Towards the end of our stay at La Brouquère, we had to move to the other end of our terrace. Someone else is coming. They have booked “our” pitch. So we move from plot 13 to 15 and get a different view of the pool.
The region has some very pretty orchids… several of them on the campsite…
Respectively, the bee orchid, the lizard orchid, (a field of) velvet heart orchids, (a different field of mixed) purple and pyramid orchids, and the butterfly orchid. If the last is the greater butterfly orchid, as I sort of think, then it’s very rare and protected in France. Fabulous!
The papers at home seem to be full of doom and gloom about AI. Artificial Intelligence. Well, we can report that AI has already arrived in France.
Some of it only comes out at night…
… and some, although looking sleepy, are in fact watching things carefully!
For the last three days of our stay at Gondrin, Sue and Ed joined us on our terrace with their campervan. What are the odds of two sets of campers from the same town in Devon ending up next to each other in rural SW France? Unless it was planned, of course!
Together, we visited the market in Vic-Fezensac where we bought two dresses, one belt (possibly real leather) and half a kilo of mixed dried and candied fruit (just the sugary stuff I shouldn’t be eating!).
Don’t you just love the knife security in France!
With Sue and Ed we revisited Montréal, Fourcès, La Romieu and Condom,
… where Ed met the four Musketeers. I always thought there were only three of them according to Dumas. However, their mate, D’Artagnan (whose full name was Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan) was born in Lupiac, just a stone’s throw down the road from Condom. The other side of Vic-Fezensac. So quite a throw, really.
We also hit Valence-sur-Baise …
.. yet another bastide town, for a quiet drink and a little wander on the riverside path which goes all the way to Condom (if you have a spare 18 km of walking in you!). The River Baise is a funny colour – we saw that previously, downstream in Condom. Maybe someone has used a great deal of powdered paint to complain about the price of peanuts, or oil exploration in the Pyrenees!
After walking half way to the Abbaye de Flaran on the Rive Gauche, we completed the trip by car.
On Sunday evening there was a bit of a farewell drinks party with John and Carina.
The plan had been to have a final communal meal with them, but circumstances conspired to thwart that plan. Next time maybe!
On the Monday, we said goodbye to all our friends on the site and left our neighbours to head northwards, eventually to meet with their younger son who lives in Paris. We headed to the Lot Valley and the Camp Base Nautique le Floiras – via Agen. But stories of poor sat nav decisions and low bridges in that city will have to wait!
Photos are great ! Enjoy your trip.