Auterive

 

This morning the sun shone, and it slightly was warmer.

At last! The view across to the caged fruit trees heavy with bridal white blossom enhanced the day. A tabby cat appeared, stopping to stare at us. Yes, we're English.

After breakfast we walked up to the market of only a handful of stalls, with very few customers. Large supermarkets seem to be on the edge of larger towns in France, sucking the lifeblood out of the town centres. Every day we see closed down shops and bakeries. It saddens us.

Today we would travel to the other side of Toulouse taking the peripherique to skirt around the city centre. The road was fast, the driving terrible. Cars cut Marge up from the left and the right side. Stay calm Marge, we'll be off this road soon. We were heading for an Aire a little south of the city in Venerque, but when we arrived and saw the van we would have to park next to had its engine running and a generator rigged up it was an automatic no!

Another few miles took us to the town of Auterive on the river Ariege. The Aire is right beside the river. Two other vans were already there with not a generator between them. This will do nicely Marge. Interesting town and a view of the river. 

By now there was enough heat from the sun to dispense with our coats, hats, gloves and scarves which we needed these last few days.

It was heaven to once again feel the warmth of the spring sunshine. Late afternoon we sat out behind Marge, drink in hand. Another van arrived. The husband desperately tried to tune the automatic television satellite receiver dish, but it just kept spinning around. The two other vans here seemed to be tuned in O.K. After turning the van around his wife did not look happy. Then at last a signal was found. Relax everyone. Televisions to watch, they don't know how lucky they are. We spend all our time watching our loo pot, just in case!

We have been travelling three weeks now and have covered less than a thousand miles. We like to travel on the slow roads as much as possible. You see more sights that way.

Tomorrow we will drive to the hilltop town of Carcassonne and then in the next few days on towards Spain. News of fuel shortages means we will have to be vigilant and not stray to far from the French border.