Sorry I missed my update last night. We got into our little Airbnb and it was lovely EXCEPT that the internet didn't work indoors and only sporadically if I stood outside the door to their house. I posted the thing about the July Bavarian Toe and Tooth Challenge and then just kind of gave up on internet for the night.
Yesterday was hit and miss on the tourism. On the recommendation of our Airbnb host back near Calais, Arlette, we stopped in Honfleur. At first blush, it seemed way too crowded and a special sort of Disneyland/Epcot cheesy vibe, but once away from the port (which is admittedly very pretty), the town was really interesting. Lots of art galleries and quiet streets with half-timbered houses. I had a nice chat with a couple of ladies and their dog on one of the streets - the kind of random encounter I used to have with Brogan all the time. It made me think, "Now there we go: thanks to Carbon I've got my travel mojo back, baby!" Carbon got loads of compliments in several different languages. One girl said, "I want a dog just like that!". That made me think with a smirk, "Sorry kid, this one's TAKEN!"
We then headed off to Etretat, where our luck ran out. First of all, it was hot as heck yesterday (32C) so everyone headed to the coast. Honfleur was crowded, but at least it's a large town. Etretat is tiny and it was overrun. The cliff top parking was closed and all other parking was full. After a good hour of going no where, I finally escaped via a tiny side road. Thanks to Sean (my satnav) I did end up at a nearby lighthouse, but while the views were beautiful, there were swarms of bugs...maybe due to the heat?
With my leg aching and both Carbon and I suffering with the bug attack, I finally admitted defeat and headed to our lodging for the evening.
The little studio was in a nice couple's back garden and had its own fenced in garden. After a discussion with the owner, it turned out there are no dog-friendly beaches anywhere nearby, so I just walked Carbon down the country lane and then let him have some silly zoomies in 'our' garden. Between the heat and all the walking, we both slept like logs.
This morning we tackled Etretat again. Still no way to get up on the cliffs for the famous view, so I just parked in the centre of town and we walked along the promenade. Again, no dogs allowed on the beach. While it was pretty, I was very grateful that day before we'd had such a wonderful afternoon on a beach in Lower Normandy. Photos of that later, I promise.
Just for the heck of it, I stopped at Amiens along the route. Amiens is not a tourist destination. It was also 35C. Carbon and I were looking at each other as if to say, "What the heck are we doing??" We looked at the cathedral, walked by the Hotel de Ville and then got back into the car. You win some, you lose some: Amiens is officially crossed off the "I wonder what it looks like?" list.
It was then a 3,5 hour drive to Metz. I got SO sleepy, but couldn't stop anymore as it was just too hot. The temp reading in my car hit 35C and just stayed there. I drank a lot of Coke, sang silly songs and slapped myself on my legs hard enough to leave bruises: all my tricks when I start getting sleepy but can't stop to nap.
Finally we got to the Ibis Budget I'd reserved in Metz. My idea was to bring our things to the room and then go grab a take away, but I realised that with the sun setting at 10:30pm it was not going to cool off enough for me to leave Carbon in the car to grab something to eat. The challenges of solo traveling with dog! Luckily I have enough bodily stores (aka fat) to keep me going for weeks, let alone one evening. So it was dinner for Carbon and fizzy water for me. There's a grocery next door to the Ibis, so if it's cool enough in the morning I'll grab something for the road. If not, it's onward to Regensburg with a rumbly tummy.
Speaking of Regensburg, the Bavarian government (along with many other European agencies) has issued a heat warning for the entire week due to temps of 40C expected. I cannot tell you how much hotter 40C in Regensburg is vs. 40C in Spain. Anything over 25C in Regensburg is MISERABLE due to the humidity and lack of wind. While I am really looking forward to not moving for the next two months, I'm quaking in my boots (or rather sandals) at the idea of facing 40C in my airless, windowless basement flat.
Poor
@Boogie : I promise to buy a fan before our sleep over party!
