in Rouen at about 10pm. The famous Notre dam looked quite spectacular with the evening light but our priority was getting some sleep but couldn’t find a camping ground despite following the direction signs. We drove out of town and slept in the car in a lane beside a farmers paddock  and awoke to birds  singing  ,rabbits hopping down the lane and cows waiting to be milked. Not so bad and we found the car quite comfortable.

We returned to Rouen and visited the cathedral where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Note that she was redeemed and sainted in the Paris Notre Dame. A guilty act? You can get tacky Joan of aAc memorabilia from the shop outside. No fire starters on display but you can get statues of her on the pyre.

Bayeux another  village whose horizon is dominated  by  yet another huge gothic cathedral. We circle the cathedral in the car but don’t get out for a closer inspection of the architecture. Are we starting to suffer from ABC (another bloody cathedral) so early in our road trip?

We encounter the first of  many  beautifully maintained war cemeteries  on the outskirts of Bayeux  and discover  that  it is a Commonwealth military cemetery containing 4868 graves of soldiers. We wander silently amongst the headstones and read the inscription .The Normandy region contains over 18 Commonwealth cemeteries  but it is still difficult to imagine that a region that is so peaceful today was once the site of  the largest military operations in history.

We continue along on our history trail  to the D Day beaches , where Allied forces launched "the longest day," the mammoth invasion of Normandy in June 1944, that signalled the beginning of the end of Hitler's Third Reich.

The most brutal fighting on D day took place along the stretch of coast line now know as Omaha beach but all that remains today are the occasionally concrete bunker and the odd bit of ship wreck .Perched above Omaha beach is the American Military cemetery containing the graves of  9387 American soldiers and a memorial to 1557 others whose remains were never found. It should have been a solemn place and for  most of our visit it was but occasionally there was the odd child or two to be seen running in and out of the crosses with an embarrassed parent trying to regain and restrain their child as quickly and quietly as possible.

Night 2 Mont St Michel
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This is a an amazing sight. We could see it from 40km away and it looked huge even from a few km away. It is a cathedral on top of a monastery with a fortified town around it. All are situated on an island that has been connected to the mainland by an artificial spit. Lonely planet had indicated that the nearest camping ground was 9km away but we found a good one just 2km from Mont St Michel.  Later we walked out and took a look around the fortified town before a few classic night shots before heading back to camp. Next day we visited the monastery and cathedral before heading to the d day coast.

We had travelled almost 700km in 2 days and looking at the maps we realised that to achieve the trip would require another week and another 2000km. I asked the front desk if they could help but the best they could offer was to sell a telephone card so I went to call and found the telephones out of order. This was a problem as I didn’t want to go too far without more without changing the car contract. We drove to the next town and used the card and called ADA in Paris. Unfortunately the staff other than one member only spoke French so I had to wait until later in the day to find out whether we could book the car for another week. The English speaking Frenchman was available next call to Paris and the car was secured for the extra week.

An unnamed village to us

Men used an old and apparently traditional technique to fish in the waters  off this village.They wade into the water carrying a giant net on a pole and then lower the net into the water and wait .It is unclear to us whether their nets are impregnated with a fish attracter but they certainly appear to use  no bait but generally as the net is lifted and  withdrawn from the water after a short  period of time there are usually a few fish to be see. We were captivated  for quite a while watching these fisherman. It is an amazing little village at filled to the brim with flowers and the obligatory church.

St Malo

Yet another old walled city but this time it is a city with a twist as it is basically  a new old city. During 1944, the battle to drive German forces out of St Malo destroyed around 80% of it so the main historical monuments have been faithfully reconstructed, whilst  the rest of the area has been rebuilt in the style of the 17th and 18th century. The city itself is a spectacular sight but the bus loads of  tourists and the commercialized centre within the city  were an unwelcome sight to us. We drove the scenic circuit around the old city and peered into the alleys before leaving disgruntled with the fact that there was no free  parking spots to be found anywhere. It was a little late in the day for us to walk  two hours to and from a suitable car park  so after see the best parts of the old city we headed off so our next destination.

