"May I have a baguette, please?"
"€1:30"
"€1:30? For a baguette?"
"If you don't want it you can always go somewhere else"
Yes, I'm back in Belgium, aren't I? The land of pig-ignorant and rude shop assistants. However I managed to live for 14 years amongst such offensive people is something that I don't quite understand.
So having made a trial run on Tuesday back to Pooh Corner to make sure that it was accessible, I went over on Wednesday early afternoon to load up Caliburn ready to hit the road, but a quick message from Marianne to say that her appointment was brought forward to this morning meant that I stayed there for a while and sorted out a pile of stuff before hitting the road in the evening;
The first 75 kms were rather difficult but after that the conditions eased a little and I made good time, fuelling up at Auxerre and then stopping at a little layby that I know near St Florentin. It was freezing in the van but I made two exciting discoveries. Firstly, the zip on my sleeping bag is broken and so I really was open to the elements, but secondly, if I put my feet down the sleeve holes of a fleece, they don't get cold at all. I was woken up through the night by other things, but not cold feet.
I made it here by late morning and since then I've been helping Marianne with a few things here and there, trying to get her organised. I'll be here for a week.
What was nice though was having a pile of sandwiches and a thermos made for me before I set out. That's definitely something of a novel experience for me. Rather a shame though that I forgot the flask, but never mind, hey?
As an aside, my baguettes in France cost 75 cents, with delivery of 6 kms and a smile included in the price.
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New line for you - start a baguette smuggling business. Load up a 38 tonner with baguettes labelled as "Machine Parts" and smuggle them across the Belgian border then sell them off the back of a lorry for a euro each or bulk sales for a few centimes less.
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