In which I drive from the north of Spain to somewhere near Poitiers in France. Sort of.
Nothing is ever what you expect. Including where I am staying tonight. But I digress, and I haven't even got to the mental drivers around Bordeaux. So I leave Vivar del CId and the hospitable Laura, and head for the French border. This time, no two hours trying to find it from Irun thanks to the trusty sat-nav once I'd persuaded it to look for where I wanted, not where it had in mind,A few photos of the place and away after a simple but enjoyable breakfast and a 10 out of 10 trip advisor review brewing. I've still not spoken a word of English since leaving the house. Do you know, they speak so much more clearly up north and they say they have to have the subtitles on the telly if someone from Andalucia is speaking! The house turned into La Morade del Cid is amazing and I've studied the photo album they put together of the work to get it how it is now, Wow, Only 10 years since it began as well, and it's like home from home just totally wonderful.
Away to the border then, with a full tank of fuel just in case the strike is causing such trouble I won't get diesel in France. Narrowly avoided another survey.questionnaire at the fuel station by saying I'd done one yesterday. All ok despite warnings of queues at the border but needless to say the customs men wanted to look in the van before agreeing it is "tout plein" which indeed it is. On we go.
Around Bordeaux the traffic is terrible and I remark on how the French wish to insert their vehicles horizontally in the gap I have thoughtfully left between my van and the vehicle in front in the interest of not attaching my bumper to their rear. But pah! that is enough!
Once again the sat-nav informs me I have reached my destination but can I actually see the place without going past and coming back???
Slightly disconcerted to find that whilst they do expect me, they should - I've booked!! - my room has "had problems" and is not ready. I get a free coffee and a seat with a visiting German whilst I wait, He is not a fan of Spain, and we discover that he has been most places, some of which I have also visited, but regrettably he informs me that the wonderful Baden-Baden is now colonised by wealth Russians. Hald a hour or so and I have my room, one of 10 motel rooms. The restaurant about which I have read is shut, but the owners wife will give the guests dinner at an appointed time, (that's not in the booking.com description I don't think). This costs a bit but hey this is France now and I remember why I seldom stop for food when passing through. The dining room contains all of us, an unknown, three Germans conversing eagerly, a taciturn French man and moi, but dinner does have two choices for starters and mains and even more for pud and the food is rather good, And, I am informed, it includes as much wine as I want which amounts to a bottle which I am invited to take the remains of, which suggests not too many people ask for a glass of semi sweet. It's actually a rather fruity number and local into the bargain, so I'm damn well drinking it albeit slowly. It's a novelty to be staying not driving home and therefore a permitted indulgence. Writing this in the twilight now dusk now dark sitting outside my room and thereby testing my touch type ability. Hmmm. I'm thinking this old travel lark has to be managed properly and since I decided I had nothing to prove by how many stupid hours I could drive without a break and how few days it could take it's been a lot nicer. Which in turn has made me reflect on solo travelling generally and how it is easier to look and feel at ease on the road than it ever is near home, how the brain gets into linguistic lumber the older I get and my Spanish would improve much faster if I moved to the north, and how after struggling to remember the most basic French and perfecting the statement "j'ai oublie tout mi francaise" I discover my hosts are actually Dutch.
Such is life, but it's not a bad one. Signing out from somewhere near Maisonnay, short of Poitiers in France, a bientot as they say.