South Western France

Bordeaux

Dordogne Region. Apparently one of the most popular regions in France, and it is easy to see why. Littered with ancient chateaux, sparkling trout filled rivers and quintessentially French countryside villages, the region is almost picture perfect. The land of truffles and fois grais. Yes  there are thousands of geese looking for liver transplants……..

Night 3 unknown town
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We drove too long today. It was getting a little desperate as we couldn’t find a camping ground. We followed a campervan in the hope that they knew where a site was located but they kept on going and going then we spotted a sign on an intersection that led us to an ugly camping area in a township. We are all about aesthetics so needless to say we didn’t stay  We found another sign out of town and found a municipal camping area located in nice parkland and in one area were a couple of gypsies in their horse drawn carriage. The camp attendant came around and said he would collect the fees in the morning.

We setup camp and enjoyed one of our cans of ravioli before bed. We are getting quite good at putting up and pulling down the camp after so long. We have the big packs in the boot of the car and on top of them we have the grounds sheet, fly, tent, pegs and supports ready to go. The burner is also located in the boot. So it is just a matter of pulling up at the camping ground pegging the ground sheet into the wind while Vanessa gets the tent ready. Then the fly is clipped onto the ground sheet and the tent poles are feed in. The tent is then pegged so that it is upright and  Vanessa gets inside and clips in the tent while I put in the pegs and connect the guys. I hand the bedding, which is located on the back seat, into Vanessa who is still in the tent then assemble the burner and get things running. Vanessa finds the cups and pours a cup of Sangria if it is not too late and then we cook our dinner. We eat then Vanessa retires to the tent while I wash the dishes up at the cleaning area. From start to finish does not take long and is very useful when the weather is not good. (editor notes: Slight exaggeration on the Vanessa contribution as once the tent is up I usually lie down  ASAP  and wait for man servant to bring me my nourishment)
 
There was a storm brewing in the morning so we packed up before the rain and headed into town. We calculated the price of camping and put the amount in an envelope and put it in the council letterbox before leaving in the rain. A few nights later we realised that we underpaid as you pay for  the car, the camping spot, power if required and the number of people. We just paid for the camping spot and number of people but not the car. I’m sure that many people would have just left without paying anything so something is better than nothing surely?

Night 4  St Cers-S- Gironde
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We have got into the swing of things now. We stop at our favourite supermarket chain InterMarche  or its other name Les Mousquetaires and get fuel if necessary, a couple of baguettes and food for the day. Sometimes we buy enough for a couple of days but the bread usually is only good for a day. We try to support the local bakeries on a regular basis .

Vanessa doesn’t particular like  it when I do the shopping but as she generally stays in the car  I return with a bag of whatever my heart  or stomach desires at the time.(editor:She doesn´t mind you doing the shopping)

Typical daily shopping.
1kg biscuits 1 euro (editor: not daily David otherwise you would be the size of a house)
200g smoked salmon 2.5 euro (mmm. this lasts for lunch and dinner)
250g camembert  2 euro (editor:Not daily either but regularly)
1 bread stick 0.7 euro
1 Baguette  0.5 euro 
4 blocks of white chocolate 1 euro (editor: definitely not daily )
1 pack of lollies 1 euro (Editor:Not Frequently enough or large enough I am my Mothers daughter :p)
1 can of Raviolli 0.7 euro (Editor: Too frequently especially after discovering that they contain Pate from some unnamed beast)
Fruit and Vegetables ? euro

A typical eating day.

Breakfast at the camping area. Muesli and cornflakes mixed together  with milk powder and served in a cup.
Lunch.

We start eating from the minute we drive until when we stop for camping. Not stuffing our faces but a constant stream of small portions. A piece of fruit, a bit of fresh baguette  perhaps with a noname nutella spread, a couple of lollies, half a block of chocolate, a few biscuits. Best to keep the energy up when driving on the wrong side of the road with ambiguous speed signs and directions and impatient drivers.

