Once the wedding weekend had passed, we started to plan our
European tour. Del retired in February giving him lots of time to do all the
jobs he’s been wanting to. I retired on 19th July after what seemed to be a
never-ending round of retirement parties – not that I’m complaining. I was
somewhat overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of my colleagues.
Using our
wonderful Tesco vouchers we were able to get a return journey on Le Shuttle for
just £20. Travel insurance is extortionate but we wouldn’t go away without it –
you never know! Date for leaving the UK was 25th July and our train was booked
for 14.50.
We decided to book a couple of nights at Neufchatel-en-Bray which is
just 90 minutes from Calais. Leaving just as soon as we were ready gave us the
opportunity to catch an earlier train and with ease and a fingers crossed, we
arrived at Neufchatel at 17.30. It wasn’t until later in the evening that I
realised I’d forgotten my medication. I’m not sure whether it was tiredness or
what but I went into a full panic mode and had visions of having to take a train
back to home to pick some up! Del did well and managed to keep me under control
and I set forth on sorting the problem. Phone/email doctor “can’t send
prescription out of the UK” – well thank you very much GP for all your help
(not). Phoned travel insurance – I mean you pay enough money, don’t you? “well,
you can’t claim because you forgot them” – I don’t want to claim, I just need to
know what to do…. “I’ll put you through to another number they’ help” …. “sorry
we can’t help, you’ll need to ring this number xyz” – which just happened to be
the number I’d phoned originally. I called again and they said “because you’re
not claiming we can’t help!” Aaarrgghh………
We then wandered up to the office of
the campsite and was directed to a poster on the wall with emergency numbers one
being the local doctor. I phoned and despite my very poor French and her really
-trying hard English we managed to book an appointment in less than an hour
Unfortunately the really rather wonderful Doctor Thomas Duvall didn’t need to do
any type of examination and just asked a few questions before giving me a
prescription and an apology that the pharmacy wasn’t open for a couple of hours.
So after 25 euros (Doctor) and 4.65 euros (medication) we were all fixed up and
ready to go. As we’d stocked up with food etc. in the wait for the pharmacy to
open, we left Neufchatel heading South before arriving at Cinq-Mars-la-Pile for
the night. Not a bad little stay at just 12.55 euros a night. The weather
continued to be rather wet and we decided that our trip down the Normandy coast
would now be on the return journey; head South to the sun!
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| We were entertained by a family of seven ducks |
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Yum!
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The weather continued
with rain showers for most of the journey and it was actually not too warm
either. Our night was spent at Rignac, route de Rocamadour. Less said about this
campsite the better(!) – disgusting, filthy, noisy, just horrible. The next
morning we packed up and left asap and went to Rocamadour, somewhere we’d been
before but is so breathtaking it’s worth another visit. The views and the
Chateau are stunning, the shops and restaurants were the same as before and
after a very tasty breakfast we left for another hop South.
We stopped once
again for food and fuel before arriving at Rieux-Volvestre, just south of
Toulouse. Very nice campsite at 15 euros with hook-up. We stayed here for 3
nights, it was really quiet alongside the river and we had a pitch on the end,
so nice views over the local sports and recreation area. We did venture up to
the toilet block to do some washing but the stairs up and down were so high it
was a struggle for both of us.
After a ‘rest’ period we decided to push on into
Spain. We’ve been doing our best to avoid Toll roads as much as possible, but
sometimes you just need to get where you’re going. From Rieux-Volvestre we
headed to Carcasonne and then down towards Perpignan. Now our friends Ruth &
Steve had recommended a ‘pucker site’ on a private campsite just south of
Perpignan. Ruth even pinged us the place on Google maps. We duly followed the
route and upon arrival it took us to this track alongside a field – Steve had
warned us the entry wasn’t too good. However! There was no entry, exit or any
such place; in fact, we couldn’t find the camp at all, but what we did find was
that freshly watered fields don’t like 3.5 tonne motorhomes trying to do a
three-point turn! Needless to say, we were stuck up to the centre of our wheels
in mud. I kept very quiet……
Eventually, Del managed to get it out of the very
deep rut and we gave up looking for the campsite. I then found an old Municipal
site not too far away and we headed in that direction. Now France recently sold
off a lot of their wonderful Municipal sites to a company called Camping-Car
Park, where you sign up for a card to let you in and out and your account is
automatically debited. In theory it all sounds great, but the bare necessities
are done to keep the sites clean and tidy, with just water and a toilet/grey
water waste available. So sad to see lovely, previously much used toilet/shower
blocks with washing-up and in some cases, clothes washing facilities all boarded
up and unusable. Which brings me back to the stop we had after the field
calamity – we found the campsite no problem, unfortunately it was right
alongside the N9 – a major motorway. Seriously it was like we’d parked up in one
of those emergency stop bright yellow hard shoulders they now have on the new
Smart Motorways! However, to be honest we’re used to noise from motorways so we
both had a good nights sleep!
