Thursday 4 July 2019
Nido’s parked up at another free aire in the small village of Thérondels. The actual aire’s on a large grass meadow next to the free service point, with views over the surrounding fields and hills. On arrival we could see the meadow had been cut ready to turn and bale into hay, so not wanting to upset anyone, we parked on the adjacent grassy area by some picnic benches. It’s a lovely quiet spot in a quintessential French village, which has a friendly feel about it.
This morning was misty and quite cool, so I actually donned a fleece to wander into the village for our bread and croissants. After breakfast we took a walk around the village, through the three medieval gates in the thick, high walls that protected those inside. The locals were about their business and the children playing in the school playground, so it was clear this place has a buzzing community. We enjoyed our walk around the narrow, cobbled streets; remove the cars and cover up a few cables and it would be ready for filming a period medieval drama. Back at the van, I emptied about a large bucketful of water out of the bottom of my bike cover, soaking my feet in the process, much to the delight of some old French chap passing by - we shared a laugh! Servicing done we got on our way for the 1.5 hour journey to our current location.
It was hot and sunny so we ate lunch in the shade of the awning and spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling out. The village dogs (well - three of them) lazily checked us out, walking around the van before flopping in some shade or taking a dip and a drink in the water-filled trough close by. Cathy wandered around the village pond and wild areas to take some photos and I did a bit of research for our next stop. She cooked a delicious paella (we brought the paella dish we bought in Barcelona) and after washing up and showers, we joined some of the locals for a perambulation around the village. The bar/restaurant was open with a few of the old boys sat inside and, although the village shop was closed, it looks like we it may have enough items on our list to allow us to stock up here in the morning.
So not much done today. I’ve enjoyed watching and listening to the hundreds of swifts flying overhead and, as the sun sets, expect to see the bats out soon. But the mozzies are also out in force so I may need to retreat inside the van soon!
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| One of the gates in Le Malzieu-Ville |
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| What I always wanted! |
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| Another free and peaceful aire all to ourselves |
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| Nido all on his own! |