We try and find a nice spot for lunch. There are  usually  lovely wooded spots to pull off the road for a break and often we are the only ones stopped which is even better . Nice and relaxing places to take a break from the road.

Dinner is often a quick meal. We often arrive late and setup the tent. Have a warm meal then are in bed within an hour or so…

We arrived late afternoon after following signs in a winery area. The camping ground is a small greened section inside vineyards that stretch as far as the eye can see in all directions. It creates the illusion of being in a forest and it was here that we first heard the call of a cuckoo  that was not trapped in a clock. The grounds was run by Netherlands couple and it is always a relief to find someone who speaks English well. The reason in this case is that it is the only camping ground open in the winter and British grey nomads use it along their way to Spain and Morocco during the northern winter. Another bonus was that the ground had wifi!

Night 5 Castillian la Bataillr
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Municipal camping
River swans

American couple

It was really hot when we arrived. Maybe 28 deg C. So hot we had to zip off the bottom of our pants and  I changed into a t-shirt. This didn´t stop the fishermen on the river who were persistently casting their lures into the river without the hint of a fish. All but one gave up and then the fish started to bite. I gave him a bravo for his effort. Timing is everything in many aspects of life and fishing is certainly in that set. It was amusing to watch his black gun dog getting excited trying to pick up a fish which was destined for the table a little more tenderised perhaps that he had expected.

Bottle of local bordeux champagne chilled at the camp rounds by the park manager and consumed straight from the bottle. It was not particularly nice and even persistence was not enough to make it taste nicer. Unfortunately we also bought a bottle of red so we will have to save that for a time when we have run out of everything else. Like all wine however it gets better the deeper you delve into the bottle.

Night 6 Sarlat La Caneda
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Camped at Souillac beneath a chateaux and beside a river. We were driving beside a river when suddenly we saw a huge chateau up on a hill amongst the trees and a few minutes later as we neared the village and the chateau we noticed that there was a camping grounds directly beneath the hill on which the Chateau presided. We turned around and headed back and checked in. The reception person did not speak English but got out the French/English dictionary and  pointed at thunderstorm. The skies had looked threatening so we setup the tent and had just finished cooking our dinner when the storm rolled in. We raced into  the tent as the thunder, lightning and rain started. The storm lasted for a couple of hours then the rain started in earnest so we were tent bound for the rest of the evening. A swan out on the river was not afraid and was happily paddling around when we looked out of the tent between rainfalls.

This region is full of delightful villages with stone houses and slate roofs. Time seems to have stopped and they have not outwardly modernised. Maybe they already know the secret to a happy life and don´t need to waste their time with the latest fashion or  fads. The villages are always clean and flower boxes with bight coloured flowers sit in the windows sills. Almost all windows have the traditional shutter which nicely contrast against the building walls. It is almost as if the villages are comprised of extended families and often there is less than 1km between them. The sense of age is good for the soul.

Gorges de la truyere

Misty rain

Residual snow in the higher peaks

Along the sides of the roads there are constant signs warning to be alert for deer but of late the signs have been stencilled with angel wings .To date we haven’t seen any signs of actual living breathing deer and maybe the signs are telling us why we haven’t  as they all gone to heaven or french freezers

Night 7 Murat
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Camping in municipal camp grounds. We arrived in the afternoon after following the signs. The camping ground was on the edge of a medieval village with a large statue of the Madonna and child on a rocky hill dominating the area. Again we were camped by a river with good tree cover and had a light rain.

The day had been quite frustrating as it had continued raining through the night and then continued all day. We had been searching for a deep gorge but had continued to get onto the wrong roads which were not on the map that we were using. We did find a nice gorge and eventually found a tourist office who suggested stopping as the weather was supposed to be better tomorrow but we continued on and up over the mountain range in the area and up to about 1300m but the visibility wasn´t good. The area had turned to alpine and the next village was a ski village. There were only a few patches of snow but the air was still cool.

