Roads, Ruins and Rendezvous

Blog 25 then, feels somewhat pivotal too, especially as it comes at very nearly the 6months away point, and finds us well back into France, specifically in the Dordogne. We've covered some kilometres in the last 10 days or so (check out the map!), and with this blog being at 10 days before our next planned rendezvous with my Mum and stepdad Paul some 945kms away back in Germany, we will be doing some more in the coming days. Anyway, there's plenty to fill you in on, so here goes.

The last blog, as some of our more perceptive readers noted, was unhappily written on our last day in Germany. As I touched on last time, we hadn't really enjoyed our time there, and with limited funds and rubbish weather, we decided to turn tail and head back to France where things were altogether easier.

There was another factor in the decision to run back this way, and that was a well timed message from Tess and Nige, who you'll remember from our visit to the champagne region back in July. They were still at their house in France, and happened to message us as we'd just got back from our day in soggy Salzburg wondering where the heck to head for next. Anyway, they threw us a curve ball, and knowing it was my birthday during the following week (the same day as their wedding anniversary) they suggested if we were making for France we should stop off at their place while assessing our options. We did what we always do at this point, not reach for the old style map, but plumb into Google Maps Salzburg to Loches - it was "only" a 9hr 18min drive (allegedly), but more importantly it was pretty much a straight line back to France and would get us well on the way towards the Dordogne which was an area we'd not explored before.

Monday morning, and having spent the night in an Aire at the Hymer dealership, hoping to get the bits we needed to install a 2nd solar panel onto the roof of the van (another job Jase could do while we stayed at Loches), we woke fairly early and excited for our next bit of the Jexit adventure - I'd had the best night's sleep for a good few weeks, adding more proof that leaving Germany and Austria was the right thing to be doing. Anyway, we headed into the shop pretty much as it opened, and Jase managed to explain to the sales assistant what we wanted. Cue a fair bit of hunting around the showroom to no avail - they reckon they had the mounts in stock, but couldn't locate them. They could however get some sent over from the factory (which was about 2km away) but that would take until Tuesday afternoon at least - not exactly the German efficiency we'd expected. We therefore took the decision to leave it and crack on with our journey. Jase has subsequently done further research and found the same items back home for over €100 less than Germany, so we also avoided a costly option too.

We rolled from our overnight stop and plumbed in Luxeuil-Les-Bains into the sat nav - a place we'd chosen purely on the basis of it being pretty much without deviation from our main route and a free Aire. The journey was stunning pretty much all the way, with some great views across Lake Constance and the surrounding hills - it's such a shame the area isn't as easy to be in as the views are on the eyes! After a fairly long day of driving we arrived at the Aire without any issues, and made ourselves at home - it was nothing more than we'd had in Germany really - still a big gravel car park, but with 3 major advantages:

1) it was free
2) it had all the services you need
3) people actually spoke to you!

The feeling of relief at being back in France was huge. I don't think either of us realised the extent of the difficulties in Germany, but we were both very pleased to have put it behind us for now.

Tuesday morning and after a great night's sleep we had a fairly early start with a brief fuel and food pit stop at the local Auchan. One things we'd have to get back used to was the more expensive food and fuel - see, there's always ying and yang in everything you do. Once we were stocked up, we started on the 3hr journey across to Tess and Nige's place at Loches. We made really good time, and arrived for a stunning BBQ pizza lunch and a glass or two of Rose. It was lovely to be back. The rest of the day was spent catching up on news over the intervening weeks, followed by a lovely hot tub soak, inside shower and BBQ evening meal. We even had our 2nd sleep in a proper bed of this trip - as before we'd been more than happy in the van, but Tess insisted - especially as it was my birthday the following day!

Wednesday morning, my 41st birthday and Tess and Nige's wedding anniversary. True to usual form, it was raining! After a lovely sleep, I was surprised to see a lovely breakfast laden with all sorts of goodies, plus some pressies and cards. My mum had managed to sneak a card from them and one from my sister and the boys over via Jo, and my dad (in a very organised fashion) had left one with us back in July, plus ones from Jo & Luke, and Tess & Nige.

Once we'd eaten our fill of brekkie, we headed to Troyes for a wander about and lovely lunch. The weather had picked up a bit, so we were able to enjoy lunch outside - really lovely treat.

On the way back to Loches, we went into a place known as a Trock - this is essentially a bit like a real live Ebay shop crossed with a jumble sale! Basically people bring in their unwanted items (furniture, kitchen goods, weird Father Christmas statues with his Mr hanging out...) and they are listed with a sale price. If it doesn't sell in week 1, the prices drops and so on until it either sells or is returned to the owner. If you fancy something, it is then a game of nerve whether you hold for the price drop but risk losing it. There were some really cool, and some not so cool items! It is a great place to pick up typical French furniture though, and the sort of things that would probably cost a fortune back home.

Once back at Loches, the bubbles were opened, and we spent the now rainy afternoon & evening watching a couple of movies. I was able to catch up with all my family and Jo, plus enjoyed a massive nacho and chilli feast, followed by my favourite strawberry tarts for pud, complete with candles. Birthdays away from home are always a bit odd, but thanks all for making this one really special xx.

