Life on the river

It was a hot day yesterday and both Sophie and I felt unsettled. So we decided to shake things up and head to find the river duo for the afternoon. That meant hopping on the daily bus to town, taking the (air-conditioned) choo choo 40 minutes west to Castillon la bataille, walking down the main street to the bridge over the Dordogne, where we saw a spec - that waved!

It was a terrific afternoon together

Sophie got to load up

it holds a lot

and paddle (upstream) with Dad

Dash to the river

because big brother is after you

but two can play at that game

wandering the town

But too soon (after only two chapters of Vol 3 of annual family-read Harry Potter), it was over and we headed home.

When we left, the main paddler was a bit down. We had opted not to stay the night because the tent is too small for 4 people and outdoor sleeping was not an option with those dark storm clouds on the horizon. In fact, the planned extravaganza - the 1000 person (50 horse) re-enactment of "La bataille" (the final battle that drove the English out of almost all of France) - was cancelled that night due an "Orange" weather alert. And what a storm it was. The tent got wet but not the lads; after the first downpour, Seb wisely suggested that his dad check on the canoe (turns out that "far enough out of the river" was now 1/2 submerged!). Then came the hail stones - the size of ping pong balls. All is well that ends well, and besides, another story for the book.

But that wasn't all. Canoeing the last stretch is less fun - less to to see, less hospitable, mediocre or even no camp sites.

 Glad to report that this morning after the storm had passed, a big re-stocking (including some famous mimolette cheese) had been done, and a room booked at a lovely hotel in Libourne, the mood was good and they are off once more.