*That* French Camping Trip

November 17, 2018

That French Camping Trip - Part 1

Trying to cool off at the river

This past August we had a couple weeks at two different campsites in the Ardeche region in the South of France. It's an incredibly beautiful part of the country with deep gorges, clear rivers and smooth rocks to jump from. There are pretty medieval towns and an abundance of French supermarkets, which are probably my favourite thing about France. However, like last time we embarked on a French camping trip in 2011, I was again 5 months pregnant and missed a lot of the stinky cheese and wine tasting opportunities.

I do wonder would my experience of camping be different with wine and cheese involved? Probably. But no amount of wine and cheese could remedy some of the less pleasant parts of the trip. I'll list them for posterity's sake, but won't dwell.
1. 40+ degree heat, no breeze
2. Many, many other people camping (with sound systems)
3. Sleeping on a blow-up bed whilst pregnant
4. The torrential rain storm and ensuing flood that evacuated all the surrounding campsites, twice in the same week
5. Being stuck in a tent for 2 days when the temperature dropped to 17 degrees
5. No stinky cheese or wine
6. The 10 hour drive each way

But on the up side there was..
1. Watching Cal jump from rocks into crystal clear river waters
2. Watching David dig trenches around the tent bare chested in the rain with that manically excited look on his face that only Dutch men get when met with irrigation challenges
3. Watching Cal catch yabbies after the storm and impress the other campsite kids with his handling technique and bravery
4. Pasteurised cheese and sips of good French wine
5. Nice photos
6. Coming home