Another home to ourselves and this time supplied not by the church but by the local council. Cooking facilities, lounge and 3 bedrooms to choose from, and once again paid by donation. There was time to look around this ‘rivers, creeks and bridges town’ but like each day, it is brief. For us it’s about little discoveries as we go to our essential shops, stopping for awhile at special places.
Yesterday was the first long hot day without facilities on the way, so got short on water. Our Knights Templars seemed to figure this out and helped us home. Similar circumstances are expected today so we will use that kind man’s large bottle to take extra water and leave the villagers to look after themselves.
It seemed quite clear on leaving, and the forest walk once again provided the day’s entertainment. Because of the heavy rain last night the road seemed a good option, and it was also the original route. This forest is so tall and dense it was like walking on a very wide path, although not as mysterious.
Called the ‘Foret Domaniale d’Arc-Chateauvillain’, it is as impressive as its name. After long periods of forest walk, it would open up and then fold around a cultivated field on one side, with a different shape on the other until we re-entered another dark part of the forest where a new orchestra would take over.
A village was at the next forest opening. It is pleasant to sit up against a tree to eat but it is luxurious for us to have a seat, and a village now usually means this – and it delivered. It also delivered a darkening sky and within moments it turned from very hot to very cold. So our rain gear came out and we prepared for a big storm. It didn’t happen. It bucketed to the left of us, and to the right, leaving our middle section just enough light rain to justify our extensive wardrobe fittings.
In and out of the forest a couple of times and then today’s final opening onto our village for the night. It looked more like a large farming complex than a village except there is an Abbaye. Over a bridge and round a tree covered corner and there was number 12. We didn’t need to worry about the street name, because this was it and Anik and her daughter warmly welcomed us into their home.