The next day we headed to Perpignan – this time
I’d booked a somewhat expensive campsite in a town called Cadaques on the coast.
It was far more than we would normally pay but we felt we both needed some R&R
after a few stressful days. We got to a point on the map where it said Roses to
the right and Cadaques to the left. Boy oh boy when will I ever learn? If the
map is saying only 5km but the time is saying 45 minutes it must be an uphill
journey! (See trip to Lake District a few years back). We began to climb and
climb and go round a bend a climb some more, up and up and up we went – Del was
fine, Mollie was fine, I was near on cardiac arrest! Cadaques is obviously a
very popular tourist attraction and the town was very busy with Police waving
people on. We managed to find the campsite and checked in. The campsite We Camp
is a real mixture of accommodation – there’s static homes, tents, huts and space
for motorhomes and campers. We were directed up to far end of the site in what
can only be described as the top floor of a multi-storey car park – or it
certainly felt like it. But, the views were spectacular and we had a short walk
around the site to the restaurant/bar, swimming pool, toilet/shower block etc.
etc. all spotlessly clean and really rather nice.
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| Oh the wind! |
That night we decided to have
a walk to the bar after our evening meal. We’d checked out the weather forecast
earlier in the day and it had said that it would be windy the next day. After a
drink we came back to Mollie to find it really REALLY windy. Del had put most of
the things away before we’d gone out, just leaving the chairs and mats. Del fell
asleep almost straightaway and I laid there rockin and rollin – “oh no, the
towels are out”, so quickly putting on some clothes I ran out and got the towels
in. Back to bed…. “Oh er… maybe ought to lay the chairs down as they’ll get
blown away”, got dressed again, went outside, chairs down on the mat to hold it
in place. Back to bed…. “Hmm.” Maybe better shut the windows as they’re really
beginning to rattle, up I go again, close the windows. Back to bed…. “Oh bloody
hell the roof window is open in the toilet, better close it” – up I go again,
close window. Finally, I decided to just close all the windows, at this stage
Del decides to wake up “the hot water is still on.”
All through the night the
wind howled and howled, fellow campers were rushing around putting things away
and some even packed up and left. We’re staying put, we’ve paid for tonight and
have a table booked at the restaurant. We had planned to go to Figueras and see
Dali’s Museum, but to be honest the weather forecast here in Spain is pretty
horrendous and everywhere we look it is quite expensive to say, so we’ve decided
to head back into France and see how it goes from there on.
We hot footed up to
Narbonne and the Canal du Midi, warm(er) and beautiful but the wind! We went for
a short walk (to a bar) and sat watching the boats over a couple of beers. Soon
a couple joined us on the next table and we got talking – as you do. They were
from Wivelsfield Green just down the road and as he was a Practice Manager he
knew my doctors well! Small world…
We left Narbonne as early as possible next
morning after a very rocky night and headed up to Limoges where it was raining.
It was right next to a large lake and I’m sure on a nice day it would have been
nice but God in the wet it was bloody awful. I’m not sure I even set foot
outside the van.
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| NOT OUR VAN!!!! |
Morning came and we set off to our
favourist-place-in-the-whole-wide-world Kathy & Daves at La Fosse de Tigne. On
arrival K&D had guests round for lunch so we just parked up and sat in the sun –
YES – SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shortly after Dave came round, forever the great host
with a bottle of ‘hooch’ – his blend of rose wine, Cointreau and pamplemoose
(greapefruit).
Now and I repeat NOW I had possibly two very small glasses of the
hooch – certainly no more. We felt a few little spots of rain and as it had been
a long day we decided to hit the sack. I moved the table alongside the van,
turned, fell down a small hole and over I went. I remember falling and thinking
‘I’m not going to stop… elbow, shoulder, no it’s the hand, the hand which has
now crumpled beneath me…..
People came from everywhere, giving their opinion on
the damage and wanting to touch my poor hand/arm. Really? I think the fact I was
crying/screaming “it really bloody hurts” was enough. Kathy called Le Pompiers – the equivalent of the Firefighters/French Red Cross and they arrived quite soon, “they”
being 4 burly French men, what a shame I was a quivering mess of tears and pain.
