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We set off from Tim & Jan's house around 9am after a splendid breakfast.
It was a grey day when we left but about an hour later the sun came out which was very nice, the first real sunshine we had seen since entering France. At this stage we were crossing the River Loire in Nantes, but an hour later it started to spit with rain. The weather gradually deteriorated to the point we were driving in low cloud across vast, featurless plains, it seemed.
Bob drove the first leg to the other side of Nantes where we stopped for a cup of tea in the smallest service station we had so far seen. Neal then took over the driving and was keen to see what it was like to do 200kmh but Bob soon talked him out of this?! We continued to Niort, had another short break then Bob took over the driving to Lussac-le-Chateau, where we stopped to refuel and do some shopping. We have now purchased an electric kettle so that we can make ourselves proper cups of tea (we had brought tea bags from England).
We saw some well-pruned trees in Lussac that Bob
took a picture of to show Carine how it should be done. Good job Neal hasn't trimmed any of his trees as radically as this.
As we were leaving Lussac-le-Chateau in heavy traffic, we got stuck behind this very large truck and trailer which was carrying thousands of live rabbits.
Neal then drove us on minor roads to our Premier Classe Hotel for the night, just outside Limoges. We were really stuck in the middle of heavy traffic at this point and had no choice but to drive in convoy with trucks and other cars. Going into a small village following other traffic we somehow managed to trigger a speed camera doing 83kmh in a 70kmh zone, just before entering the 50kmh zone of the village.
We arrived safely and in one piece at the Hotel Premier Classe, in Limoges. Managed to get onto the internet and talk with Carine on Skype. We then made our first cup of tea with new kettle before the apprentice collapsed in bed with a stomach ache, obviously not training him right? I don’t know, the Youth of today!!!!! Also managed to check the weather for our trip tomorrow to the
Millau Bridge which promised it would be sunny by the afternoon and 18 degrees centigrade. I will believe it when I see it!!!!
All I have to do now is find somewhere to get us a meal, hopefully not too far away as it is still pouring with rain.
Update after our meal. We decided to treat ourselves to a Menu Top at the truck stop over the road from the hotel and ate at canteen-style tables with about 200 truckers. It was called Au Top du Roulier and they served us three courses of decent food for 12€50. Bob was tempted (or rather, fascinated) by the "pichet" of red wine for 50 cents so we had to order one and the quality was as you might imagine. All in all a great meal though and it definitely filled a gap. The truckers were friendly and we didn't even get beaten up taking photos of the place!
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Dinah
non-member comment
Poor rabbits!
Hi I hope Neal will be alright. Don't overdo the driving as that won't help the stomach. We showed Evie the pictures but didn't tell her the rabbits ultimate destination. Probably your trucker café! I do hope the weather brightens up for the Millau Bridge as it is spectacular and I expect a winning photo!!! Bon voyage Love Mum