Fougères, Linda and Friends

(2 photos)
A prime example of a town that we just happened to “find” is Fougères. It’s an outstandingly beautiful French village with a castle, complete with wall and moat, and a cathedral on the hill.

When we visited Fougères the first time, we stopped for a snack at the outdoor cafe on the castle grounds. The restaurant kitchen was across the street from the castle, so the waitress had to dodge traffic as she waited on tables. After lunch, as we were preparing to leave the town, we drove past the castle one last time. A large truck drove out of the street on the west side of the castle which meant the RV would fit, so we decided to explore.

A few moments later I said, “There’s Linda!” Sure enough, there was (from the left) Cousin Monika, Daughter Linda, Cousin Bärbel, and Friend Margit (Emmy joined them for this photo). They had just parked and were about to enter the castle grounds, a minute either way and we would have missed them. Although we knew Linda was somewhere in France (we were to meet her in a few days at Monika and Henri’s in Montivilliers), this meeting was quite a surprise. The four of them had been sightseeing and had confused Fougères with some other town, so this wasn’t even the place they planned to visit.

This is the reason we like to travel on our own. We just “happen” to find so many interesting places that people who take tours just don’t have time to see. Tour operators must schedule places with names that “sell” but we just drive here and there, turning wherever we wish. How else would we be able to just accidentally meet our daughter on the street of a small town that neither of us had even heard of earlier that day?
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A view of the other side of the Castlle.