Day 02: Charleville Mézieres – Châteauroux

On Sunday morning, just in time for the church bells, we find ourselves in front of the cathedral in Reims. The sun is shining. The atmosphere is pleasant—at least here, there was no damage caused by radical protesters yesterday—and the shop where we can pick up our (now customary) case of Champagne for tasting is open. What more could you ask for?

Since some acquaintances of ours from Togo happen to be in Châteauroux rather than Clermont-Ferrand, we decide to change our original route and head straight there. The morning takes us through vast agricultural plains and rolling hills, while the afternoon leads us through open, airy woodlands.

It’s quite a long haul, but given the rather poor weather, it’s a sensible choice.

What we failed to consider, however, is that hardly any restaurants are open on a Sunday evening. During a stroll through the town, we only come across a few pizza trucks and a vending-machine shop stocked with small items—the kind you could even pop straight into a microwave on-site. That’s not exactly what we’re in the mood for.

And so, we end up at *La Guinguette de Belle-Isle*, right next to our campsite, *La Rochât*. We find local flavor and burgers—plus an accordion player, to whose music people are dancing with great enthusiasm and stamina.