April 15th.
What a brisk morning it was! A slice of German dark bread with cold cuts, a cup of juice and coffee, and off we went. I’ve seen more stunning river landscapes, so we didn’t linger to admire them. After refueling, we headed to the grocery store to find snacks and a pot lid. We couldn’t find the lid. There was a toilet in the store too, so we had everything we needed before leaving.
The roads changed from mountainous to flat, with higher speed limits. With a heavy foot on the gas pedal, we made our way to the small village of Saint Angel for lunch, where a lady originally from Portugal ran a lunch restaurant with her daughter. Finally, we were in the heart of France. And the place was right in the middle of the country! Starter, a quarter of wine, main course, cheese, dessert, and coffee. The same menu seemed to be for everyone present. We were the only outsiders. The villagers and retirees seemed to have their meals there – probably daily. Leisurely dining with plenty of conversation. And everyone had wine with their meal! The pork roast served as the main course wasn’t top-notch, but everything else was excellent. For Eva, chewing the pork was a light challenge! She even put a sizable portion of her meat in front of me! But it was a delightful slice of atmosphere in the halfway tavern of our journey!
On our way to Bordeaux, Eva searched for our next overnight stay on her phone (park4night app). My skillful wife found a vineyard (Chateau Bertinerie) along our route that offers free accommodation, water, and electricity. Apparently, we can even taste the vineyard’s wines in the morning! What a fantastic place! Here we are, with three other motorhomes, in the lap of luxury. First thing, we took the bikes down from the rack and rode around the village. There was a church and a bakery, with the bakery still open. We grabbed a couple of croissants for the road. In the morning, we’ll pick up a few fresh ones – and a baguette too! The whole village seems like a community born out of the vineyard. A beautiful lawn for football, a tennis court, and a basketball court next to it. A thriving community, even though there are probably fewer than a hundred inhabitants! As the evening darkened, it started to drizzle lightly. Let’s see if it decides to sprinkle more. Tomorrow, we should have the energy to drive to the Spanish side!