December 3rd

December 3^rd Oradour sur Glane to Angers (in the Loire)

My brother’s birthday today, I’ve thought of him often in the build-up to the day, especially yesterday when it was the day where he is in New Zealand. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to have internet access for quite a few days so, haven’t been able to send him a message.

The sunshine of late yesterday disappeared (obviously when the sun went down, at 5ish) but what I meant was that the weather crapped out in the night. The rain started pounding on the truck roof at about 3 this morning, cleared briefly at 8.30 but was back by 9.15. We breakfasted, packed up the truck and were on the road in a  north westerly direction towards Angers which was to be our first stop in the Loire Valley/Chateaux region.

The weather remained drizzly all 248kms, driving wasn’t hard though, and things went smoothly apart from a lack of coffee shops.  At about half way we left the main road to enter the city of Poitiers, had it been a nice day we would have stopped and looked around, done a walk around the old town and checked it out, as it was we were on the hunt for a McDonald’s which had been sign-posted just outside the town, hoping to check emails and ensure everything was OK at home, and insurance things moving here. Unfortunately the advertised golden arches never appeared out of the gloom, and after nearly getting wedged in a narrow city centre street, between high walls and badly parked cars on one lane narrow streets, I decided to try another town and get back where we could move freely.

We stopped a further 50kms up the road at a small town called Louden where we got a few groceries, our daily trip to the patisserie (citrus tart, berry creation and mille fleurre (I can’t say it let alone spell it, but boy can I eat them!!).  We had lunch in the car-park in the middle of the village, watching the rain come down and the people passing by, before continuing our journey for the last 30 or so kms. Again our route was well signposted and our map books easy to follow, so after an uneventful drive we arrived here in Beaumonche  where we came and parked in the aire beside the river with about 8 or so other campervans. The book says there is power here (which is why we chose this particular spot, 10kms from Angers, rather than the one in the middle of Angers which doesn’t have power, but despite there being power boxes which we hooked up to, no power was forthcoming. I had been a bit suspicious when none of the other trucks were plugged in, and two at least had generators going. Because it was raining and Di had come in after doing the connection, before she realised the power wasn’t  forthcoming, we just sat in the truck drinking tea we had made by boiling water on the gas stove, and chatting by the light of one electric bulb running off the reserve battery and a light which has its own battery. We wondered why everyone kept looking at us, and one couple even did a walking circuit of the van, but we are quite used to being stared at (I don’t know if it’s the old truck, or just the fact we are interesting specimens), but it was only when Hilary said one of the other trucks was plugging in to the power boxes that we realised they thought we had managed to get an electricity supply. We sat discussing what they might be thinking about how we could get it when no-one else could, and various scenarios of making the most of their consternation, but in the end, Di instead went out and unplugged our cord and put it away.

The others are now bickering over a game of cards, Hilary is, to quote Diana, “playing dirty” whereas Hilary says, she is playing within the rules, using strategy to win. I’m with Hilary, what’s the point in not trying to win,  Diana says it should be for pleasure too, bloody Hillary Commission has a lot to answer for!!! 

The rain is still plopping down heavily on the roof, we’ve told OshKosh he’s got until 6am to sort it out, as there is a chateaux we want to visit tomorrow and also a walk around the city of Angers. Hopefully he’s not too busy at the pub, it being a Saturday night!!