Villedieu-les-Poeles is a typical pretty little northern French town, selected for being in about the right place at the right time, and certainly not for ease of pronunciation or memorability of the name.
There was one other Motorhome in the Villedieu town centre Aire/car park when we arrived in the late afternoon. Soon after parking, one of the occupants trotted over to congratulate us (it was rather tight). B then wandered over to find me chatting away in German at our first stop in France! Komisch = Bizarre!
The day we arrived the weather was lovely and warm but there was no available shade. Consequently we spent a rather uncomfortable night there resulting in putting FAN on our checklist for Things to Buy Which We Didn’t Know We Needed Until This Trip.
The following morning we woke early, completely surrounded by cars. It was market day! Of course we went, and, unbelievably, the first stall we found was one playing CDs of that typical French accordion music you hear on TV at the start of a cheesy TV programme about living in France. The mandatory cafe au lait and croissant at the local cafe, in earshot, was therefore perfect in a rather ironic way.
We liked Villedieu as it was obviously not a tourist place probably due to the name as mentioned earlier. There is a bell foundry and museum which we didn’t visit but apparently should have. Next time. In the Aire there is an information sign about the town which advises you that the unusual dwellings you can see by the river are old wash houses.
Allegedly there were three stages to washing clothes in those days:
Purgatory – soak the in water; Hell – soak in soapy water; and finally Heaven – wash thoroughly….
So is drying in the sun on river bank Nirvana?
Feels like it to me!