I've been radio silent here for a few days - though talking about pants, trousers, sodlets and Labradecorating elsewhere - because this has been a busy yet essentially uninteresting little stop along our journey. I ended up staying as long as I'd planned, even though I wanted to decamp the first day, and I guess that's a good thing at least economically in terms of having pre=paid my accommodation.
I ended up seeing my friend that I came to visit three times after all and today was able to take her and her dogs in the Tardis to her vet in Nice. It was nice to be able to help her out, and especially to help out little Pickle who has been in some distress lately. I also had a nearly day long visit with my former manager/client. We've had a rocky relationship at times over the past eight years, but it was sweet of her to be so enthusiastic to meet up and I surprised myself by having a good time chatting with her about non-work things.
In an odd bookend type of moment, tonight I met the exact same chatty German man in the parking lot of the grocery store. Met him on my first night and he popped out of no where on my last night. He said he'd look me up on his next trip to Regensburg and while I expected him to ask me for my FB page or some such, he just said, "Oh, I'll find you!| The weird thing about statement is that it didn't freak me out - and it probably should have - and what\s more I don't doubt that he WILL find me in Regensburg. He was like a little magical German elf.
Between the rain, working on my German taxes and job search and the emergency vet run that took six hours today, no tourism happened on this leg of the trip. That's ok. I've seen nearly everything around here anyway and tourism is not why I came here.
Having said THAT, the caravan is moving on again tomorrow. As I still have some to do's to take care of tomorrow morning, I'm planning a late start and a short two hour drive to Arles, where Carbon and I will take in the old town and luxuriate in the 'cheerful prison block makeover magic" of the Ibis Budget Palais des Congres. Woo hoo! Actually I had a choice of an Airbnb apartment, but I just wanted somewhere that I could show up anytime and do a grumpy early morning departure guilt-free.
But Ibis Budget really is prison makeover magic. Heh, heh. Love that place.
Then it's Brittany here we come and a VERY long couple of drive days. I've always wanted to go to Brittany and this is probably a horrible time of year for it, but I'm looking for no traffic, beautiful if rainy beaches and lots of cows. Brittany fits the bill. After that, we'll see if I brave the ferry - and to where? Ireland? UK? Or instead of the scary ferry, do I run to the comfortable known quantity which is the Calais Eurotunnel?
I've already talked to Kate
@Beanwood about her experiences on the ferry from Roscoff to Plymouth. If anyone else has any advice to share on the various ferries on offer from Roscoff, Le Havre, Caen, etc., please share your wisdom.
This has turned into a kind of house-cleaning post, hopefully either Carbon or I will be back to more daring do after we toddle away from the Cote d'Azur!
. She has been very ill in the past - all situations deeply upsetting and turn me into a neurotic mess. Red will scavenge stuff from time to time and she knows she shouldn’t - she gets all evasive, determined to eat what she shouldn’t. No amount of ‘leave it’ ‘drop it’ works in those situations but we continue to train it. It is the big downside of all the really wonderful things that make up a Labrador.