They took me using the blues and twos to Angers University Hospital about 45
minutes away. The care I received was just superb. Upon arrival I was triaged,
seen by a doctor and x-rayed all within 15 minutes and they apologised for the
delay as it was “a busy night”. Del arrived, driven by Ray a fellow camper,
shortly after and after about an hour I saw the doctor who said it was broken
and I would need surgery to have a plate fitted. For the time being I was fitted
with a back-slab and painkillers and told to go home and wait for a call in the
morning. Do not eat or drink until lunch time if you’ve not heard from us.
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| GHIC - NEVER travel without one! |
Monday arrived after a somewhat restless night, but no call came and I ate a
little.
Tuesday after another restless night we decided to try and wash my
hair/have a shower. We were just working out the best way to do it when Kathy
called out to say the hospital had called and were to go straightaway. Out go
any plans and after a very quick shower/hair wash we were on our way to Angers.
Kathy had written a note in French explaining which was incredibly helpful, Dave
has quite a good understanding in French, but (probably what they say about us)
– they all talk very fast and of course hospital lingo isn’t his priority! We
found the ward and was shown to my room which I was to share with another lady,
I said “bonjour” and she said “I’m sorry for your hurt”. Now the reason I want
to note this is because this lady – I rudely did not ask her name – was in
horrendous pain but was so kind and generous I wanted to remember her. After a
short while and the usual triage tests I was taken to a pre-op ward and met with
Charley (I swear he was about 12) the anaesthetist. He explained that the
surgery would be done by local anaesthetic and my whole arm would be numbed.
Several tests later my arm although clearly visible just refused to obey my
commands…. The surgery went well, about 50 minutes, I didn’t feel a thing and
was quite shocked when the surgeon showed me the size of the plate that now
resided in my left wrist – it reminded me of one of the old-fashioned bottle
openers.
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| The rather attractive unisex kickers - which is better than the rather revealing gowns of the NHS. |
During all of the above my BP was “of concern” to the medical team and
I was filled with bag after bag of some clear fluid and then some tablets.
Personally, I wasn’t too concerned, I’d eaten or drank nothing since Monday
afternoon, I was in pain and shock in a foreign hospital and of course my BP can
always be classed as ‘up and down like a whore’s drawers’! Back on the ward, BP
back to normal and after a quick phone call Dave & Del came to pick me up.
So
that’s the tale of the broken wrist. I cannot find the words to express my deep
gratitude to Kathy & Dave, Ray & Jean for all their help and support, truly
wonderful people. Del as always by my side being there not only as my love but
also my shower/hair washer, deodorant roller oner-rer), bra fitter, knicker
un-twister, food cutter-upper-rer, chef, washer-up, transporter of dirty clothes
and subsequent hanger out to dry and constant nag when I’m doing something that
perhaps I shouldn’t!
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| Absolutely NOTHING better! |
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| Fleur des Salles |
Since all this our plans to continue travelling have been
curtailed and we decided we’d stay at one of the best places in the world –
Kathy & Dave Camping! We’ve had a wonderful break (haha just seen what I’ve
written), Kathy & Dave have taken us to some really great French restaurants
which has helped Del incredibly. We’ve met some lovely French, Dutch and Swiss
fellow-campers and spent some hilarious “barbeques” in the garden!
Tomorrow is
our last full day. We’ve decided it’s time to head home. So far our insurance
company have been incredibly efficient, we’ve booked a place on le Shuttle for
Tuesday and a GP appointment for Thursday morning as I need to see an
orthopaedic consultant.
We stayed overnight at Neufchatel-en-Bray and decided to
risk the restaurant, Hmm… still not impressed…. ‘ding’ (microwave) meals, which
I find really hard to stomach in a country famous for its cuisine. Such a shame
as the campsite is really very nice.
So, as a quick round-up of our trip:
1)
Getting stuck in the mud
2) Trying to outrun the weather
3) Blown-away by the
wind in Spain
4) The fridge deciding to have a ‘moment’
5) External water pump
not pumping
6) Breaking my wrist
7) Forgetting my medication
8) Risking life and
limb on the road to Cadaques
9) Camping in places that can only be described as
a motorway lay-by
And then, having got home we began to switch on all the things
we’d turned off to save power while we were away, only to find the freezer AND
the fridge no longer worked……. We’ve decided to treat this trip as a ‘learning
curve’. We’re still loving our trips in Mollie, we’re still thinking we’ll be
travelling in France next year but most of all we’re still talking and laughing
about all the things that didn’t go to plan!
