Finally, believe it or not, but I did finally arrive in Montmeyan.

The reason that I have not been much on line was not because I had nothing to tell, on the contrary, it has been a madhouse for about 6 weeks, that was the reason.

To much to tell in one session, but to name just a few things: the courier that was supposed to take over Le Soleil Fruite was first planned to arrive the first of May. Then it became the 7th of May, on a Monday. Saturday evening he arrived from the UK with his camper and trailer with motorbike at Calais and he thought to arrive at Soleil Fruite late Monday. NOT!!! At Reims his car broke down, on a Sunday, so no need to explain. Monday somebody of a garage came to check what was wrong, something with the brakes and he had to order some parts. BUT.. Tuesday was National Holliday in France, so nobody was working that day. Finally on Wednesday his car was fixed. At around 23.00 he called me to see that he could not make it before midnight, so I went to sleep. The next morning I found out that he arrived at 3 in the morning. Nevertheless I woke him up at 10.00, because it was scheduled that I was leaving the same day in the afternoon. NOT. Too much to explain him. The nice thing was that he made me a delayed birthday dinner as apologie: cock au vin. I am afraid there was more vin (wine) in us already then in the food, that finally came on the table at about 21.30. The day before - my birthday - Deanthe, a girl from Holland who is at the campsite as stagiaire, cooked me also a birthday dinner. She is a lovely girl, we had a lot of fun together.

Friday morning at 10.00 my car was packed and I was ready to go. But Ed, the courier, came over and over again with questions. At 12.00 I said: that's it, if you need to know something, email me, I am going! So, on my way to Montmeyan.

A beautiful drive, everything going smoothly, until I drove into a tunnel. I switched my lights on and the car started hickuping. Switched the light off and it was running normal again. About 25 km before my end destination I took the turn of the toll-road, I stopped to pay the toll and.... my engine went dead and stayed dead. All cars behind me flashing their lights, hoop hoop, but my car was dead. Finally two roadworkers came to push me on the side. I was tired, I was fed up with my bad fortune I had the last 6 weeks (if something could go wrong, it did go wrong) and I called Gert-Jan, the areamanager. I called the ANWB (Dutch roadservice), but they were not allowed to come and help me because I was still on the highway. In France they are not allowed to come there. So, they advised me to call a garage in the neighborhood to tow me to the garage and then I could call them again. And of course by that time the battery of my mobile phone was empty. Then again a roadworker stopped and offered to call a garage for me. While he was doing that, Gert-Jan called me: cancel the tow-away, it is far too expensive, I am on my way with Francis (an English boy who knows a lot about cars). Okay, so cancelled the tow-away and waited for about an hour till GJ and Francis arrived. He concluded that the dynamo (or something like that) was not working anymore, so my battery was not charging anymore. Another 4 minutes, charging my battery with the VS-van and then Francis drove my car, behind GJ and me in the van. On the way we stopped one more time to recharge the battery again and finally around 6 o'clock I arrived at the campsite.

There were 10 people of Vacansoleil waiting for my arrival. Because it was sooo much work to install the 25 tents all by myself and of all the work I already had done on the other campsite, GJ had arranged this team to help me to set up everything. Fantastic!!! And, I could not have done it all on my own, the paths on the campsite are not wide enough and too steep to let the truck with all the material pass, so the boys have been walking and climbing around with fridges, beds, cupboards and all the rest.

Tuesday morning they all left, we had a few lovely days of hard work and a lot of laughter in the evenings all together. On Sunday we had a day off and we all went together to the Lake Montmeyan Quinson, only about 15 minutes away from the campsite. The plan first was to rent peddleboats, but being a bit tired and seeing the electric boats we decided to rent an electric boat for 2 hours and we went down the river towards Lac D'Esparron. BEAUTIFUL!!! The pictures will follow shortly.

Still, bad luck is following me everywhere. Everybody, all 10 of the team were on the free wifi in the bar of the campsite, but........ both my two laptops NOT!!! I had to buy a usb-stick to get on the internet, but that;s too expensive in France: 6 hours 9 Euro. Also a reason why I haven't updated you before, nor any pictures so far. And tonight, to my surprise, I went to the bar (which is not opened yet, but we can walk in) to upload some pictures and suddenly: I am also on the wifi. Let's pray that from now on it will keep on working this way.

After the boys left at Tuesday morning Naomi (a stagiaire from Holland) and I went for shopping. Around 17.00 we came back and there was Danielle, the owner of the campsite. If she could have the key of the mobile we stayed in, because she needed it tomorrow! So, I had to get all my stuff out in a rush, but my own tent was not ready yet. So, I moved in one of the new tents, where there was electricity and the beds and kitchen set up allready. I rushed to the shop to get a gassbottle and then Naomi and I had a 5 star dinner of schnitzel, appelmoes, FRENCH fries and a bottle of wine in the tent.

Also that afternoon we passed Regusse, a beautiful little village only 4 km from the campsite where was a bancomat and a big supermarket. Good to know. We drove on to Aups, another km ahead and we landed in a beautiful, some bigger village and walked around there a bit. For sure I will go back there on a day off.

A street in Aups

No, not Italy, but Aups, France.

Aups

Aups

Aups

Aups, in the Haut Var, is one of the entrences to the Gorges of the Verdon and the Lake of St. Croix. It is well know for its fountains fed by the sources of the Plans de Provence. The old streets are the witness of a far history symbolized by the doors and bastions from the XII and XIV century. Aups is the meetingplace for lovers of the Truffel with one of the biggest markets during the season. The old village is dominated by the ruines of the Castle of the Dukes of Blacas.

Despite its feodale past the people of Aups were strong connected with the republican values. During the coupe of Napoleon III in 1851 the villagers didn't hesitate for a moment to take up the arms and fight to defend the Republic. At the end these rebels, also coming from the villages around in the Var, that were not killed in battle were shot or deported. This is the monument for them.

The unusual monument, the encyclopedic colum is by legend build in the XVIII century. Abt Jean build this column in his garden, in which he inscripted the knowledge that humanity had gathered for centuries.

Well,m my dear friends, I think I have made my absence up big time with these picures and story and soon there will be a follow-up.

Although all the ill luck that is and has been following me, I am still in high spirits, happy to be here and I am determined to make a wonderful season out of it. I wanted a challenge, and I should have known to be careful saying out loud this, because I GOT A CHALLENGE BIG TIME and I am going to do it!!!!

Love you all, je t'embrasse (I embrace you), a bientot,

Rita (Pita Pan, happy thoughts make me fly).