We set off towards Montingac late in the morning after saying goodbye to the 2 Brit couples and the fellow in the van next to us since he suddenly realised we were NZrs. I had a short conversation with him and he told me my French was very good, which i was chuffed at. He also made a point of telling Scot my French was very good which made me feel even better. I am enjoying learning new stuff each day and being able to get the French people i talk to, to understand me.
It is another scorching day and we have a long drive. We travel part of the non toll highway to get south quicker and the scenery is lovely. We know it is too late to get to Montingac today, so we find a supermarket and head to a small aire that is on a lake called Lake de Pardoux. The aire is full but we find a spot to park and take a walk down to the lake. Even though it is nearly 6 it is still so hot so a swim is in order. This is the nearest thing to a shower we have had since leaving England and it is so refreshing it is devine. At the lake there is a large confidence course and strangely they have a push bike up high to be ridden on a tightrope. Now that would be an interesting course to do. This whole area looks to be relatively new as they have a huge pool complex here as well, although why you would want to swim in a pool when you have a fresh water lake is beyond me.
Some of the patrons of the aire had us on when we arrived trying to tell us it cost 5 euro a night, but i know it is free. When they find out we are Kiwis we get the typical All Blacks banter and a laugh. We know the French are our nemesis so the banter is all in good spirit.
Scot is cooking us ham/turkey burgers tonight and it looks like the others are wanting to queue up at our van for theirs. It is all good humour and fun and makes for an enjoyable stay here.
Since we know it is going to be so hot the next day it would be so nice to just stay and swim in the lake but time is marching on and we have things to do.
