The long way home - Rainy Brittany- 11
The long way home
Near our destination for the night, Blois, we want to visit the Chanteloup Pagoda near Amboise. But a few kilometers before we reach our destination, the road is closed and the signposted detour leads us only in front of the closure.
So we drive straight to our hotel near the Blois [↗] train station. On the way there we get annoyed with our navigation system again. Meanwhile, it is standard that partial or similar terms are found. Not so with VW. Everything has to be entered literally - even a "Pl." for "place" is not found.
Anyway, our navigation system can't find the road, so Jürgen has to take out his cell phone and ask Google Maps. The answer to the riddle is that the street is not called Rue Jean Laigret, but rather Avenue du Dr. Jean Laigret. Phew, that's super difficult to program into a navigation system...
Whatever. We find a parking space in the side street. For two Euros we can stay there until the next morning at 9:00. Meanwhile it started to rain.
At the hotel we are accommodated again on the 2nd floor and get ready to carry our suitcases upstairs. Here, too, it is an old building that has been converted into a hotel. The staircase is very impressive, including huge oil paintings.
As it turns out, there is a elevator this time. Rather industrial and apparently for wheelchair users. No matter. We are allowed to use it and don't have to carry our luggage.
In the pouring rain we finally scurry under the small canopy to the restaurant next door, have a good meal, and then scurry back to chat for a while with the nice receptionist from South Africa.
The next day is pure driving and the "highlight" is shopping at Leclerc. At least that's the plan.
We arrive in Dijon around noon and the supermarket is full of delicious things. Beer with champagne corks and rum from the French overseas territories. We fill up the shopping cart, but leave the cheese and the fish for the next day. From now on Freya's suitcase is on the back seat.
We booked another Best Western Hotel in Mulhouse [↗]. It's very close to the old town and there should be a hotel parking lot. But there is nothing to see near the entrance. So we drive around the block, see an arrow as we pass, and still can't figure it out.
When we get back to the traffic light near the entrance, a local police officer comes to the side window. We explain the situation and get permission to stay in the bus lane for five minutes. Great! While we're talking, a car honks behind us and the policeman's look is indescribable. He just turns around and raises an eyebrow. And then there's silence.
Freya goes to the front desk and gets a code to open the gate to the parking lot. So we drive around the block again. Freya gets out to open the gate and just then it starts to rain heavily.
We grab a quick coffee in our room and off we go. We walk into the old town, visit the church and then cancel the sightseeing tour. Repeated short but heavy showers have spoiled the party for us.
So we have a tarte flambée and a beer near the church and call it a day.
The next day, we want to buy cheese and fish in Mulhouse, but unfortunately, this Leclerc doesn't come close to the one in Dijon. Anyway. Freya buys some cheese and fish and later on Jürgen buys some sweets and then we start the last part of our tour.
As soon as we reach Germany, there's a traffic jam on the A5 and we leave the autobahn before Freiburg and drive home mostly on federal highways.
