J and P explore Europe with Reggie: 2023

 great nights sleep , we are cooler here in the evenings than it was inSpain. Then away to a “medieval village of charm “ where they had mini golf made in stones looking like old buildings. One of the town we visited in Spain Zaragoza where we stayed two nights was hit by flooding last week. Check out the videos on the web, people floating by on cars! They had drought for years so I expect the ground was too hard to absorb a lot of water falling at once.

 I walked up to the chateau and looked around then back into town where a wedding was due to happen by the look of the bridesmaids.  And yes a bride and all the hangers on arrived , the aunties fussed and fussed and got in all the photos.  The next day we headed to a troglodyte village and explored the town visiting a tapped apple bar.  The apples are peeled then put in big pizza ovens for four days , turning them every day and tapping them with a little hammer until they are squashed and dried. Very good for sailers as they travel well. We had ours reconstituted with one apple juice and one mulled wine . They were really nice .  They had caves with the oven in that you could visit.  Then we went to a chateau but it had no furnishings only pretentious art. And a lovely free stopover by a lake with the local playing pétanque.

 Chinon is a medieval town with a long royal castle on the hill. It’s claim to fame is that this is where Joan of Arc recognised the king even though he was in plain clothes, whispered a secret to him and successfully pleaded her case to lead the army against the British . Fabulous statue of her. The town had a free bus that took us from our free overnight stop ( all provided by the council) to the market where we bought food  and looked at lots of clothes and sundry items.  Then up  and all round the castle , they gave us an iPad so the tour was done through recreations of each room on the iPad. Then off to Saumur passing chateau and troglodite cliff houses . We are in the Loire valley so lots of chateau. In Saumur on Bastille day so a holiday and lots going on: Bands Horse displays, jumping and dressage  Tank displays and running them around a field. Un armed combat  Displays and a book sale. And tonight we are going  to live music and the  fire...

 Beaulieu on the Dordogne river was a very pretty town, we parked by the river and walked to the public swimming pool after checking out the river and deciding a bit slim6 on the bottom . Fab swim then a wine and  a vege burger in the town square a wander about . Unfortunately the local rugby club had a do on over the river that went till 4am , they came and warned us . But it doesn’t  really help.  Next day off to Rocadour an amazing place set into a cliff , you could walk up 251 steps or take a lift and a cable car inside  the cliff in a tunnel! I did that. Great idea in 34 deg not to walk up steps.  Amazing place see photo Then Sarlat which is the same colour stone as Bath a nice city to visit . Lots of shops old buildings restaurant and cobbled streets.  Then Lascaux and the 20,000 cave paintings.

 our stop tonight was more about the people we met there.  The host Pierre and a fellow traveller  , the only other one there, we all  got together and had a bbq . They had pork kebabs and chicken and I had cous cous and haloumi with some vege patties. They started the night with Pastis a strong aniseed flavoured drink then wine, followed by brandy. We tried to have a conversation , Henri the other camper had some English and we used google , we discovered that Pierre had been back packing in NZ when younger and flown over the glaciers.  The farm also runs a wedding venue for 25 weddings a year in a medieval barn , so we had a look round that .  Had a very sound sleep, so quiet. Next morning he dropped in some fresh eggs and we went on out way. Stopping  at a large viaduct and big balancing rock and stopping in a medieval village for the night . Oh and having to stop as a tree had fallen over the road..... luckily some locals came along and dragged one...

 Amazing place lots of turrets and small cobbled streets all contained in massive walls. We spent the day just walking about the old town and then into the new town to the art gallery and a visit to the grand canal.