Woke up to a sunny morning in Gordoun. Paid one euro for an hour of electricity - just enough to charge our phones and heat enough water for us all to have nice showers. We set out on our way again heading south. Going to L'Estartit in the north of Spain on the costa brava to visit mums friend Jane. Mum new Jane back when she was 18 and living in Spain as tour operator. Drove past Cahors which looked like a really nice town - on a river and quite Italian looking. Going through Villefranche I spotted a mcdonalds which we stopped at to use the free wifi and I treated mum and dad to lunch. Expensive! 30 bucks for three quarter pounder meals! But they call them cheese royal here (pretty sure there is a reference to royal with cheese in pulp fiction?). Villefranche was nothing too spectacular, but as we drove on we started getting higher and higher up. Roads started getting a little more windey and hairy in place so it was a slow progress. We drove around Albi, on through Castres and Masamet. We have been choosing more minor roads so although we aren't going down the quickest route we are seeing a lot more scenery and pretty towns.
Heading towards Carcassone we began to see lots of snow capped mountains in the distance which was very exciting! There have been lots of beautiful neatly tree lined roads too which along with the mountains made for some spectacular scenery. Drove into a little town called Villalier just outside Carcassone. Started looking for a farm from the passions book. The passions book lists all the farms in France that you can stay on with a motorhome, all free but they like you to buy some of their produce (but you don't have to). We saw the passions sign a little too late so had to chuck a u-ey up the road to turn round. Drove in and it just looked like a bunch of farmhouses and nowhere really for motor homes to park. The track went further up so we followed it. Had to drive very slowly as the track wasn't really motorhome friendly. There was a tiny little but steep bridge we were a bit worried would collapse when we went over it! Saw a building so followed the track up to it to see if was what we were after. Mum and dad both said that the track going up to it with trees either side reminded them of in gladiator when Russell Crowe goes and finds his family has been killed! It seemed empty but we could hear some work being done out the back. Mum and dad went round the back to see if there was anyone to ask wether we were in the right place or not. And they never came back. The end.
There were Romanian workers round there who knew nothing about it and spoke no English so drove back the way we came. Parked up at the first farmhouse we came to and mum saw and went to talk to a man by a tractor with a big white beard red pants and a red hat. He looked like Santa! Turned out this was the place! Not many places to park so we got as close to the farmhouse wall as possible (heard him on the tractor later on slowly driving to get past us!). Mum and dad went to chat with the owner and buy some of his wine. So wish I had of gone with them, apparently his house was like hoarders! Crap everywhere! Down in the wine cellar there were 40,000 bottles of wine which he says he ships mostly to the Philippines . Mum and dad said he was the most eccentric man they have ever met, a lunatic bordering on genius. He showed mum and dad his French legion of honour medal for designing something to do with aircraft. He gave them a glass of sherry, they said it felt a bit wolf creek ish to begin with so mum was worried the sherry was drugged. Turned out he owned all of the land including the building we drove up to before. Must be rolling in it. The construction work the Romanians were doing was building some sort of laboratory! He had had cancer four times but was still looking pretty alright, he was 77 and worked 5am to 12 at night around the farm!
Settled in for the night, had chicken wrapped in bacon and veggies, then played phase ten - dad won (he defiantly cheated though). Off to bed for Carcassone tomorrow!
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