100 outandaboutlive.co.ukSeptember 2019
Tell other readers about your motorhome
adventures, good or bad, in 600 words motorhome.ma/myviewsHOLIDAYDISASTER OR HOLIDAYDREAM?
Where were wein June?
Annecy? Was thatnot last year?
Ye s, it may havebeenSeptember. And
soit goes.
Doeseveryonehavethe same
problem?Remembering wherethey
were andwhen?
Wearelucky enoughtotravel to
Francetwice ayear inMay/June andSeptember/October.
Wehaveourfavourite sites, in favourite areasand,although
wevisit places wehaven’t been tobefore andwill remember
them,it’s the memoriesof the familiarplaces thatbecome
somewhat blurred.
Is it a signof old age?Never! If we’re young enoughtoget
there and enjoy the trip,surely wemust beyoung enoughto
remember where we’ve been.
Remember thatlovely walk alongthe grassyclif atPornic?
Was thatnot at CampingBois Soleil? Were wetherelast June?
Did wenot visit both?
I do markthe entriesin the Caravan Clubbook of French
sites withthe date andthe number of dayswehavestayed.
Although there is somuch informationbeside someof them–
likeLaBienAssiseat GuinesorCampingHaliotisat Pontorson
where westop onnearly every visit –thatI nolonger enter the
details. Weknowwe’ve beenthere many times.
Tosettle arguments or jogmemoriesI could of course look
through the book butit’s outsidein the ’van andit’s pouring!Gladys Greggtries to recall
the timewhen theywere in...
What about aholiday diary?Ona special holiday tothe Far
East andAustralia several yearsago, Idid keepa journal, which
wasreligiously illed inevery day withinformationaboutwhere
we were staying, the interesting places we’d visited and our
thoughtsaboutthe holiday. For a while Icontinued todothis
whilein Francebut,witha glassof the localvinoaswerelax in
the evening sunshine, it’s just toomuchof an efortandweare
after all onholiday! It’s toomuchlikehomework.
And, sincewe were havingsucha lovely, relaxingtimewe’d
bebound toremember every minute of it, wouldn’t we? And we
doof course.It’s justwhenwetry topin down exactly whenit
waswe were sitting in NantesCampingafter anenjoyable day
watching LeGrand Éléphantat Les Machines del’Île it gets a
little confusing.
Was that the yearwe wenttoAngers?No, was it not on our
way downfrom StMalo thatwestopped there fora couple of
days? Here wegoagain.
Wenever argueaboutit, butit canbeveryfrustrating not
remembering whenandwherewe’ve beenwhenasked byour
holidayingfriendswho areregalinguswith theirvisit toTe nerife
orMadeira theyenjoyed in September. Unlikeourfriends,we
don’t go to oneplaceandstayfor a fortnight. We’d probably be
more likely toremember wherewe’d beenif wedid!
hose friends,who comebackwith the darkbrown skin,
acquired on a golden beach, which theydidn’t leave the whole
time they were there,envyus ourleisurely touringholidays.
heyhavenodiiculty remembering wherethey’ve beenand
when.Is it because ourholidaysin the ’van areall sosimilar and
sofamiliarthat theymerge intoone long, lovely memory?
his iswhat weenjoyof course.Whenwestarted travelling
all those yearsago, weenjoyed manytripsintoBelgium and
Holland.Wenever quite warmed toGermanyandSpain was a
disaster –muggedin Madrid andthe ’vanbrokenintowhile we
shopped in the supermarket.
Italy was wonderful, especially CampingNorcenniGirasole
in Figline ValdarnonearFlorencebut, over the years,wehave
discovered,likesomanyfellow motorhomers,thatFrancehasso
muchto ofer,withsucha variedlandscape. It regularly surpris es
uswithsomething new andinteresting to enjoy.
Somanybeautiful areas tovisit. It’s justremembering
thatwe’ve beenthere!And when!My travels...