Motorhoming in France

[Threviel]

Having been to Carcassonne I have three things on my mind:

It's very touristy.

Cassoulet is very good.

Spanish tourists in general are ignorant rude ones.

Edit: In hindsight I was far too harsh. There were groups of Spanish tourists that behaved rude and disrespectful, but the huge majority I probably didn't even notice.

[Threviel]

So. Midsummer is approaching. We brought snaps, herring, dill, parsley, and we need to do flower coronets for the girls and we also need new potatoes. What are new potatoes called in french?

[Duque de Bragança]

So. Midsummer is approaching. We brought snaps, herring, dill, parsley, and we need to do flower coronets for the girls and we also need new potatoes. What are new potatoes called in french?

Should be pommes de terre nouvelles/pommes de terre primeur

https://www.academiedugout.fr/ingredients/pomme-de-terre-nouvelles_792

Only place in France I know celebrating Midsummer will be the Swedish Cultural Centre in Paris, plus the Embassy in some way I suppose.

[Threviel]

And us, in our little corner. There's a good probability that we'll be celebrating it with beer and snaps in Chateauneuf-de-pape.

[Duque de Bragança]

To be honest, I have not checked with the Swedish Lutheran church in Paris, which used to be some kind of Swedish cultural centre. 

[Threviel]

 

We actually married in the Swedish lutheran church in Hamburg. They usually do all kinds of festivities for Swedes in exile.

[Threviel]

I found some potatoes primeurs, but they were very big and not small like the ones we eat for midsummer. Well well, I already had some very nice small potatoes, those will do.

After Carcassone we noticed that the Mediterranean was on the way to Avignon. So I found a nice camping with beach and everything and off we went. Apparently it was fully booked since it was a Saturday and the lady informing me used the full panoply of the legendary french hospitality. First rude encounter with any French during the while trip.

So instead we found a camping car parking place next to a bullfighting stadium in Villeneuve-les-Maguelone. Which wasn't entirely bad, although there was no beach there was an island with a cathedral on it just outside. The cathedral (Maguelon) was built in the 11th century or so, and was the center of an arch-boshopric, on the ruins of a Visigothic cathedral built on a Roman church. Abandoned in the 16th century it is still cared for and used for all kinds of things. They even grew wine on the otherwise seemingly empty island. A causeway connected to it and it was a very nice walk.

Now we're in Avignon, we had planned Nîmes, but couldn't find any decent camp site. Here we are staying on an island in the Rhône just outside the old town. Tomorrow we'll take a ferry into town and see what it's about. We plan on staying here a few days since the camping is nice and we are a bit tired.

[mongers]

I found some potatoes primeurs, but they were very big and not small like the ones we eat for midsummer. Well well, I already had some very nice small potatoes, those will do.

After Carcassone we noticed that the Mediterranean was on the way to Avignon. So I found a nice camping with beach and everything and off we went. Apparently it was fully booked since it was a Saturday and the lady informing me used the full panoply of the legendary french hospitality. First rude encounter with any French during the while trip.

So instead we found a camping car parking place next to a bullfighting stadium in Villeneuve-les-Maguelone. Which wasn't entirely bad, although there was no beach there was an island with a cathedral on it just outside. The cathedral (Maguelon) was built in the 11th century or so, and was the center of an arch-boshopric, on the ruins of a Visigothic cathedral built on a Roman church. Abandoned in the 16th century it is still cared for and used for all kinds of things. They even grew wine on the otherwise seemingly empty island. A causeway connected to it and it was a very nice walk.

Now we're in Avignon, we had planned Nîmes, but couldn't find any decent camp site. Here we are staying on an island in the Rhône just outside the old town. Tomorrow we'll take a ferry into town and see what it's about. We plan on staying here a few days since the camping is nice and we are a bit tired.

Thanks for describing the beautiful scenery and monuments there; you should work for the SW France tourist board. 

[Threviel]

Well, although quite nice the Mediterranean parts we have seen are probably the least favourite part of France so far.

I'm thinking about buying one of those huge dried hams. I just don't know if it will make it all the way home. Anyone know how well they would handle hanging in a car trunk  a week?

[Duque de Bragança]

Well, although quite nice the Mediterranean parts we have seen are probably the least favourite part of France so far.

I'm thinking about buying one of those huge dried hams. I just don't know if it will make it all the way home. Anyone know how well they would handle hanging in a car trunk  a week?

Easy answer: have them wrapped in plastic. Should be enough provided the trunk is not an oven.
Otherwise, the big dried hams can handle some time in a dry and cool cellar (not a fridge), without any wrapping plastic.

I suppose you are going to visit the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Never been there, but it is the place to visit.

[Threviel]

Visited there today, very nice. We have been lucky with the weather so far on the trip, bit it looks like that is turning now. 30 degrees and a burning sun today, tomorrow 32 degrees forecasted. We were spent after the papal palace so we plan on going back tomorrow and do some shopping. The kids love the camping and we just take it easy now. There was a small café at the top of a tower in the palace, I liked that. The guide was digital and used AR to envision how it would have looked back in papal times, worked ok and improved the experience.

I had some ice cream with the kids in the city today and my wife had a beer. The waiter laughed and told me that ice cream normally is just for kids. 

Some ham will be bought, a shame that I didn't buy at the last supermarket where 5kg of ham cost 35€ and included a stand. We actually have quite a big "garage" in the car, it should be airy, dry and at least not super hot.

[Threviel]

Our mechanical problems continue. Going off the highway today we heard a clonking sound from the rear right wheel on every revolution. We looked up the closest Fiat professional shop and went there. The sound was really loud and I drove nervously and slow. The staff was very helpful and nice, although they had much to do. Apparently the rim has cracked and not in a small way, we are glad to even be alive. Now we are waiting outside the garage, having to spend the night by the road just outside, tomorrow morning we get a new rim. We are hemmed in by the highway 5 m to the left, just over a fence, and a commercial road 10 cm to the right. I predict a bad nights sleep. The people in the garage claim it's safe.

Some notes

In the middle of a group of American tourists in Avignon a little old lady was walking with a Trump pin with French text on. I didn't get a very good look but I think it said something like: "Don't blame me for Trump, I didn't vote for him".

And security for American sites, like Point-de-hoc and the American graveyard is very high. Is that a french thing or a global?

[Duque de Bragança]

And security for American sites, like Point-de-hoc and the American graveyard is very high. Is that a french thing or a global?

You should see the American embassy in Paris then.
I'd say both things.

[Threviel]

Yeah, but those are embassies. At point-de-hoc we had to pass through a metal detector to get into a room that just had some info and folders, the stuff that normally isn't even watched. At the cemetery we left a trolley for a few minutes and had guards running up to us.

[Duque de Bragança]

Metal detectors have been common over here for a while now. Even the Cinémathèque has them since November 2015. Not to mention the Army patrols in the streets, not just airports, train stations and tourist spots.