Filling-In

So to fill in before my last missive depicting the delights of coffee-sipping in La Rochelle today, I decided after a lay-in yesterday, to wander the centre-ville of a rather splendid Nantes so I loaded the bike ready for take-off upon my return and left it in the very secure hotel car park. Returning to said parking following an impromptu poisson luncheon and nonchalant, cobbled meandering, I changed into my leathers, hopped on the bike and proceeded in an orderly manner to the exit barrier thinking an approach is all that is needed to raise the barrier. Non! "Insert la clef, s'il vous plait". But my room key (plastic card) didn't work! Well it was now 5pm and was obviously deactivated. Not wishing to return to the hotel reception and pay another 12 Euros, I looked for a Plan B. Ah! Fire Exit! But a traverse of 5 or so small concrete steps was between me and the wide outside ... hmmm ... well if Evil Knievel can do 5 London Buses, I'm sure my BMW Beast can do 5 steps. So. Wedged open the door, short run-up (that's all I had), stood up on the pegs in a MotoX stylie, then dugga-dugga-dugga-dugga-dugga ... up and out. Ta da. Went sooooo much better than I thought, I knew I shouldn't have turned down that part in the Italian Job!

About 150 kms later, it was 7.30pm and I needed somewhere to stay. "Chambres d'Hotes" said the sign and a sharp a-gauche onto farm-track lane took me to a farm. Funny that!
Bloody deserted. I knocked doors, rang bells, nothing.



Then a car pulled up, two ladies appeared but they were guests not patrons. Clio, as I was to later find out, very helpfully, phoned Le Patron and got me sorted with a split-level room in rustic splendour. Fabulously rural, fabulously French.
To cut a longer story short as this blog is growing to big, it's 1.30am and I'm fatigue'd. Arm-filled with bottle, baguette and accompaniments i adjourned to a late sun-ladened jardin and while de-corking Clio approached with an invitation to join them. "Mais oui".
Smatterings of English, French and Italian pleasantly ate up the hours into darkness with Alexandra and Clio; both are involved in the restoration of a near-by cathedral. Fascinating, friendly, charming and pissed.

I had breakfast with the whole family of the house this morning, three generations of them, all so wonderfully welcoming and warm; even to the point of a family ensemble, drive-way au-revoir. Such nice people.

I'll leave it there for now; more about today tomorrow although it is already tomorrow. Hope you slept well. Bon nuit xc

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Location:Mimizam, France