09 Jul This is also an adventure
There were several reasons why we stopped in Valence and took a rest day. On the one hand, we used it to split the 30 km to the next campground, on the other hand, Johanna’s foot needed some rest and furthermore, there was a Decathlon in Valence. Since Johanna’s main pain was in the instep of her foot, we decided to buy sandals for her after sending hers back home in the mail a few weeks ago.
There are two main criteria for us when looking for accommodation. The first is the price and the second is the location and this time everything fit perfectly. Because the cheapest accommodation was only 200 meters away from the Decathlon.
While Johanna’s foot couldn’t decide if the sandals were good for it or if it would rather be in pain, the rest of the walking scene remained steady. The sun was heating up vigorously and the scenery was trying hard to make all the chin shutters pop open and eyes fall out. On one side we saw steep rock walls, on the other we saw in the distance, the mighty mountain massifs of the Alps and in the middle of it all: the Rhone, us, the road, countless orchards, idyllic villages and other landscape delicacies.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.6 km before reaching the campsite we passed another campsite, which was not noted in my app. Johanna asked if we stay here is perhaps a sign? I replied, okay, but then tomorrow’s route will be longer by these 6 km. As we walked past this place, we found it had nothing inviting about it, just that it was here, and so we walked on.
About 3 km later, stopped next to us a, us oncoming, Belgian cyclist and told us, after the usual amazement at our march and our cars, that the campsite 3 km away is closed. When he asked “Why?”, he was only answered “That’s not your Business!” So he decided to continue 6 km to the next campsite, the one we did not use. Hrrrr!
We both didn’t want to go back, preferring to camp somewhere wild. But, as it sometimes happens, exactly at this point I had marked another campsite when planning, about 3 km inland. So now we had 5 km to go. Johanna did not burst into jubilation with joy, her foot used this chance to distribute pain vigorously. The road led into the hinterland, away from the river, that is, into the mountains. Stoically we accepted this decision, silently walking step by step towards the campsite, eyes alert for a suitable place to sleep.
The landscape was far too steep and far too cultivated to set up camp there for the night. We walked and walked and realized how incredibly great the mountainous landscape, facades of the houses and the views that opened up were. Suddenly we passed through a village where more and more people appeared, children, stalls for sale and games. Until we realized, we were walking through a very old village where a medieval festival was being celebrated. It was absolutely incredible. Since I did not know how the French stood to the Teutons in the Middle Ages, we did not outeach ourselves. I think they thought our floats were the trim for the festival.
We were thirsty, we were hot and we were also quite exhausted. There we passed an organic store and treated ourselves to a LimoOrange and a LimoBasil at 4 € each. But the ambience, the moment and the incredibly good taste made us enjoy it all in a rush. Then we continued towards the campsite. We had reached the village where he was supposed to be. Suddenly, my smartphone told me to plug in a charger. To substantiate the seriousness of this message, it switched to power-saving mode. Okay I thought, it’s only one more kilometer, the battery can still hold out. The battery did not see it that way and turned the phone off after 5 minutes. Great, right in the middle of the village, not a person or sign in sight and my powerbank was of course buried in the depths of the bottom pocket. So, in stoic ommm mode, I had to unbuckle the top bag, set it aside, rummage through the big bag, plug the powerbank into the phone, and pack and buckle all the junk back up. After I was done, the powerbank had also done a great job and charged the phone to 5%, which is needed after total discharge to turn it on again.
Now that the smartphone could show us the way again, we also found the campsite “Camping La Garenne”. A dreamlike idyllic spot nestled on the hillside. And when the receptionist said that hikers and cyclists get a special price, the world was fine again. All the efforts were worth coming here! Until I saw the bill THIRTY EURO for a night in the tent on dried, compacted dirt floor. Definitely the most expensive campground in the world, no, in the universe. But what the heck, we had made it!
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