2019-07-28 St Liviere

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St Liviere

Walking route at St Liviere

Our day in St Liviere begins with an overcast  sky, light drizzle falling around us. We look at the map and our route across France to Normandy, about two days drive to Falaise (home of William the Conqueror) going via Paris and Chateau Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau looks fabulous (like the Palace of Versailles), built in 14^th century and the residence of 30 French Kings and 2 Emperors and, at €12 each, worth a day visit all on its own. We decide to stay here in the village for another day and have a rest from driving.  We plan a lazy day followed by two days driving to Falaise in Normandy. The weather is overcast although the drizzle stops, we spend the morning catching up with journaling and reading.

We watch our French neighbours, the men on both sides cleaning the outside of their campers with a long squeegee and then polishing the bodywork with a chamois leather. Not a bug or fly remains! We decide the men haven’t enough to do (or the women don’t want them under their feet). The strange guy on our right has finished his own camper, he stands in front of ours and stares intently… I wonder if he is counting a thousand bug-splats on the front of Hymer and thinking we should be out cleaning ours. He stares and stares, I know I shouldn’t, but I stare back. I catch his eye and he looks away. Then he stares again… it gives me a fit of giggles. I wonder if he knows as he walks away with his glum and disdainful expression!

The bread man calls but Alan missed him, no matter… we have lunch of cheese, cooked meats, bread/crackers and salad with cherries (€5.50/kg). In the afternoon we walk from the Aire, to the abandoned La Moulin and then, along the canal that feeds the mill race to the lake (Lac du Der). Here we sit and enjoy an ice cream and watch a large party of French who have had a lot of wine with their lunch. They are very loud and happy. After a walk to the end of the jetty at the lake we walk back to the camper, again via the the mill, it is a very restful and picturesque spot. On the way back, we meet Mr & Mrs Grumpy from the next camper. She is polite and wishes us ‘Bonjour’, he just glowers at us!! I feel that uncontrollable urge to giggle again. We have been out walking for about three hours, so sit at the picnic table between us and Mr & Mrs Grumpy and open a bottle of Riesling. We are finishing off the last of the Fois Grâs with crackers when Mr & Mrs Grumpy return, she wishes us ‘Bon appetite’, he just glowers at us! I cook chicken and we have chicken in a bun with yellow chanterelle mushrooms, at the picnic table. It is a sunny evening, about 23° and very pleasant. Around 8.00pm, we go in to wash the dishes and tidy up. Mr Grumpy sits at the picnic table and takes possession of it! Pity, it would be good to chat to them and find out where they are from.

St Liviere

Summary of motorhome journey through Germany and France