Leaving Saint Hilaire-sous-Romilly
It was a disturbed night with a persistent thunder storm. The day, however, dawned much cooler. We set off for Chalons-en-Champagne, leaving the rather disappointing, expensive campsite. It was really more of a holiday park. Enormous and surrounding several lakes for fishing and water activities. Most sites were occupied by small owner occupied chalets. They all seemed to be trying to outdo their neighbours, competing for the most fairy lights, exotic flower planters and various types of statuary, especially garden gnomes.
Chalons-en-Champagne
It was a dull day, threatening rain on occasions, not overly scenic. Chalons-en-Champagne had a campsite. Again, it was busy. There were far more Brits here than we had encountered on any other site. We have been surprised how busy it is for this time of year. However, most of the campers are campervan owners of advancing years. I’m presuming they are travelling now to avoid the families with children in the summer peak of July and August.
Not feeling like cooking, we ate in the campsite restaurant. Not an exciting menu. A pizza for Dennis and fish and chips for me.
Monday, 16th. Epernay
We started the day on the Route Touristique du Champagne. It took us through very pretty villages, but with no sign of any vines. The countryside was a magnificent, though, with a patchwork of differing colours. Fields of golden ripening barley and wheat, deep green lucerne (alfalfa), maize, potatoes and brownish rape seed. Almost every square meter of this part of France seems to be cultivated.
It wasn’t until we had nearly reached Epernay that we started to see vines, but then they were everywhere, together with large and small champagne houses. We managed to park easily in Epernay and walked around the town. It was quiet, probably because it was a Monday. The restaurants weren’t busy and some were closed.
Reims
Leaving Epernay we set off for Reims. It is a pretty large city. We headed for the Municipal Camping. There was no sign of it. While we were stopped looking on the Sat-Nav for another campsite, a local lady stopped and told us the camping closed years ago. We spent the next couple of hours visiting campsites in nearby villages, all of which were closed or had converted to campervans only. We were getting tired and frustrated, but eventually at after 6pm we found a very nice camp at Bourg-et-Comin. It was a welcome relief.
For dinner we had the long awaited Rollmops with salad. This time they were still in the jar and had not mysteriously disappeared. It was a peaceful, not too hot night. This morning I had a coffee while checking correspondence, using the campsite wifi. When I asked to pay, the lovely campsite owner said it was free.
We are now in the Somme area and stopped during the day at several cemeteries. This area is where there was heavy fighting during the 1914 -18 war.
We visited the French and German cemetery at Soupir and also a little further on, the Italian cemetery. Later in the day we looked at the British cemetery in Vailly. All the cemeteries are beautifully looked after. It is very moving to see so many gravestones and to realise the devastating loss of lives during the carnage in the trenches during WW1.
Soissons
At lunch time we stopped in Soissons. I was sitting in Poki while Dennis walked around the corner to see if there was a more sheltered parking place. It is warm, about 27 degrees today. He was quite a while coming back and on his return asked me if I knew what had happened here on 16th June 1972? He had come across a memorial to a large number of people. Was there a riot or mass shooting?
Google provided the answer. It was a railway accident. A railway tunnel collapsed and two packed local trains ran into the debris. 108 people were killed. Yesterday would have been the 50th anniversary of the accident. Hence all the flowers which had been placed at the monument.
Attichy
After lunch we passed through a series of small villages as we took tiny roads following the northern banks of the Aisne river. We stopped early, having found a camp at Attichy. I was quite surprised when the owner told me it was full. However, he said we could camp at the very end of the campsite, where there was some additional car parking. It was on grass and was the parking for a large yurt and three teepees, which were unoccupied.
So, once again we have a quiet location but all the camp facilities. We are beside a lovely lake with various birdlife. Ducks, geese and moorhens.
Dennis thinks we should stay here another day. It is getting dark, as I write, and frogs have started croaking. If they persist, perhaps a second day/night won’t be such a good idea.
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