The next day we woke up to beautiful blue skies and we could see that the area was quite scenic. The map from tourism showed a town that was supposed to be the most scenic in France so we decided to backtrack about 40km and have a look. It took us on a fantastic hill road which was barely wide enough for one car. It took us up to a high mountain pass which had camper vans and buses parked quite poorly before dropping down on the other side along a precarious drop. I was frustrated with a campervan which refused to allow me to overtake and then we met a street sweeper truck working along the road but coming  in the opposite direction! Why? Lots and lots of pushbikes in the area and I bet  they don´t like gravel or leaves on the corners. Eventually I managed overtake the campervan and get to the town. It was alright but we have seen many beautiful villages on our travel so just walked around quickly then headed off. The town was a tourist town full of bus loads of elderly people. I wonder how you can claim that your town is the most beautiful in the country when there are so many others around…


Night 8 St Genix S Gerone
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Arrived very late. Place with wifi by river run by another Netherlands couple.
Nasty golden retriever (Editor :It barked once nasty???)

Driving out of the town we found a nice old stone arched bridge with the river water flowing under it and over an obstruction. On the other side of the obstruction was fisherman enjoying the morning casting into the downstream rapids. The water on the upstream side of the bridge  was calm and a reflection of the bridge so the total view with the bridge arches creating a window downstream was really nice.

Night 9 and 10 Chamonix
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This is a ski town and looks and feels like a ski town. We looked at a few camping grounds and found that they were all  either pretty expensive  or closed but we had to stay somewhere so took the option nearest town. The extortionate cost was 23 euro per night for camping with power! We did however had brilliant views of Mont Blanc and glaciers and in the afternoon the clouds lifted giving us a clear view of the mountain range.

Next day we woke to a saturated tent. Condensation as the overnight temperature was really cool. Looking around the ground camps we noticed that everyone else’s tent was in the same state so it wasn’t just our tent that was having problems. We set out for a walk and saw that the mountain range was clear so headed over to the cable car for a ride up to the top. It also was extortionate but we decided to splurge and purchased the return ticket to the top which compromised a first stage to about 2300m and second stage up to 3840m. Mt blanc is of course much higher but we had to leave that to the mountaineers who were queued up with all the equipment one would expect for crevassing and ice climbing. We piled into the carriage and went shooting up. I expected the mountaineers and adventurers to get out at the first stage but they continued up to the top then put their crampons on and headed out down a thin crest towards a glacier  in the minus 5 deg C temperature and wind. We stayed on the observation platform for a while and watched them disappear into the distance carefully following a set route across the glacier. Later we checked the statistics and it turns out that on average 12 people die in the area each year and it is no surprise as it is very dangerous. There also was a panoramic cable car across to Italy. It was a separate ticket and we blew the budget for the ride but it was worth it as the cable car went across large glacier fields and did indeed give marvellous panoramas of the mountain and move of an idea of where the mountaineers were headed.
 
We decided to catch the cable car down to the first stage and then walk down the mountain as it was a superb day. First we walked over to a small glacier for lunch and were lucky enough to be entertained by a marmot looking for feed. The walk was good as it went from the alpine section through the pine and down past a close walk to some nice cascades. The  French again have to be commended on their inadequate signage because after a few hairy moments on the path we reach the bottom near the cascades only to discover that the path is actually closed and off limits  until the 30th June. This is all good and well is you are starting from the bottom and intending on going up but from the top down absolutely no signs indicating that the path is closed.. Luckily for them we don’t particularly enjoy perfectly manicured paths but maybe the couple that we left in our dust cloud  who were struggle down the mountain side would have liked to know that the path was closed.

Night 11 - Chatillon Sur Seine
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Another long day. Woke up to a wet tent again and overcast conditions. Not much for it other than to put the tent in garbage bags and try and dry it later.

