Castles in the air (6157)

Carcassonne

This is where we're staying now. Our place is just at the foot of the fortified city walls. It feels as though we're extras in a film version of Gormenghast.

We've travelled so much recently that on arrival, knowing we have three nights before moving on, it feels like it will be a long stay.

Long trip thing
It's another function of a long trip, I suppose, but we stayed in a very intriguing town a couple of nights ago with lots to do and see (Avignon) in a superb location (Airbnb right in the heart) and spent the evening in, cooked for ourselves, played backgammon, went to bed early and left first thing in the morning. You don't always want to be out doin' stuff. But we should have stayed longer.

We've more or less topped ten thousand kilometers now. The actual mileage in blog title.

Too much food
Eating out is fine as an occasional treat, but you always seem to get more food than you need. And it's not always good. The more touristic a place is, the less reliable the food.

Cultural difference
With apologies to the French (I'm usually commenting on the current nation, but this is a Geman thing), I saw this in Nürnberg thought it should be reported;

Philosophical loo roll

I thought 'this is really odd', Mind you, at that exact moment I was standing in the bathroom of a foreign apartment photographing the toilet paper.

Nice people we've met
Back to Avignon briefly, Gilles, our host was a very lovely man who made us feel cared for and welcomed. It's a treat to encounter someone like him.

You should also know about the driver who stopped to help because we were clearly lost. It was in Kaliningrad. He didn't need to. It was a gratuitous act of kindness.

And the young Latvian woman at the border with Kaliningrad who, unbidden, translated the customs document for us

And the waitress at the Cafe de la Paix, who yesterday breezily invited us to park the bike up amongst the tables when there was no room on the road (see yesterday's Noonpics).

People are good-hearted if you're open to them being so.

Local colour

Carcassonne street

There should be more streets named after singers and songwriters, don't you think?

Carcassonne flowers

Other thoughts
Will Man Utd ever win anything again under their current regime? Probably not.

Can we deal with the climate crisis? These chaps give interesting insights: Carbon Brief.

What's the best thing to do about politics in the UK? (Whoever thought May's deal would end up looking like a good compromise?)

Who will we get to change the tyres on the bike in Nerja (south of Spain) before we go to Africa?

Planning
Pillion and Pilot to hold meeting today to plan last European leg of trip.