We decided not to try out the garage on the outskirts of Macon, realising that it would be best to take the van to someone who not only knows how it is put together but also speaks the same language as us. As such, our European adventure is sadly reaching an early adjournment (which also means Andy misses out on the Italian marathons) whilst we take our sick van to see the Bongo doctor in Weymouth (yes, really). Hopefully the Italian leg of our adventures has merely been postponed, rather than cancelled entirely, and may be picked up again in the spring. We hope....
Friday morning our gas supply finally ran out. Considering we had been expecting this for about 4 weeks, we had begun to wonder if it would ever happen. Thankfully it was after one cup of coffee and half a slice of toast each rather than part way through the first coffee brew. Chris was concerned about Andy driving after only one cup of coffee, so when we went to a nearby LeClerc to buy a replacement, we also got a quick espresso to up the caffeine levels, and all was ok again.
We then made the short journey to a campsite Chris had picked out of our AA book of campsites near Beaune. The description mentioned vineyards, so that pretty much won it the decision, along with a generally good write up.
We found the campsite, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of vineyards. What was extremely close by was the A6 motorway. Fortunately, due to one of those works of nature that, despite there being no noticeable wind, the breeze that must have been present was going towards to motorway so we couldn't hear it, despite being able to wave to the drivers from our van. When Chris checked out the sanitary block and discovered only holes in the floor, she had a fit and was on the verge of asking for a refund and leaving (how on earth was this recommended as a family friendly site by the AA and given 3 stars??). The discovery of a 2nd, much more modern, sanitary block behind the 1st eased the fit-throwing, and the appearance of a friendly cat appeased Chris further, and talks of refunds and leaving abated. The cat was a very similar colour to our much-loved-lost-far-too-young cat Meg, which was very surprising as we had thought that mixture of grey and tortoise-shell would be unique, so we nicknamed her big-Meg. Cutting edge wit is always to the fore with us.
We decided to try cycling into Beaune later on, and are very glad we did. There were some cycle routes, one slightly mad bit of road, then more cycle routes, then the town itself was lovely. Medieval is again a word that springs to mind, so we had a nice time wandering around. We also discovered quite a few caves of local winemakers, so knew the vineyards must be there somewhere. We dropped in on one and had a chat with a very nice lady selling the wines of friends, so had to take a bottle off her hands.
Whilst in Macon the previous night, Chris had a bit of a brainwave. As we were now having to head north, why not make the best of the situation and, instead of going straight to Calais, go to Paris on the way? So we did! Chris found the details of a campsite near a train line half an hour out from Paris with good reviews, so we headed there. It was hooching, very unlike all the other ones we have been to!, but luckily we still got in. Over the last few days we have come to realise the effect our Bongo's problems are having on it's fuel economy. We have gone from approximately 29mpg (which is hardly earth shattering, especially for a diesel!) to now just over 20mpg - argh! Andy used to have a gorgeous M5 with a huge V8 under its bonnet and even that, running on petrol, tended to achieve greater than this. The Bongo is also a little slower........
We managed, over the next few hours, to co-incide our attempts to buy things from the local shop and boulangerie with all the times when they were closed. Late afternoon, Chris dragged Andy (who had been hit by a massive dose of apathy) out for a rycle along the local cycle paths which did us both the world of good - Chris even found the energy to got for an extra 20 minute blast on the bike once Andy had finished the running part.
Amazingly we dragged ourselves out of bed early enough to get an early train into Paris on a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Despite being much further north, when the sun was shining it was HOT! We spent a lovely day wandering around Paris, reacquainting ourselves with the city. We saw the longest queue either of us have ever seen into the Louvre (entrance is free to all museums in Paris on the 1st Sunday of every month). We also passed lots of people out running, each one making Andy feel guilty, then salt was rubbed into that particular wound when we happened to find ourselves at the end of a Paris 10k race! Must remember that one for future years. Being a Sunday there was lots of things going on and there was a really nice atmosphere to the place. We even came across a lady singing opera in the middle of a street. We also found a pub which brews its own beer, so of course we had to go back later to sample some - and it was very good if a little strong. We managed to get the train back to the campsite, without falling asleep and missing our stop, and finished off a really nice day (with quite sore feet after so much walking).
The forecast for Monday was really bad, so we had written that off as a day for much sightseeing. We managed to get the same early train into Paris again, and despite the weather starting off gloomy, it was showing some promise. It kind of came and went throughout the day - the odd shower/drizzly patch amongst a mostly dry, and somethimes sunny, day, which was a pleasant surprise. Despite complaints from our tired feet, we managed a lot more walking around, although the city is a very different place on a weekday to a Sunday. However, window shopping was a lot easier with the shops being, well, open. We also took the obligatory stroll up the Champs Elysees, then spent an entertaining 5 minutes or so watching the madness of the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe.
Tomorrow (Tuesday 5th) we are booked onto a ferry back to Dover :o( but hopefully the Bongo will be made well again quickly (particularly for our finances, given how much more expensive diesel is in the UK and our aforementioned fuel economy problems). Depending on the diagnosis, we will then decide what to do. There is still the possibility of getting to the Chianti region in time for Andy's 2nd planned marathon, or we may decide to travel around the UK instead. We have ruled out the Oktoberfest as it's, well, almost finished. In the meantime, the Bongo doctor's diagnosis awaits!
P.S. We have now drunk the wine bought in Beaune and the nice lady didn't tell any lies - it was lovely!
No comments:
Post a Comment