Day 3: Mille Bornes

 

Sometime today we reached our thousand kilometer mark, without too much fuss. The day started with a relatively early wakeup, and as the campsite was not busy, we cooked a quiet breakfast (Aeropress coffee, fruit, and bacon crêpes) and threw the frisbee for Yoshi quite a bit.

It was a nice clear day, and Maggie stayed at the campsite and sat quietly with her embroidery. I drove the 20 minutes into Bayeux and beat the crowds to see the Tapestry. Maggie had already seen it with the boys and her parents many years ago, so I was eager to see it myself, and no dogs are allowed inside so it was a solo mission.

All I have to say is, “Wow.” I remember learning enough embroidery stitches in grade seven to make a holly ornament for my mom, and I’ve sat next to Maggie doing her embroidery for countless hours over the thirty years since we met. But what a feeling to look at this work of embroidery that is a thousand years old, that reads like a film storyboard or a comic strip that is 70 metres long: it’s unbelievably powerful. Definitely a must-see, and if you can go right after the museum opens as I did, you’ll have no crowding.  I was able to walk right up to the desk (and got a 5 EUR academic ticket price too, as I had my school ID) and walk in. By the time I walked out a half an hour later the entire lobby looked like a Ryanair departures desk at Easter Holiday.

I returned to the campsite by around 11, where Maggie had started breaking down the tent. We had nice long showers and changed, then finished packing up and hit the road for the IÎe de Re.

We changed drivers several times, and had to stop for gas at around 13:00. By chance we chose to go off the highway for lunch and chose the village Villedieu-les-Poêles, referred to as the "city of copper" since the 13th century. Mauviel copper cookware has their headquarters here, and that brand has been associated with the village since the 19th century,

We had a nice walk around the village, which has a picturesque river running through it, and poked around the stalls (it was market day) before settling on a nice Bistro called CANON-Bistro Sourdin which had a great rating on Google Maps (4.9 stars, 100 ratings).  It didn’t disappoint; I had the filet of merlan and crème de coquillages and Maggie opted for the pork shoulder.  Very yummy, food and drink for two for 40 EUR.

Then we had a good long drive to make it down to La Rochelle, and then across the bridge to the Île de Re, which added up to almost 500 kilometers today…

The campsite we are at is very nice, quiet, with lots of trees, maybe 20 minutes from the bridge to the mainland. Mostly families with young children it’s very peaceful. Also what is nice is the pizzeria near the entrance where we could order a pizza and a Duvel! Thank goodness I brought the right glass along.

After dinner we finished setting up the site and then went for a walk to the beach through the dunes to reward Yoshi for his patience during the long car ride.

Tomorrow we hope to make it to San Sebastian in Spain… a demain…