Campsites,France #12of16

As we entered the town of Auxerre, there was an attractive view with boats and barges, bridges and large stone Cathedrals. The campsite was located beside a public stadium where there was a music concert, but it was not loud enough to be a bother. During the night a spider spun a web between the camper and a tree. It must have been three or four feet from one side to the other. There was no way we could preserve it, and we forgot to take a photo of this masterpiece of natural art, glistening with dew.

We arrived in Versailles in late afternoon, drove around the town awhile, walked around the Palace at Versailles, then found the city operated campsite. Almost wish we hadn’t found this one. It’s the worst camp experience of the 1995 trip, and the most expensive ($24), in eight countries. An office people problem, a steep hilly site, and cold water for showers.

We didn’t find the campsite we were looking for, just south of Strasbourg, but did find one right behind a huge shopping center, and next to the Baggersee (lake). Shopped in the huge shopping center and noticed something we haven’t seen before — a large revolving door slowly turning all the time, each section large enough for one person with a shopping cart.

At a campsite near Creon, there were several people with large ornate trailers pulled by large fancy cars, with a huge eighteen-wheeler truck and trailer with a very special artistic paint job. Hours were spent washing and waxing the trailer.

The campsite in Turckheim is one where we did not spend the night. The man at the office was very obnoxious, and would not let us park because we didn’t have some paper he said was needed everywhere. We have never needed it at any of the other 400 places we have camped. At another campsite we met people who had spent a night in Turckheim, and they said campsite operator was mean and nasty to everyone.

A mannequin in uniform hangs from a parachute caught on the steeple of the Cathedral in Saint Mere Egilse, the first town liberated after the Normandy invasion in WW II. Repairs made to the Cathedral include a stained glass window showing the American parachute drop. A beautiful combination of an ancient art, an ancient building and a relatively current event. We camped in the Ste. Mere Egilse Municipal campground, and could see the parachute on the church steeple from our spot. Municipal camp sites in France are usually nice, and often cost $1 to $4 per night, even in 1985.