Written TidbitsCampgrounds in France 6

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

Our good weather of the past week has vanished. We arrived in Pau and found the campsite had a swimming pool, so they charged $6.00, cold rain and all. If we could find the Pau castle, doubt if we could see it in this weather. Several streets were blocked, there are many parked cars, but we saw few people. We could hear the sound of racing car engines, so maybe a street race of some kind was underway.

The Tourist Office said the campsite near Nimes was in very bad shape, so directed us to another, 10 Km away, that was OK, and we got to bed early. Jim always carries a walking stick (someday, it may be called a cane). Near the Amphitheater in Nimes, it came in handy for protection. Three Gypsies kept insisting that we give them some money. We tried to ignore them until one grabbed Jim's camera case. Jim waggled the cane and shouted for them to leave - that was enough, they ran, and we continued our walk around the amphitheater.

Found a very nice campsite in the city park in Châlons, but had arrived later in the evening than we prefer. We slept until 9:00 AM, and saw the campsite was nearly empty as we left for downtown Châlons, looking for a laundromat. Jim asked a beautiful lady in a hair salon for her help. (He always looks for the beautiful ladies, he is so used to having one nearby for all these many years.) He figured correctly that a lady in a hair salon would know the location of the nearest laundromat. We found the ladies were very delighted to practice their English.

Another year in Châlons, the pilot light on the camper furnace would not work. A man in a nearby campsite said hello, then said he noticed our hot water heater and furnace were made by the company he works for. What a happy coincidence. The hot water heater pilot was lit by the 12 volt camper battery, the furnace pilot by small batteries that were by now very weak. We installed new ones, and all was OK.

We had to drive several miles to find a campsite at a little town beyond Locronan, then drove back to see Locronan first thing in the morning. Its town square is surrounded by granite houses, an old church, and a pretty chapel built in the Renaissance style, and every building seemed to be constructed of dark stones. Combined with the rainy gloom of the weather, Locronan appeared dark and foreboding, that morning.

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
Camping in France
Cheapest Camping France
France Campgrounds: Camping in France

French Video Immersion