Thursday morning and without a hint of a hangover (the perks of good champagne), we packed up from our bedroom, stashed everything back in the van, and bade a very fond farewell to Tess, Nige, Boodles and Bonzo - we'd just about managed to survive without anything being lost to Boodles' Bounty this time too!

Our journey today was a fairly long hop down to another free Aire at Bourges - just as a bit of a staging post really. On the way out of Loches, along some very small country roads (the TomTom strikes again!) we were lucky enough to get a really low pass of what we think was a Mirage - the French version of the F16. We stopped in the hope another might show himself, but it wasn't to be. We had a nice lunch stop at Chantille-sur-Loire and made good time to the Aire in Bourges, On arrival, we spent an hour or so sorting the van out, and stowing all my birthday bits and pieces. We enjoyed a lovely chilli food parcel from Tess for our evening meal - yum.

Friday and we were within striking distance of the areas we'd hoped to explore. After a good sleep, we packed up and headed out of town. We had about 3hrs to do today, and headed for Oradour-sur-Glane which was the scene of one of the worst French atrocities during WW2. 10th June 1944, just after the D-Day landings, and for reasons that are somewhat unclear (although you'd assume the Germans were fairly hacked off at the recent turn of events), a load of German SS soldiers arrived in this village and set about destroying it and everyone living there - 642 people killed, just 6 survived. I'll spare you the details as it is truly horrific, and I don't think I'll do it justice - Google it if you want to see the grim reality. The village has been left exactly as it was on that fateful day as a lasting reminder. You can walk around the whole village for free, and seeing the eerie reminders of burnt out rusted cars, sewing machines and normal household items, is just too much. I know the destruction of WW2 is plain to see in many places, but what this village saw was just awful. The worst bit was the memorial in the graveyard which houses what was left of the people - I can tell you, very little.

After a very sobering afternoon, we spent the evening at the Aire in town, thinking how many lost souls must be wandering these fields. The village has been rebuilt just down the hill a bit, but from the ruins you can tell it was never the same place again.

Saturday morning, and after another lovely (free) Aire, we had a fairly easy drive ahead today. After a fuel fill and obligatory bread purchase we headed out from Oradour, and towards Saint Jean De Cole which is a Beau village in the Dordogne countryside. The views were lovely all the way, with rolling countryside which really reminds you of home - we can certainly see why so many Brits end up here! Once in Saint Jean we located the free Aire - a small car park just by the tennis court and by the school - not the biggest, enough room for about 3 vans, but it had all the essentials.

We headed for a walk into the village - really stunning place with very traditional houses, with the typical blue shutters all set around a 12th Century bridge over the River Cole.

We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch, and then, fortified with a bit of birthday wine, we decided to head into the Coiffure and see about some haircuts - I'd not had mine done since I saw mum in Vaison, so that was mid May and Jase not since early June! We braved this lovely salon, and in his best French, Jase organised us an appointment for later in the afternoon. By the time we got in there, the wine had worn off a bit, but it was all good. No one spoke any English, but we got by with the aid of an IPhone pics!

We spent the evening watching Ashes to Ashes - we'd brought a couple of discs away with us from Series 1 but soon realised that there was way more than we had - luckily Tess and Nige bailed us out here again, with the entire box set! There was just one spooky happening when the volume decided to turn itself down, and then stop the disc altogether - nothing to do with the graveyard over the road I'm sure............!

Sunday and another sunny warm day in prospect. We'd spent a very quiet night in the Aire, without any other vans which was a surprise given the comments in Park4Night. We decided to get the bikes off and head for the Voie Vert cycle way which ran from Thiviers (5km one way) through to Saint Paradoux La Riviere (12km the other) along a disused railway line. We went both ways and ended up with a lovely 37km ride, along mostly rough gravel - bit of a challenge at times on the road bike! We were treated to some lovely views all the way, and saw a deer plus what we think might have been a Goshawk.

Once back into the village we had a wander down by the river and saw a couple of unmistakable blue bullets of 2 kingfishers. We sat for a while hoping they'd return, but it wasn't to be. After the first quiet night in the Aire, the 2nd it was rammed, with about 8 vans all around the place. Such a lovely village though, I can see why.

Monday morning and we woke to the sounds of the kids returning to school. Reminded us of our 2 nephews - and particularly Josh who'd be starting school this coming Wednesday. Although we'd really enjoyed our time at St Jean, we thought it was time to move on.

Initially we headed for Brantome, some 20mins up the road. Not a Beau village, but set so beautifully alongside the river it could have been. We had a lovely wander around this one, and picked up some bread and a stunning Mille Feuille cake (think fancy custard slice, with Crème Brulee type topping!).

Back at the van we enjoyed the cake with a coffee and planned our next steps. We could have stayed at the Aire in Brantome (€1 for 5hrs parking or €7 overnight) but we wanted to head for a campsite. We headed away and found a lovely riverside spot for a picnic lunch.