We drove into Switzerland and through Geneva before getting lost and doing some circle work and having to retreat back into France to take another path. It was nice to get away from the roundabouts for a while and have them replaced with stoplights that I could actually see when stopped. Geneva looked nice from what we could see from our short drive around and around the city.

We had a surprisingly good run and drove through some unlikely ski towns on some back roads before finding a nice spot by a creek shaded by leafy trees for lunch and hanging the tent over tables and chairs and a large tree. We then headed to Dijon the mustard capitol of France for a look before heading towards Paris along a scenic route. Nice drive but despite the signs we still haven’t seen any wild deer along the road but have been compensated with quiet little villages with the occasional fairy tale chateau. It is worth looking up chateau for the definition as it seems to range from a large country residence to a castle. We were starting to think we were going to sleep in the car as we were having trouble finding a camping ground but finally found one at about 9pm.

The were a lot of motor cyclist on the road today. They are crazy and I wouldn’t get on the back of a French driven motorcycle unless it was an emergency. I think that most of them will be temporary citizens of France! Like to know the motorcycle fatality statistics in France.

Today we head towards a medieval festival in the village of Chateauvillian. Initially we thought that this was going to be a very lame event but in the end it turned out to be rather entertaining. We were enthralled   by the medieval torture devices and the primitive surgical equipment. The commentary was given in French but the enthusiastic  ……………………..

We  have delighted in seeing squirrels in full flight doing the 8m dash  across the road and we have sadly looked upon a hedgehog  or two that wasn’t quite as athletic. RIP little hedgehogs. Field mice scampering across the road to disappear into the fields of wheat  and maize
Throughout our journeys of the last couple of weeks we have noticed that the quaint little villages make a conscience effort to be  aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The  villages are exceptionally tidy and the flower boxes in their windows are overflowing with colour. Each and every village could  be competing for tidy town of the year  and maybe they are or maybe they are just house proud. There is a noticeable absence of pubs in villages so maybe whilst they are quaffing a glass or two of vino at home they are tending to their gardens as well.

Night 12 - Chalons en champagne
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Stayed at etap hotel. We needed to do some research and needed the internet for a long time with power. Etap is a budget hotel along the lines of formula 1 budget hotels but has more features such as TV, wifi, a dining area and 24hr reception. Our room could sleep 3 people. I liked it and for 39 euro it was a fair price. Strange location as it was in the middle of a large industrial zone.

We have come  to the conclusion that the trip into Asia is probably a mistake and also too much time pressure to get visas for Russia and China. We may still go but need to replan and look at other options in Europe then heading to Asia in Autumn when it isn´t so hot.

Our immediate problem was getting cheap accommodation in London and the most cost effective transport. A little research showed that it is cheaper to fly than catch the train and cheaper again to catch the bus. The train was odd as it was more expensive for a one way ticket than a return.

Disaster struck later at night while online. A sneaky virus got onto the computer and rendered the internet connection inoperable and damaged Norton virus checker which caused other problems. The overnight staff member let me use his laptop and I found that the laptop had an image of computer so I copied most of the important files to an SD card and rebuilt the system. This was brilliant as we went from having a word processor to a fully functional computer in about an hour. The total time took about 4hrs of fiddling and 1hr of rebuild so I didn´t get to be until about 330am.

Villers Bretonneux.

Australian erected its National  War Memorial here to commemorate the nations feat  of arms  in France and Belgium during  the war .The memorial also records  and  honours 10,982 Australian dead  who have no known grave and died  in France(other than in  the Fromelles).
History lesson
In 1916 the Australian Army entered the Western Front with 180,000 men three times the number  that had served at Gallipoli in 1915.
The Australian troops won undying fame in the battlefields of France and Belgium  during three years of war. In doing so .46,000 of the 60,000 Australians killed in the war, died on the Western Front. From a population of just 4.5 million people  313,000 volunteered to serve  during the war and 65% of these became casualties

It was rather sad reading the headstones as many of the Australians that died were  so young. Sad that they had to die but they are hopefully at peace on this beautiful  ridge.

