{"id":5373,"date":"2024-07-15T08:42:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T08:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=5373"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:26:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T22:26:46","slug":"14-lightning-never-strikes-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=5373","title":{"rendered":"14. LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The road to Camping Serpolin from Bressuire was narrow and untypically bumpy.\u00a0 Not “speed-bumpy”, just very uneven.\u00a0 We were expecting lots of stuff to have fallen out of cupboards and the milk in the fridge converted to butter.\u00a0 While driving slowly seemed to keep the milk runny, lots of stuff did fall on Glenda’s head when she opened the top cupboards!<\/p>\n

Camping Serpolin, when we eventually got there, was a lovely open space surrounded by acres (well, hectares, I suppose) of grass meadows and fields of wheat.<\/p>\n

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The view from the caravan of the Western horizon by day and at sunset.<\/p>\n

Serpolin is run by an English couple, Matt and Donna-Marie (or possibly Donna-Marie and Matt!), who had given up the delights of Bristol City for this very rural retreat.\u00a0 And they were making a good job of it.\u00a0 The lovely pool which they built themselves during Covid wins them the hottest-swimming-pool-of-the-trip award.\u00a0 At a balmy 30\u00b0C, a clear winner!\u00a0 They also bake, or at least heat, bread, croissants, pains aux raisins etc each morning AND deliver them to campers on site.\u00a0 Just as well.\u00a0 The nearest boulangerie is some 465 kms away!<\/p>\n

We didn’t have much time in this area.\u00a0 So we decided to visit Dou\u00e9-la-Fontaine.\u00a0 It was early afternoon on Saturday, but the town was virtually empty.\u00a0 Everywhere was closed.\u00a0 Not just for lunchtime.\u00a0 It was like everyone was waiting for “Summer” to arrive.\u00a0 And bear in mind, we are now in the last two days of June<\/p>\n

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The church, \u00c9glise St Pierre, in town appeared to be locked!\u00a0 Shock, horror!\u00a0 I suppose we are getting closer to the UK!\u00a0 However, the garden gate was standing open, and this led to the back door of a side chapel.\u00a0 This in turn opened through a large maze of massive curtains into the main part of the church.\u00a0 A reduced height version of the national plan.\u00a0 The builders just left 20 courses out when they were working on the support pillars!\u00a0 Maybe it was a financial matter.<\/p>\n

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Now, I just have to remember how to get out of here!<\/p>\n

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The architecture of the old buildings is lovely.\u00a0 Lots of corner turrets.\u00a0 Ideal for nosey home owners.\u00a0 They can see what’s going on down both streets!\u00a0 Anyway, having found the only open bar in town to be less than totally salubrious, we decided to go on to Saumur.<\/p>\n

Now we know why Dou\u00e9 was devoid of nearly all human life.\u00a0 They are all in Saumur.\u00a0 All the parking lots to the West of the city centre are jammed solid.\u00a0 The main road along the river bank is shut.\u00a0 \u00a0A thing they do with panache and with the smallest of excuses!\u00a0 Route bar\u00e9e!\u00a0 Something’s going on, Barry!<\/p>\n

We find ourselves deviated miles around the back streets to get to the river on the East side of town.\u00a0 At this point, you understand, we were unaware of the road closure for the festival.\u00a0 In fact we were unaware there even was a festival in full swing!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a celebration of vintage (certainly non-electric) bicycles.\u00a0 There are thousands of these old machimes roaming around the city.\u00a0 The riders all in clothing from another era!\u00a0 We have also discovered where the “Everything-to-do-with-two-wheels” jumble sale went when it left Duravel!\u00a0 Onto the banks of the Loire in Central Saumur.<\/p>\n

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Vintage outfits and mounts are a must for “La Rando V\u00e9lo R\u00e9tro”.\u00a0 This offbeat bike ride has five different routes, ranging from 30 to 120 km.\u00a0 They take the “Cycling Saumurois” between the Loire, ch\u00e2teaux, troglodyte caves, and vineyards. These “races” encourage \u201ccompetitors\u201d of all skill levels.\u00a0 It’s a quirky event which attracts more than 45,000 visitors to the town, plus 10,000 race participants (published estimates, not my made-up ones!).\u00a0 They come from all four corners of the globe.\u00a0 No perishing wonder we had trouble parking!<\/p>\n

In combination, there is also a celebration of 80 years since WW2.\u00a0 So the “retro dress-code” of the vintage bike event spread to this as well!\u00a0 To be fair, the two events seemed to fit together very well.\u00a0 Seamlessly even.<\/p>\n

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The front of \u00c9glise St Pierre was serenely quiet (and, by the look of things, built to a non-standard design!).\u00a0 No traffic, because the road beside it was closed for the weekend.<\/p>\n

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Actually, I’ve just realised that this “church” is actually a theatre.\u00a0 Le D\u00f4me.\u00a0 Not a church at all.\u00a0 So the plans can be different after all – that’s acceptable!\u00a0 \u00a0I got my pics mixed up!\u00a0 (And this one is not even my picture!)<\/p>\n

