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Sunday 11th June 2006

I was up just after 6am showered and went to the camp café for breakfast but nothing was open so I walked around for a while and chatted to a Kawasaki owner until the café opened and had breakfast. I desperately wanted to know where I could get fuel as I didn’t have enough to confidently go searching for it which meant I couldn’t decamp in case I had to stay another day, so I had to hang around until 9am when reception opened only to find there was a petrol station nearby. Sod’s law really works.
I packed up adding my leather trousers to the luggage as it was far too hot to ride in them. As didn’t want to get lost in Bordeaux so I kept to the motorways and eventually found my way to the N137 to Saints. Stopped at a nice little café and had the most gorgeous strong cheese salad and drank loads of water as it was so hot.
Got to Saints at 4:30pm and found a municipal camp site which was brilliant. I pitched under some large trees for the cool of the shade away from everybody when this VW polo drives up and parks next to me, I just knew he had to be a motorcyclist and sure enough he was. His name is Johannes from Cologne and has three bikes a gold wing, 650 Yamaha twin and a little 250 I can’t remember the make. Anyway we liked each other immediately and after pitching our tents and showering we went for a walk and had a meal, then Johannes suggested we found a bar for a few beers and we didn’t stop talking and did our best to get drunk. The result of all this is that I hope to be visiting him in August while Kathy is away on a painting week with her friend.

Monday 12th June 2006

Left about 10:30am for Limoges and it seemed I just couldn’t get off dual carriageways. I eventually did and made my way to the town of Oradour a Glane the town destroyed by the Germans after killing 640 men ,women and children as a punishment for not informing on the Resistance Fighters. A friend went there last year and two young English girls were walking in front of him and he overheard one say to the other “It’s brilliant, how did they make it look so real”.
I made my way back to Lorna and Andy’s place but they were away so camped at the municipal site at Confolens . What a lovely position next to the river. There were four camper vans and one bike so of course I made my way over to the bike and it was a Brit , well Welsh. Paul was a real character on his way to the Catalan Moto GP he offered me a can of lager and I noticed there was an empty wine bottle by the front wheel of his Suzuki GSX R1000. That night he drank a bottle of red wine 7 large cans of lager and with each can a spliff. I asked him if was wise but he seemed to think he would be OK in the morning. Well, when I came out of the shower in the morning there he was standing by his bike eating a grapefruit and drinking fruit juice like he was a health junkie and he was as right as rain. About 9pm that night some cars arrived and young lads got out and went to the wash rooms and went , then some women arrived and the same thing happened and then the men. It seems they were local Gypsies making use of the amenities for free.
My Welsh friend then decided he wanted to take some pictures of the bridge in Confolens as he said it was all lit up so we walked into town with him staggering all over the place saying to himself “I’m pissed and I’m high, I’m pissed and I’m high” and he really was. He said every year he intended to take that picture and he always got drunk and never did and it was only me who persuaded him to do it and the bloody lights were out.

Tuesday 13th June 2006

Got up at 7:15 and walked into town and took pictures of the bridge, it was a nice looking structures then had breakfast at a local café then made my way back to the campsite. I rang Andy and Lorna but both were working so went for a ride and found the Circuite Automoble Du Val De Vienne that Paul had told me about, nice looking circuit but nothing going on so continued my ride to the viaduct Paul mentioned but it was a real let down as it wasn’t a quarter of the size of the one near my home. So I just rode and eventually found a nice looking chateau and that was bloody closed as well. I’m not having a good day. I got to Lorna and Andy’s at about 4pm. Their house opens onto the road and the only places to park was in the town square or in the passageway of the house next door which they also own. It was a tight squeeze backing the bike in but we made it OK. I did wonder how difficult it going to be getting it out so did my best to put out of my mind by having a couple of beers with Andy until Lorna came home then we had more booze while Andy cooked some ducks legs and we sat in the garden talking family history. It was a lovely evening.