Night 13 - Ault Onival
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Camping grounds perched high on a hill  top overlooking the still  waters perhaps the English channel and perhaps not.We should really  consult  our atlas but alas we gave that away in Athens in yet another  backpack lighting purge.(Editor notes :like 50 grams was going to push us over the scales) The town  was edged with white cliffs similar to those that can be found in Dover.  We walked around the town and looked at all the early 1900s architecture. The  house were similar but different in that each had its own character ,style but not so different that they didn´t group together nicely on a little. One house in particular had a striking  tile work at the entrance to the house with salamanders, starfish and shells forming a border around the name of the house which coincidently was   named Salamander. An elderly French man who had previously been talking to his goose (Edit note: probably saying surely I can take just a little more liver  it will regenerate) had attempted to discuss the house with David but it was a little one sided and David´s contribution to the discussion was goodbye in French. We watched the sun form an orange shaped  mushroom   before it  sank into the ocean and a great dane dance with the waves as they rolled into the pebbled beach. We awoke to the sounds of our live cuckoo clock cuckooing for us again this morning.
 
We packed the tent up for the last time on this road trip and started heading towards Paris but made a detour  for lunch to Rambures Chateau-fort

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Arrived back at camping grounds. We had a plan but couldn´t find the freeway we wanted on the map so we just folded up the map and followed the paris road signs until we found a sign to a  familiar area and turned off. It worked well and without too much drama we found the caravan park. We also  decided that tonight  was the night to venture into Paris after hours and without many possessions and used the car as a security box in the confines of the camping area.

We climb the 859 stairs of the Eiffel tower to the second floor and we saw it twinkle .Some young American girls discovered that short skirts and up draft don’t  mix particularly when there are men on the platform below. The tower itself is an amazing piece of engineering but …………

Campgrounds is full of cars and Scottish drivers and support crew from a Edinburgh 2 Rome rally .Staff are basically cracking under the pressure and are making mistakes. We were  charged for three nights  for a campervan site when we only have a tent but we eventually got most of our money back  and paid to store the car within the campground for the evening.

The hire car return

The first job was to get some fuel but we needed to head in the opposite direction to Paris. It also meant turning around as the target petrol station was on the opposite of the road. It became complicated. I turned into a neighbourhood to turn but couldn´t find a place to turn and the streets were one way so after guessing my  way we ended back where we started. This time I went to  another fuel station and found a turning area which made for a relatively easy turn to Paris.

The roads are chaotic. We headed straight along to the arc d triumph to what I believe is the largest roundabout in the world and had to carefully merge along to get to the other side. What an experience. Then it was relatively straightforward navigation into the lyon train station with a few minor problems and beeps from impatient French drivers. Vanessa  kept us on track with our giant map of Paris. Ok. That sounded too easy. It was really stressful driving through Paris and I wouldn’t recommend it if you are a nervous person as there are scooter and pushbike riders weaving through the traffic ignoring road rules. Quite often there were no lane markers and the traffic was bumper to bumper. Throw in pedestrians randomly crossing and you have it. I was quite relieved to get inside the rental car carpark without any new dents in the rental car.

All went well and the total km for the road trip were 4070. A little over the maximum 4000 but pretty close. We asked for the electronic pre-authorisation on the vehicle to be cancelled and they seemed confused. Vanessa was certain that the amount was debited on the credit card so we insisted that it was necessary to cancel. We spent the rest of the day trying to sort out the problem only to find after checking online that the debit had been cleared. I think that the front desk person thought we were crazy Australians and maybe he was right…

It  was an excellent road trip. We really loved rural France. It was everything we had hoped and maybe some more.

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Are we getting tired of travelling. Not travelling but we are getting tired and now we long to travel less and stay longer in some of the regions. We want to get into the heart of the countries. To live as the locals live, to feel the seasons, to experience the festivals and the quiet times. We have evolved in our travel desires and the constant movement makes us tired but we still love it and the world is such a large place.

Bye,
David and Vanessa