I'd spotted some caves that weren't too far away at Villars - discovered in 1953 the natural cavern boasts floor to ceiling spectacular stalactites and stalagmites plus some 19,000 year old cave art - definitely worth a look. We weren't disappointed at all - on arrival we were told that there was a bit of a wait for the tour, but we had a video to watch first, which told us all about the caves creation, and how the calcite and mineral deposits are due to the vegetation which was above ground when it was created. The tour itself was all in French, but we had an English translation sheet which covered the basics. It was a bit of a shame not to be able to understand the guide as she was clearly hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her topic. We went through a series of different caves, each one more spectacular than the last. The final room was the best though - on the left you had the 19,000 year old cave art showing a horse plus man fighting bison face to face, and on the right the most amazing ceiling covered in white stalagmites and stalactites. Photos weren't allowed for obvious reasons, so the ones I've got are of the leaflet, plus a couple of sneaky ones. Well worth a visit though if you are in the area.

After spending on the cave visit (€18.40 which was actually a birthday treat with some money from mum-in-law, thanks xx), and it was fairly late in the day, so we decided to head for another free Aire in Saint Front la Riviere - another car park style alongside the park, it was a really lovely setting, with free water, electricity etc - starting to see why Jexit in France is so much easier?! The evening was lovely and quiet, and we enjoyed another instalment of Ashes to Ashes.

Tuesday morning and another warm sunny one. The previous night had been lovely and quiet in the Aire, and after a fairly leisurely start we headed from the Aire for a quick pitstop at Auchan for a few food supplies. We'd selected a campsite from the ACSI book (most campsites are now back on the discount rate after the summer season) and this one boasted a pool complex and all for €13 a night - compare that to the €19.70 we'd paid in Obertsdorf for a car park, and you can see the appeal of coming back here!). The site we'd chosen was just slightly south of Perigueux and was only about an hours drive. The leisurely start caught up with us though as we arrived at the campsite during their closed o'clock 3hr lunch break! Not unusual here is France, but is a bit annoying. Anyway, we had a wander around the site and checked out the pitches before heading off to find some shade for some lunch (temp is again high 20's). Once back we checked in without any issues, and chose a nice shady pitch. After a quick set up we headed poolside and spent a lovely few hours reading in the sun, and taking cooling dips in one of the 6 pools - lush. As this is the first proper site since Epernay (I'm not counting Salzburg as there was no way I was using those showers), it's only fair to give this shower a good going over - definitely a strong 4.5/5 - losing half a mark because the shelf is only big enough for 1 bottle!

Wednesday and although warm it was more cloudy. As we'd spent so long on the road, we decided to have a quiet day doing all those jobs we'd been putting off for ages. We gave the van a thorough clean through and sort out, and then spent the rest of the day reading and chilling. We'd planned to hit the pool again, but the sun wasn't playing ball there. More lovely showers, and I treated myself to a blow dry (done myself, but such a treat as it's been way too hot to think about a hairdryer for months!).

And so to today, Thursday. We knew the forecast was a bit unsettled for today and we've woken to rain for the first time in a good while. We are holed up in the van, I'm writing and Jase is planning our route to Rudesheim where we'll meet Mum and Paul. We've started talking about when we'll be coming home for Christmas, and what jobs we need to get done before Jexit part 2 starts. I've started writing a list of what shopping I need to do when I get back -my swimmers finally had to see the bin this week as it didn't survive those slides back in Garmisch (I've got a spare set though!)

Thoughts of what we do after Jexit still are far from clear. We'll keep pondering that for some time yet. It seems unreal that our first 9months isn't too far from being over, and at some point, we'll have to decide what to do with our tenants in the house. But for now. we are happy focussing on seeing as much as we can before we need to be "grown up" again!

This pondering has created a question for myself though - what things do we wish we'd done/bought/changed before we left - it's not a massive list which is credit to the prep Jase did but:

1) An inverter - this converts 12v into 240v and means we could charge the camera & laptop - this has been one of the main reasons for heading into campsites
2) Proper mozzie nets - Jase has created a supermarket version which in the hot months has been a god send, but by his own admission they are a bit "home brew" - Mum/Jo - going to need some sewing help here when we come home!
3) Non leaking water containers - simple but would save all those "little spills"
4) Sat Nav that appreciates our van size and doesn't send us down France's smallest roads to save 1 minute
5) Proper fitted sheet for the bed - my mum helped us with an initial mod on this, but really what we need are a couple of bespoke fitted sheets that fit properly
6) Ice maker - a dream this one really, but in the hot weather would have been brill!

I can see how my recent tax rebate is going to be spent...............!

The plan from here is to stay exploring the Dordogne for another week or so, and then head back north from next Saturday. We will be seeing Mum and Paul for 4 days, then meeting up with Rusty and Kay for the Road Race worlds in Innsbruck before heading to Switzerland for an Airshow in early October. From then we have another month or so before heading back to Loches to spend time working on Tess & Nige's place before heading home around the 20th December (roughly). We plan to be home for about a month so hopefully will have time to catch up with all those who'd like to plus sort of the various jobs and medical bits that we need to.

Hopefully this has been a more positive & happy sounding blog than the previous 2, thanks for sticking with it

Til next time, stay safe all

J&J x