However, immediately behind the theatre, the noise and mayhem began …<\/p>\n

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.. and stretched off into the distance along the riverside.\u00a0 Music, dancing, more music, more dancing, happy crowds drinking and dancing and generally having a good time \u00a0 When we had arrived in Saumur, I had dropped Glenda off some kilometre beyond this street party.\u00a0 Rather tragically, we had arranged to meet by the theatre after\u00a0<\/span>I had spent half an hour looking for somewhere to abandon the car.\u00a0 At that point we had no idea that everyone from Dou\u00e9, Paris and Marseilles had descended on Saumur with the specific intention of crowding out our quiet meeting place!<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh well, we did find each other (without the assistance of mobile phones – Glenda’s was conveniently on charge – in the caravan!).\u00a0 I was tasked with the job of finding a cr\u00e8perie while one of us investigated the shopping opportunities.\u00a0 While wandering the back-streets on this mission, I came across a group.of four locals sitting getting quietly plastered at a tiny bar.\u00a0 Somehow we got into a stuttering conversation.\u00a0 For young people they spoke surprisingly little English – like none!\u00a0 After a while we got round to the subject of my search.\u00a0 “I don’t think Albert (the proprietor, sitting in the corner) serves cr\u00e8pes.” “Correct!.\u00a0 And he’s shut.\u00a0 And he’s called Alfonce.”\u00a0 “No, I’m not, my name is Artur!”<\/p>\n

This conversation weaved onwards for ten minutes or so.\u00a0 By which time we had discussed the weather, the upcoming elections in both France and the UK, the price of Artur’s wine.\u00a0 (Cheap and free-flowing.)\u00a0 And then, after a heated discussion amongst themselves, they announced that the best place for cr\u00e8pes was at a tiny restaurant in Place St Pierre.\u00a0 (I knew he came into it somewhere!)<\/p>\n

Complicated directional instructions followed with lots of “lentements and doucements” from me.\u00a0 In the end, having said our goodbyes and arranging to meet again next year – same place same time, I consulted Mr Google and found my way to the recommended restaurant, “Cr\u00e8perie St Pierre La Quichenotte”.\u00a0 Only to discover it was shut.\u00a0 Ferm\u00e9e.\u00a0 Desol\u00e9!\u00a0 But, the steakhouse next door suggested we try their other neighbour, “Cr\u00e8pes et Kouigns”.\u00a0 Ouvert!<\/p>\n

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I booked a table, collected Glenda and we had our second (and third) cr\u00e8pes of the trip.\u00a0 And very good they were too, although we preferred their cr\u00e8pes (which really were galettes) to their kouigns.<\/p>\n

Next door was the real \u00c9glise St Pierre!\u00a0 To my knowledge, the first repeat church name we’ve had on this mission to meet all the French saints!<\/p>\n

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After the builders had finished construction of the church to the national plan (naturally), they had a few bricks left over, so they decided to add a fancy frontage to the property.\u00a0 They wanted it to look more like a theatre!<\/p>\n

Unbeknownst to us, we were trampling on Pete and Sandy’s territory.\u00a0 Their favourite hotel, the St Pierre, is just next door.\u00a0 We should have asked them for advice on cr\u00e8peries!<\/p>\n

Now, before we leave the area and head for Brittany, there is one more thing to record – and this can be classed as a VERY near end to the holiday.<\/p>\n

Very early one morning, we were woken by a significant thunder storm.\u00a0 One particularly loud bang was accompanied by all the electrics failing.\u00a0 I checked the trip switches on our supply.\u00a0 No problem there.\u00a0 The issue is widespread.\u00a0 The whole area has been taken out.\u00a0 No big deal.\u00a0 We managed weeks with no electricity last year!\u00a0 Fridge on gas.\u00a0 Porrige will be on the stove.\u00a0 All under control.\u00a0 Back to sleep???\u00a0 The power was reinstated a few hours later.\u00a0 Just in time for another HUGE strike.\u00a0 And this time the flash and the bang happened at the same time – give or take a fraction of a second.\u00a0 Say a quarter of a second gap.\u00a0 Now as we all know sound travels at about 1234 kph, or three seconds per km.\u00a0 The strike was less than 100 metres away!\u00a0 Yep, the camp-site has just been hit!\u00a0 Glenda, you can come out from under the duvet.\u00a0 That’s not going to protect you from lightning!\u00a0 No blue smoke this time.\u00a0 Not like we suffered when our house was hit by lightening a few years ago – but the electricity was off again! We hear later that EVERY single trip switch on the site and in the owners’ home was tripped!<\/p>\n

Heavens!\u00a0 France can be a dangerous place!\u00a0 Let’s hope that Brittany is safer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[pmb_print_buttons] The road to Camping Serpolin from Bressuire was narrow and untypically bumpy.\u00a0 Not “speed-bumpy”, just very uneven.\u00a0 We were expecting lots of stuff to have fallen out of cupboards and the milk in the fridge converted to butter.\u00a0 While… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spain-and-france-2024"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5373"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5427,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5373\/revisions\/5427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}